Author's Note: I apologize for the very long delay but, simply but, this year, especially these last few months, have been absolutely awful to me. I don't particularly want to go into details, but, it's not left me very inspired to write. But, I hope to resume my monthly schedule of uploads.

"Your first lesson will be in summoning a familiar." Maleficent informed her pupil as she walked through the halls of her abode to find a place where she could safely do such a thing. "Madness born from isolation is a threat to anyone who uses magic, so you will remedy that by summoning an intelligent beast with whom you shall share a portion of your soul."

"Any beast?" Aurora asked.

Maleficent looked down at her from the corner of her eye, "Any beast, though you will find a bird to be your best choice as it allows your familiar more freedom than a beast of only land or water."

The young Princess nodded seriously.

Maleficent said nothing after that, simply leading them to an empty courtyard.

"This will suffice." she declared.

"But, it's empty." Aurora looked around.

"While I am willing to use my minions as target practice, I suspect you are not. And besides, I have no use for them at the moment." she said dismissively.

"T-target practice?!" the blonde squeaked.

Maleficent stopped. She then slowly turned to look at her. "Where else will I find an expendable moving target?"

Aurora shrank a bit at Maleficent's gaze.

"Now then." Maleficent turned away from the young Princess. "Summoning your familiar is magic that implicates your very soul. While your familiar can be any beast, you will find that it is easier to communicate with them if they reflect your soul."

"If, I may ask, Mistress Maleficent, I was told that your familiar was named 'Diablo'. What does that word mean?" Aurora piped up.

A small smile graced the fey sorceress' lips, sending a violent shudder down Aurora's spine at the sheer wrongness she felt upon beholding that smile.

"Devil."

"But, is the Devil not evil?" Aurora asked, trying to keep her nerves about her.

"I am the Mistress of All Evil." she responded. "Now enough idle chatter out of you for now." she stopped in the center of the courtyard and turned to her. "If you are to properly summon a familiar, you will need to look into your very soul. This is normally a difficult procedure to do on one's own, especially untrained as you are."

"Then, how will I accomplish that?" she asked.

"I will provide you with assistance. If I am to make an apprentice out of you, I will have to aid you with the basics." she raised her staff, making her flinch. Maleficent gave her an annoyed look. "Calm yourself, I am going to aid you into looking into your soul."

"Will it hurt?" she asked, straightening up.

"I very much doubt it." Maleficent replied, the orb atop her staff glowing as she pointed it at the young Princess' chest. "Now close your eyes and look within yourself."

Aurora gasped and her eyes shut, as if by instinct.

…

Aurora opened her eyes, to see not Maleficent's castle, but what looked like an endless void of pink and blue. She could feel ground beneath her feet, but not see it.

"I suppose I should have known this would be what your soul would look like."

The voice made the Princess jump. She turned around to see Maleficent, whose lip was curled in disgust.

"Y-your Grace?" she asked tentatively.

"What?"

"Is, this, my soul?" Aurora looked around. She'd never seen anything like this.

"It is. Now, let us go further in, that you may get your familiar. I do not wish to be in here a second longer. The purity of your soul appalls me." she began to all but glide along the ground, Aurora following shortly after.

"What are we looking for?" the Princess looked up at her teacher.

"You will know it when you see it. I cannot predict what form your familiar will take, be it in the mortal realm or your soul." she responded.

"It all looks, so, strange."

"It is. But I find strangeness to be preferable to madness. Or did you think a simple mortal like yourself could comprehend the true nature of a soul at such a young age?" she glanced down.

"I suppose not." she mumbled.

They continued to walk for what could have easily been minutes or hours, landscape unchanging until Maleficent stopped, wincing slightly.

"Your Grace?" Aurora looked up in worry.

"I cannot go any further, lest I risk damaging my own soul. But your familiar, in some form, is up ahead." she assured her.

Aurora balled her hands into fists and nodded, gathering her resolve. "Then I shall go find it." she said, walking further, the light that seemed to be coming from up ahead getting brighter and brighter.

The brightness flashed, making Aurora flinch and Maleficent hiss, then the light seemed to coalesce, forming what looks like a sun. But it didn't burn.

"It's, beautiful!" Aurora breathed, walking closer.

"That is your familiar, child. Take it."

Aurora slowly rose her hands and brought her arms around the sun, as if giving it a hug. It was so warm, like her mother's embrace. She smiled. "My, familiar." she whispered.

The sun erupted into a brilliant beacon of light and everything whited out.

…

Aurora groaned softly, her body aching. She stumbled a step back, then a ball of light emerged from her chest, banishing her aches.

Maleficent took a step back, watching, curious as to what would happen.

Aurora looked at the sphere, all but entranced as it slowly landed on the floor, shrinking until it formed a single white dove.

The dove looked up at her and cooed softly.

"A dove." Maleficent said flatly. "How, quaint."

Aurora kneeled down to look at the bird. She smiled at it. "Beautiful creature of my soul riven, to you the name, Ellis, shall be given."