Sometimes the ponies around here scare me with how crazy they can get at times. I thought that a depressed Pinkie Pie was bad, but when Twilight starts to snap it is a whole different level of scary. I’m not sure what set her off in the first place, but I’m just glad I had one of my sapphires with me to protect me from her spell she placed on that doll as it gave me time to get elsewhere. It was a good thing too, as the Princess had to come and clean up her mess and calm her down.
Even so, things has calmed down remarkably well after Discord’s little rampage even with incidents like that. Two of the Crusaders had some event to do with their sisters which looked to bring them closer together, though during that time I caught Scootaloo sneaking into an old abandoned building. She said she was searching for some cool stuff for some cutie mark project that her and her friends were planning, but I’ve noticed that most ponies are easy to catch out in a lie, yet I just let her go with is still.
Applebloom’s little foray in the world of alchemy also showed some interesting results to the town in the form of some sort of cutie mark disease. Seeing the effect it had on her I wondered if it had anything to do with the irrational fear of cutie marks in Sunny Town. Checking with Mitta when I had the chance later didn’t tell me much though as she didn’t know if there was a good reason they fear them, yet it did sound plausible.
Of course even things that seem impossible are bound to happen, such as the pet that Rainbow Dash chose for herself. From her personality a tortoise just doesn’t seem like something that would fit her, but seeing its personality, even if it took a while, I could see why she did though. Of course this did little to temper her personality as lately she had been getting a bit overbearing.
Sure she saved a few ponies more often lately, but that’s no reason to get a big head over it. Odd that she is reacting like that since she never did before when she saved others, or at least not to these extremes. Still it is strange that all these accidents have been happening with such a short span of each other, but I just chalk it up to some lingering effect from Discord.
Whatever the reason, I decided that it would be a good idea to go somewhere away from town for the time being. Sunny Town would have been a nice distraction if it wasn’t a few weeks from appearing again, and the diamond dogs were also out as I had no clue what to do with or about them. This of course left the castle in the Everfree, or exploring the Everfree itself, and seeing as I was still preparing for the latter…
“I guess the castle it is, I hope that filly is up for some company right now.” On making the choice I start to pack up some of the usual things I bring with me. I even had the diamond that I once used in Sunny Town as I no longer had to track when it was going to appear so I just kept it around until I found another use for it. I even decided to bring a rhubarb pie with me to share with her, though I made sure to keep most of the rest locked up in a separate container in the pantry to prevent a repeat of the Crusader Incident.
As I walk through the forest I think about my plan for the next few months, or the lack of them as the case may be. Having had an uneventful Summer Solstice this year, and the fact that cider season is coming up soon at the start of fall, I had nothing to do now that my house was mostly finished thanks to the Crusaders. “I probably could check out that cider and see what is so special about it; I missed it last year while doing other things. Maybe I can get that one spell to work so I can start exploring the Everfree more as well.”
Thinking about the spell I check my packs to see if I brought the materials for it along. Seeing that I did I made a note to check that spell I found again as well as look for anything else that could help as well. I had come to realize that the while the castle library had many spells that were harder to find elsewhere, many of the ones that were easily found tended to be of a more archaic form at the same time. This makes sense as the spells had progressed over the last thousand years, and ones not needed often fell out of use and were lost.
Arriving at the castle I soon sense that the filly is already watching me from somewhere like usual. I wonder how she can stay hidden so well every time I arrive while I make my way to the library. I set the usual packet of food down where I usually do and continue to my usual table. I forego the search spell as I know where the first book I want is located so I retrieve it for reading.
After verifying the information I need I started searching for other books that would help me with this spell. After an hour of research I found a few different ways to get the result I wanted, and I even had all the materials with me for it. “Well there’s no time like the present I guess, this will be the first time I try a multi-circle spell in a way so each circle doesn’t merge though.”
I find a large clear area to prepare a chalk circle for the spell and carefully inscribe all the necessary symbols. Once that is done I take a large sheet of parchment from my packs and place it in the center with a scrap of gold, a piece of jade, a pearl fragment and a bloodstone shard at each corner aligned with the cardinal directions of East, West, South, and North respectively. Completing that and checking to make sure that everything is aligned correctly I prepare myself for the complicated spell.
It starts easily enough as I channel my power into the circle causing the symbols to light up with energy. Once I finish powering the circle I start to direct the energies into the center objects. This part takes much more concentration and as the power increases the air around me starts to slowly churn. Soon enough I reach the level of power I need to complete the spell, which is higher than I first expected.
I can vaguely see object flying around me, and as the spell nears completion I put out a last burst of effort. As I finish the spell I start to unravel the energies in the circle carefully to prevent any sort of backlash. Unfortunately I am blindsided by a large tome crashing into the side of my head breaking my concentration causing the remaining energies to race back into me uncontrolled forcing me into unconsciousness.
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I slowly awaken to the feeling of something wet pressing against my side as well as a muffled sound. As I open my eyes I notice the book that had hit me causing this latest bout of pain, the book happens to be pertaining to healing and is currently open to a page on dealing with head trauma. Really? Out of all the books that are in the library this is the one that ends up hitting me?
Shaking my head I turn to look at whatever is pressed against me. I find out that it is what I assume to be the filly that had been hiding in this place alone that was there and it looks as if she was crying. Since she finally decided to come out on her own I decided to take the time to look her over to finally put a form to her voice.
The first thing I notice is how deep of a black her coat is, as well as her mane which seems to shift from a blue to violet colors depending on the angle of the light. I see at her sides a pair of wings, and when she shifts her head a little I notice the horn sticking out of her mane, showing her relation to the Princesses. On closer inspection I find that her mane and coat are in pretty poor shape, with dirt and clumps of hair all over.
She must not have many chances to get clean being cooped up in the castle; it makes sense as there doesn’t seem to be an easily accessible source of water to fill the baths from. I shift a bit, trying not to scare her away, just to notice that she is actually asleep. I am surprised by this as she always seemed wary about being seen, and also a bit touched that she seems to trust me enough to do so.
Trying not to wake her I levitate her onto my back and I go over to examine the object that was the catalyst for this development. Like I had hoped the stones had bonded to the parchment, and in the center was a small arrow surrounded by lines and other shapes. It actually worked, and from the looks of it better than I expected. I lift it up and start moving around to different parts of the room as I watch it slowly fill in as I move around.
The map, which is what it obviously is now, only seems to fill in what is visible from its location, but seems to only be able to pick up things at a distance of around a hundred meters. Now I can finally start exploring the Everfree without getting completely lost. I wander around the castle a bit with it and notice that it seems to shift its focus as I travel between different floors. When I go outside it changes focus from an inside view of the castle to an outside view.
I really need to be more careful with trying out new spells I think. This is much more complicated than I thought it would turn out to be, meaning I probably used much more power in making it than I realize. If that book had hit me any sooner then I might not have woken up. I shudder at the thought of that and also wonder at how much more magic I seemed to have been able to call on recently.
Eventually I tire of playing around with the map and head back to the library to put it away. Looking around I notice the mess that I had made of the place while casting the spell so I take some time to put everything away again. Eventually I run out of things to take up my time with and I realize that the filly doesn’t show any sign of wakening soon.
Smiling at her I make my way back to her room and gently lay her into her bed. I look around for the plush toy I gave her and set it next to her before tucking her in. She shifts a little as I do this, probably trying to get more comfortable. Before I leave the castle I set the pie I brought next to her bed for when she awakens.
As I make my way home I wonder what to do about her again. “This is the first time that she has allowed me to see her, even if it may have been by accident. I didn’t even think about the conditions she was living in until now either, though I should have guessed when I first saw the room she was in.” While reviewing my options there really aren’t a lot of things that I could do to help.
“I don’t have the right skills for getting the castle in livable condition, so that’s out, and she doesn’t trust any of the other ponies that I know of that would take her in. The only other thing I can think of that would be possible is to take her into my own home. I have plenty of space, yet with how Pinkie Pie pops up out of nowhere she would be found out in no time.” No other option really seems to have a chance of working except for the last one.
“If I did take her in then she would have to be disguised somehow. I doubt she has the magic to do it herself; otherwise she would at least be able to clean up a bit better. That is another point in her favor for not being Nightmare Moon, even if she seems to have some of the memories, or at least knowledge, that she had.” That brings to mind the other problem that she is sure to face as if others knew her background they would be terrified of her.
I try to still my train of thought as it is starting to go all over the place on the issue. I decide to just take things a step at a time and deal with it with the current problems before making any more that may not happen. “Okay, I’ll just focus on the most immediate concerns. First she needs a name, since her reaction to me asking before really seemed to hit her rather hard. Next is her living conditions, I guess giving her one of the spare rooms is the best option. This leads to the third point of somehow disguising her heritage.”
I near the exit of the forest as I try to think of the best way of doing this. Clothing to hide her wings would work for a while, but it wouldn’t be comfortable unless I brought her into Rarity’s for a good fitting, so that’s right out. It also would seem odd as none of the other fillies where clothing all the time. Teaching her a spell could work if she has the power to do so, yet I’m not sure if she has the ability to hold it constantly if she can even use magic yet.
After thinking of and discarding many ideas I find that there really is only one option that I can possibly do, yet it annoys me that my options are so limited. I guess I’ll have to figure out a way to enchant a gem with the right spell, and then somehow hide it so that it isn’t noticed easily. The last part is especially important considering the gem I’m going to have to use. As I enter my house I pull out the lone diamond I have been able to find and consider how difficult the spell could be.
I find that the Crusaders had been in while I was out again, and this time the damage isn’t as bad as usual. I note that they seem to have already finished everything upstairs which is a good thing for if I can get the filly to move in. Heading to the attic I start to go through my books in search of something that can help out with the spell.
While going through the book on gemstone and metals I find a couple entries that could be useful. With the diamond as the base, and a topaz for hiding either her wings or horn I could fashion a simple necklace or collar. Add in a clear quartz crystal to focus everything and cause the adornment to blend in with her coat and it should work perfectly. The only issue is getting the spell to work correctly after I spend a day or two to recharge, though if need be I can tap into the store of power under the house.
With the plan set, and there still being time left in the day, I head out to see how things have been going in town. It seems that things had gotten interesting after I left as a new hero had appeared in town to show up the boastful Rainbow Dash. Nopony said who it was, but after the descriptions of what the hero could do, as well as the winks between Rainbow Dash and her friends, it isn’t too hard to guess who it was, or rather who they were.
Catching up on other news I find that not only is Twilight’s birthday coming up, but Spike’s as well. Luckily the two had left already so the rest of her friends were discussing what to do for both of them. Considering I was hiding mine from a certain pink pony for now I decided to sneak away before she realizes that she doesn’t know it.
By this time night had started to fall so I returned home to check on one last time on any plans I have and to make sure I have time to get everything prepared for tomorrow. With the two new events added to it, as well as making the collar and cider season the next couple months started to look less empty.