The day had started just like any other, but today was certainly no ordinary day. Twilight was running at full speed to get to the quiet retreat that was her library home. A small package she received was the cause of her rush. It was a new book from the princess herself. The moment ditzy had brought her the package stamped with the Princess' royal seal, she knew she just had to get home and dive into its contents.
The quiet atmosphere of the library was abruptly and temporarily destroyed by Twilight's hasty entrance into the library. After the high speed intrusion, the atmosphere resumed its humble tranquility. Twilight looked around for spike. She assumed that he was on his evening run to Sugar cube Corner for a lunch break. The book was gently laid upon Twilight's table and opened with the magic Twilight possessed.
Twilight was a glutton for learning to say the least. She had scanned the first few pages. The book was a guide to learning very advanced spells. A rare book, obtainable only by order of the princess herself. Twilight felt that this was the princess' way of telling her she was ready for more advanced training. Her face was bright with pride and excitement, "Oh, this is so extraordinary. I don't know where to start." Twilight excitedly stated as she scanned through each page.
The book contained a multitude of powerful spells. Some of the spells taught how to control weather; others were on manipulating matter, even an advanced teleportation spell. That was one of Twilight's personal favorites. She had almost decided on the teleportation spell, when something caught her eye, "What is this?" Twilight questioned as she examined one of the pages.
The outer corners on a single page had been dog eared on both sides. Twilight noticed that a particular spell had been magically highlighted, "Spiritual connection? A spell that allows a single pony to connect with a spirit from the spiritual dimension..." Twilight looked puzzled while reading the description. She never believed in the supernatural, though after meeting Pinkie Pie she lightened up to the subject. Spirits were a whole new idea to Twilight, she never really thought about their existence, just the thought brought a shiver down her spine.
Twilight wondered about the condition of the page. Was there a reason it was made to be so noticed? Was this a spell that Princess Celestia wanted Twilight to learn? Twilight shook away the questions temporarily and looked further into the learning procedure of the spell. The requirements were on a very advanced level compared to what Twilight was used to. Spells had many levels of difficulty. Some spells were learned through sheer force of magic power, where as some would combine the essence of magic with the process of thought to create an object or to move something. However, this spell called upon the power of meditation and the mind's eye to form a connection to the spiritual world. If done correctly, Twilight would then be able to talk to a spirit and vice versa.
"I don't know if I am ready for this." Spoke a mildly shaken twilight.
Almost immediately, Twilight dismissed the negative thoughts. She had to do this for the Princess, and for herself. Failure to learn spells was a failure to her duty as an apprentice. She lowered herself to her haunches as she collected her thoughts. She had read up on how to practice this type of spell learning, but had never actually gone through the steps. Twilight inhaled deeply and let out a heavy sigh, a good start to calming oneself. A calm set of nerves and mind was necessary to put the spell in motion.
The ambience of the library was the perfect setting for this kind of spell. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the detachment to the physical plane. Her horn began to fluxuate lightly, then with more focus; the magical essence from her horn began to surround her to make a type of shield. The shield was used to cut her off from any outer disturbances that may try to interfere with the process.
Time began to slow down and distort in Twilight's mind. She felt the slow approach of the green and blue mist that is known as the spiritual plane. Fear would not claim her, for it was not an emotion welcome in this plane. Focus, understanding, and acceptance were the elements that served as Twilight's guide.
The focus allowed the spiritual plane to exist and served to ready her for the gift she would receive. Understanding the power and use of her gift would be proof of her worth to receive it. Acceptance would be the final trial. It would provide her with its abilities and its consequences. She could see the shadows of those long gone. She could hear their voices, but she did not fear them, for they were not there to harm. They were there to bestow. The winds of the Spiritual Plane began the swirl madly as the inaudible voices became louder. Twilight did not move as her third eye watched what was happening around her. It was all part of the process, and the process was nearly complete.
A flash of light was the last thing her third eye would encounter in that plane, as her eyelids shot open to reveal great lights emitting from her eyes. It looked similar to the time she unlocked the elements of harmony. The light began to fade and revealed the soft color of her violet eyes. Exhaustion had overtaken her moments later, as she collapsed to the ground. After a few moments to catch her breath she rose to her hooves. All that remained of her experience was a fuzzy memory and a very sore horn. She looked to the window, but noticed the evening sun that poured through her window was now replaced by the soft light of Luna's moon.
She rubbed her head with her hoof, "I thought I was gone for just a few minutes. I think that's enough for one day, time for some rest." she concluded to herself with a drawn out yawn. After putting away her new book of spells, Twilight began her ascent up the stairs. Her mind began to ponder if her efforts were successful. She didn't really know how to go about testing to see if she could communicate to spirits. That is to say, if they even exist at all. She decided to put all her thoughts to rest, along with herself. The door to her room opened with a soft press of her hoof. Spike lay asleep in his basket. He probably saw Twilight in the midst of her studying and thought best not to bother her.
Twilight did not realize how much the spell took out of her, until she felt her body succumb to the soft welcome her bed. As much as she didn't want them to, her thoughts continued their assault on her mind. Did Celestia want her to learn that particular spell? Had it even worked? She must have gained something from that experience. Her sore horn was a clear indication of that. Finally, her thoughts began to fade away as she felt herself descend into a dark, yet well needed slumber.
"Young apprentice…"
Twilight winced at the intrusive noise that was denying her the sleep she longed for. The voice of her mind would not get the best of her.
"Awaken apprentice of the princess."
Twilight's eyes shot open to the call. This was not her mind playing tricks on her. She knew she heard something that time, "H-hello?" Twilight questioned, but received only the soft snoring of her dragon assistant. She slowly looked around, checking every part of her room for another form of life. After a few minutes of frantically checking, she dismissed it all to herself being exhausted. She made sure her assistant wasn't awoken by all this and pulled the covers over him, then turned to her own bed…
"It is time!"
Her heart rate began its acceleration at the voice that seemed to surround her entire room. To her surprise, her horn had begun to fluxuate with magic madly. "What's going on?" Twilight asked to no one in particular. She recognized the fluxuation, it was similar to her teleportation spell, yet she wasn't casting it. In a split second, Twilight was gone. Nothing remained but the sound of silence and a baby dragon that could sleep through anything.
Twilight wasn't sure what had just happened. One minute she was in the dark ambience of her room. The next, she was outside in an area she wasn't familiar with. She observed her surroundings. The ground around her seemed to be devoid of grass. Anything that remained was black and withered, almost as if the entire area had been scorched in flame somehow. In the distance lie ruins of an ancient shrine. It didn't seem to serve use to anything anymore, as what remained of it was tattered by the unforgiving hand of age.
A sigh of relief left her lungs as she came to a familiar sight. In the far off distance she could see the shadowy outline of the Princess' castle, a clear indication she wasn't too far from home. That didn't stop the flow of questions that poured into her head. Why was she even here? What was with the voice? She felt her hair stand on end as a light gust of wind blew past her and she felt a presence behind her.
"Do not be afraid, lass." Came an aged voice.
Twilight quickly spun around. She was greeted by the presence of a tall earth stallion with a light brown coat and a red mane with a tail to match. He looked like one of the princess' royal guards. His armor was different, but seemed familiar in a way. He wore a shining silver helmet that bore a crescent moon across the front. The armor that covered his body was a bright gold, gleaming with the emblem of a sun across the chest. Twilight had seen this armor in books, yet that armor hadn't been worn since the solar-lunar wars. She had to ask the obvious question, "Who are you? How did I get here?"
His gaze fell to match hers, "Spirits don't have much need for names, but I was once given the name Iron Bond." He wasn't surprised to get the reaction he got from the young apprentice.
"Iron Bond…you mean THE Iron Bond? Commander of the Princess' Royal Guard and personal guard to the Princess herself?" Twilight shook her head at the thought. "That can't be. If you were that Iron Bond…then I would be talking to a…"
"A ghost?" was the soft reply of Iron Bond as he showed a proud display. "I was the legendary Iron Bond of which you speak. As to how you got here...Well, when I felt the power of a unicorn opening the spiritual plane, I figured it could only be the Princess' apprentice, as such spells can only be learned by unicorns of such rank." He was now circling the lavender unicorn, observing every detail about her. She just stood there frozen in fear and confusion. "I would say you called to me. You might say I called to you, but the truth is we called to each other. He gained no reply from the still petrified unicorn. "Do not fear me, young apprentice. I did not bring you here with my magic with intentions to harm you."
The last statement brought Twilight out of her fearful state, "Magic? But you are an earth pony. How can you wield magic?" She recalled that the books always referred to Iron Bond as an earth pony, so she felt right to question him.
A soft chuckle was his first response, "I am sure you are aware that all ponies have magic inside of them, but are you aware of spiritual magic?" A shake of the head was her response, "Well, when a pony passes on, the magic inside of them can sometimes keep their physical form on this earth if they are not ready to pass to the next stage of the afterlife." He looked at her a little more seriously, "When I felt you open the plane to the spiritual world…I figured we could help each other. So, I teleported you here in hopes that we could help each other."
This was all weighing so heavy on Twilight, "Why me? What can I help you with?" She looked at him as he closed his eyes with a smile.
He looked to be reflecting on something, "Tell me apprentice…is the princess happy?" His gaze lowered, no longer matching Twilight's eyes, "When I left this world. She had just lost her sister to the evil that was Nightmare Moon. She wore a smile upon her face for her subjects, but I knew it was just a mask. All those years of servitude allowed me to see the princess for who she truly was. Feeling that she might not truly be happy…I can't bear the thought of it. Such is the bond of servitude."
Twilight took a step towards Iron Bond, "So that is why you are stuck here. Your servitude shines even after death." Iron Bond's gaze once returned to be greeted by the soft smile of Twilight. "I am happy to inform you that Luna has returned. The sad days of the Solar-Lunar war are over."
Iron Bond's spirits did not lift. He looked out to the broken shrine that seemed to be nothing but a beacon of the past, "Lass, you must not know the truth about how things were back then." Twilight could only look at him with confusion in her eyes.
"There was no Solar-Lunar war…"
Twilight shook her head in disbelief, "No war? How could that be? I have plenty of books on the subject." She said with confidence in her voice.
"All made up stories by ponies that weren't even born during those days. There was only one battle. It was between Celestia and Luna. Neither of them would ever let their subjects get involved in a battle that had nothing to do with them. I guess that is why Celestia knew her sister wasn't truly overcome by evil." He knelled his head down to Twilight's level. "I brought you to this place for a reason. Lend me your magic apprentice, and I shall show you the importance of this place." He closed his eyes, awaiting the light touch of Twilight's horn.
Twilight was hesitant, but soon started to lean in. Her horn lightly pressed to Iron Bond's head. Sparks flowed from Iron Bond to Twilight's horn, the imagery of his memories being transferred to Twilight's mind. It allowed her to see what he witnessed all those years ago.
"Let the truth be known."