Playing With Purpose

by Pwnyta

Chapter Two: A Lesson in Magic

Chapter 2: A Lesson in Magic

Princess Celestia sat on the small balcony of her bedroom, staring off into the distance. Her horn glowed a soft yellow as she watched the sun slowly make its way down behind the mountains, turning the sky a brilliant burnt orange. The event was one of the only times she could relax, focusing just enough on the task at hand to prevent any mishaps while her mind wandered through the days events. However, the abrupt sound of a hoof rapping against the large wooden door broke her train of thoughts.

"Come in!" she called out, listening to the hinges creak as the door was pushed open. She could hear the sound of carpet crunching underneath the hooves of her guest in approach of the balcony, turning her head only slightly to notice the midnight blue coat of the pony that took a seat next to her. Princess Celestia smiled as she turned her attention back towards the sun, putting the finishing touches on before finally letting the aura dissipate from her horn.

Princess Luna immediately took over, her horn glowing a dark blue as the sky began to turn a dark shade of purple. The moon slowly crested the mountaintops as it made its way into the sky. The stars flickered to life, as if somepony had flicked on a magical light switch, giving the sky a scene of playful brilliance. Luna let the aura around her horn die down as her work completed. The two sisters looked over their handiwork, nodded, and went inside.

"To what do I owe the occasion of a visit?" Celestia asked her younger sister.

"I have come to tell you that Twilight Sparkle has arrived safely from Ponyville," Luna replied.

"Good, I can't wait to see her again," Celestia said with a smile as she walked towards her bed, levitating a small doll into a case before shutting the lid and lifting it onto an empty shelf of a nearby bookcase.

"Also, congratulations on your victory today. Is that three in a row now?" Luna asked. Celestia gave a small nod. "Which reminds me, Twilight Sparkle has an AuraDoll now. She saw your fight on a television in the train station."

"That's Twilight for you. Naturally curious about everything she sees. That does make the project a little easier as well," Celestia said with a small chuckle.

"I am going with her tomorrow to show her how to play. Would you like me to tell her about the project?" Luna asked.

"No, that's alright little sister. Let's see if she likes the game enough to keep playing before we force it on her. Besides, I called her out here, pulling her away from her friends and duties in Ponyville. It should be me who explains the project to her," Celestia answered. The two princesses shared a nod of agreement before bidding each other a good night. As Princess Luna left the room, Princess Celestia couldn't help but smile at the natural turn of events.

"Hopefully, she will be the one to unlock the power of the AuraDoll," Celestia said to herself as she looked up at the case on the bookshelf. She stifled a yawn before crawling into bed, using her magic to dim the lights in the room as she laid her head down on a pillow. Before long, Princess Celestia drifted off to sleep.

~`~`~`~`~

Daylight slowly began to light up the room in which the purple unicorn slept. Twilight could feel the heat of the sun radiating against her face, stirring her awake. She flinched as she slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the sharp brightness of daylight that attempted to penetrate her eyelids. She sat up and stretched her forelegs upward as she blinked away the last of her sleepiness, looking around the room. She was confused for a moment before realizing that she had come back to her old room in Canterlot the previous day. Twilight wasn't sure how to feel about not being able to see her friends or Spike for a long period of time while she helped the Princesses with their special project. She chose to shake the negative thoughts from her head, knowing that they only would make her long to be back in Ponyville instead of focusing on what she had to do while she was here.

She used her magic to push the sheets down to the end of the bed, rolling out and walking over to the nightstand with the mirror. I wonder what time Princess Luna will get here to take me to that cafe she thought to herself as she levitated a brush, working it through the mess her mane had become through the course of the night. As if on cue, there came a loud knock at the door, surprising the unicorn.

"Twilight Sparkle? Are you ready yet?" Princess Luna called through the door.

"J-just a minute!" Twilight stammered. She pulled the brush roughly through her mane a few more times, quickly pulling out knots of hair that refused to untangle. She looked around in a panic, finding her doll and quickly putting it into her saddlebags before levitating them onto her back and trotting to the door. She pulled it open with magic to find the Princess and two guards waiting on the steps just outside.

"Sorry I'm late, Princess," Twilight apologized. "I must have overslept. I did stay up pretty late last night. I was excited about today," she admitted, feeling herself flush a bit in embarrassment. Luna simply smiled at her sister's pupil.

"No need to worry, Twilight Sparkle. I have arrived early just in case you were already ready. Do you have everything?" Princess Luna asked. Twilight gave a quick nod as Luna turned and headed towards the nearby chariot. Twilight was barely able to contain her excitement as she followed the Princess up the step and into the cozy comfort of the royal chariot.

~`~`~`~`~

"Wow! This place looks amazing!" Twilight gasped as a guard opened the chariot door, revealing the destination to the two passengers. Twilight stepped down onto the pavement of the street, her head tilted upwards in awe of the cafe that lay before her. A large screen hung above the entrance, tilted downwards for passersby to see any Aura Battle fights occurring inside. Ponies were crowding around tables inside the cafe, watching and cheering for fights. Twilight peered through a window, watching two ponies fight intensely on a nearby table while their friends surrounded them yelling words of encouragement.

"Oh! Must be a tournament day," Luna commented as she headed inside, Twilight following closely behind, still in awe of the sights surrounding her.

"Tournament day?" Twilight asked.

"Cafes like this tend to hold small tournaments every now and then. It's a good way for beginners to practice their skills against other ponies," Princess Luna explained as she approached the counter. The bright yellow unicorn working behind the counter lazily flipped through a magazine, twirling at her pink mane with her free hoof as she looked up at the ponies approaching. Her eyes went wide for a second as she hid the magazine behind her back.

"Y-y-your highness!" she stammered aloud, causing several other ponies to look away from their matches. The excitement in the cafe turned into a quieter tension as ponies murmured to each other about the visit of one of the royal sisters. "To w-what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" the mare asked.

"I am here with my good friend Twilight Sparkle to teach her how to play Aura Battle," Luna said to the clerk, ignoring the atmosphere her presence brought to the cafe. Twilight felt her cheeks flush as dozens of ponies immediately fixated their stares towards her at the mention of her friendship with the Princess. She let out a quiet chuckle as she shied towards Princess Luna for protection.

"O-oh, my, what a lucky mare she is, learning from a Princess no less..." the clerk said as she regained her professional composure. "Let's see... There's an open table over by the window over there, feel free to use it for as long as you want, your highness," she said, pointing to a table behind them near the entrance.

Princess Luna nodded and thanked the clerk before guiding Twilight over to the empty table. It was a small square area, no bigger than a table for two at some of the restaurants and cafes in Ponyville. The surface was white and glassy, reflecting the ceiling above it. Embedded into the ceiling was another square, directly overhead. Twilight noticed that this same feature hung over every table.

"Twilight Sparkle, step back please, I'm going to activate the table," the Princess told the unicorn. Twilight took a few steps back, focusing again on the table she would be playing on. A strange humming sound started to be heard from inside the table as the surface began to light up. After a few seconds, the table reached it's full power, the surface shining almost blindingly bright. A ring of electricity shot skyward, connecting with the tile on the ceiling, causing Twilight to jump back, startled from the sudden burst of electricity. The air inside of the table shimmered for a few seconds before finally calming down and becoming invisible once again.

"What was that? Did we break it?" Twilight asked in a worried tone as she cautiously approached the table, reaching a hoof out to touch the air between the two surfaces.

"Don't put your hoof in there Twilight Sparkle. The aura is now active, and I wouldn't want you to get a nasty shock," Luna cautioned as she dug into a small bag.

"Aura? What is that?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"That burst of energy you just saw was the table's aura. It is what allows the electronics inside the dolls to transfer magic into electricity and obey your actions," Luna began to explain. "It is also a shield against physical objects. No pony or object other than dolls can enter the aura, allowing for no interference during matches. Once the doll is inside, it cannot be removed until the aura is cut off."

Twilight nodded, half understanding what the Princess was talking about. "But why should the dolls not be allowed out?" she asked.

"The players are able to utilize the aura as if it were a solid wall. They can use it to evade their opponent by jumping on it or running across it, or even use it to damage their opponent with a hit or a throw," Luna continued to explain. Her hoof emerged from the bag with a small doll. It was as black as midnight, with a long silver mane and tail. The details on the hair and the coat were superb, not a single flaw could be seen. Twilight could feel herself getting a little embarrassed having shown her doll to Princess Luna now knowing what a work of art Luna’s was. "Now, Twilight Sparkle, what I want you to do is take your doll with your magic and place it onto the table," she said as she took the doll from her hoof with a levitation spell and quickly moved it to the surface of the table. The black dolls eyes shot open as it stood awaiting it's opponent.

Twilight opened her saddlebag and used a levitation spell to pull Firemane out. She looked him over once more, feeling the heat of embarrassment creep into her face once again. Twilight quickly moved Firemane towards the aura, watching it shimmer as the doll passed through. She gently sent Firemane down on his hooves, holding him in place and looking up at the Princess for any indication of what to do next.

Luna gave a frown as she stared at the doll. She looked up at Twilight. "Release your levitation spell," she instructed. Twilight nodded and broke off the connection, the aura around her horn dying down. Firemane stood shaky for a second before dropping to the ground under his own weight. Twilight looked confused and worried. She cast the levitation spell once again, standing Firemane back up before releasing it. Again, however, Firemane dropped to the ground, dead weight. After several more failed attempts, Twilight let out a sigh of frustration.

"Okay... something is wrong here... what am I doing wrong?" Twilight asked, upset that her doll would not cooperate with her magic. "Isn't this game played using magic? Why is mine not working?!"

"That is because you are simply casting spells on the doll, Twilight Sparkle. Watch," Princess Luna responded. She released her magical grip of the black pony, who remained standing, eyes still open. "You see, Aura Battle functions under a different kind of magic. You have to picture the doll in your mind doing the actions that you wish it to do. Using your magic will create a bridge with the doll, translating your thoughts into actions thanks to the use of the energy within the aura," she explained. Twilight looked dumbfounded, as she stared down at the doll.

"So, all I have to do is think hard enough about what I want it to do and it will do it?" she asked in a confused tone. Princess Luna shook her head.

"It is more than that. You have to be able to cast your own magical aura around the doll to draw energy, and from there your thoughts have to be in sync with your magic in order for the doll to perform well. If your thoughts are out of sync with your magic, then the doll will either perform what you are thinking later than you want it to, or not at all," the Princess continued.

Twilight nodded, though still confused. She looked down at Firemane once again. "So, what should I do?" she asked, not sure where to begin.

"Have him stand up."

Twilight nodded again, she closed her eyes and began picturing Firemane in her mind, standing on all four of his legs, ready to charge at the black pony that stood before him. As she did this, she lit her horn with magic, focusing on Firemane. A bright purple aura surrounded the doll still laying on the ground. Twilight frowned in concentration as she repeated the image of Firemane standing up in her mind, hoping that the thought was being transferred to the doll.

"Excellent work Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Luna exclaimed after a few seconds. Twilight opened her eyes, her horn still glowing bright purple as she looked down at the table. Surrounded in an aura of purple, Firemane was standing and facing the opposing doll in the exact same manner that Twilight had thought of. The unicorn couldn't help but let a smile run across her face at her accomplishment. "It seems like you are already in a good sync with your doll. It hardly took any time at all for him to stand up," the Princess continued. Twilight studied the two ponies carefully, noting the bright aura around hers while any signs of one were all but invisible from around the black doll that belonged to Luna.

"Princess, why is the magical energy so much brighter around my doll?" Twilight asked, curious as to this phenomenon.

"The aura surrounding your doll shows how much in sync your magic and your thoughts are. The brighter the aura, the more your magic has to draw energy to transfer the thoughts, meaning you have less of a magical sync. If you are in a very strong sync with your magic, the aura should be contained only to the dolls internals, not visible to the players or anypony watching," Luna explained. Twilight felt her ears lower in disappointment as she looked at Firemane once again. I must not be doing very well then, she thought to herself as another question bubbled up in her mind.

"What happens when you become fully synced with your magic?" the unicorn asked.

"Remember the match you watched coming into town? The doll with the pegasus wings?" Princess Luna answered immediately, as if expecting the question. Twilight nodded. "The more in sync you become, the more abilities you are able to discover and use with your doll. The attack his opponent used was an example of an attack developed from a strong sync. However, a physical change, such as the pegasus wings, can only be brought out if the pony has an absolutely perfect sync between her magic and her thoughts," the Princess explained.

Twilight thought back to the fight, an expression of amazement at the controller's ability crossing her face as she thought of the fights ending. "Princess Luna, how many ponies have been able to achieve a perfect sync like that?" she asked.

"Only the one you saw yesterday. No other pony has been able to sync their thoughts and magic perfectly besides that one," the Princess answered. "Alright, now onto the next les-" she began before being interrupted by a tap on the shoulder from one of the royal guards. The guard whispered something into the ear of the Princess, a grin crossing her face as she took in the secret information.

"Forgive me, Twilight Sparkle, but I must cut the lesson short. It seems my sister needs some assistance with an important matter," Princess Luna explained. "However, you should stay and practice until you feel comfortable." The Princess lowered the aura and retrieved her own doll, before setting the table back up for Twilight. As she packed the doll away, she looked at the unicorn and gave a warm smile. "It seems you are now the student of both me and my sister," she said with a lighthearted chuckle. "Have fun Twilight Sparkle, we shall play again soon." With that, Princess Luna followed the guard out of the cafe.

For a few moments, Twilight sat in silence, staring at Firemane standing on the table. She pictured the doll turning around and facing her in her mind, causing the doll on the table to take a few steps and do an about face, looking up at his owner. A smile crossed Twilight's mouth as she continued to play with the doll, spinning it in circles and making it walk a few steps before breaking out into a trot. This isn't nearly as hard as I thought it was. In fact, it's rather fun now that I'm getting the hang of it, she thought to herself as she made Firemane break into a full gallop, running in a large circle around the table.

"So, you think you're so special that you get a table all to yourself just because you spent some time with one of the princesses," an annoyed voice asked from behind the chair. Twilight turned her head, coming face to face with a unicorn mare standing over her looking rather angry. The mare had a bright pink coat that rivaled Pinkie Pie's, with an extremely curly purple mane and a cutie mark of an ice cream cone emblazoned on her flank. Behind her stood two equally annoyed-looking mares, both white-furred with blue manes styled with the same curls, their cuties marks both resembling curling irons and mane curlers. "Every table here is full and you're by yourself, so why don't you just get up and let us play," the pink mare demanded rudely. Twilight gave a pleading look to the girls, trying to keep the situation under control.

"I'm sorry, I'm just learning how to play, is there any way we can share the table for a while?" she asked. The pink mare's eyes widened as she shot a look back to her friends. She faced Twilight once again, a grin across her face.

"How about we just play each other for the table?" the mare offered coyly, walking around the table to the other side. Twilight shook her head, giggling a little.

"While that does sound fun, I just learned how to play today. But I will keep my doll out of the way of you and your friends if you don't mind," Twilight said.

"No. You will play me for the table, or you will leave. Rules of the cafe," the mare said bluntly, sitting in the chair on the opposite side. Twilight was taken aback by the tone in which the mare spoke to her. She furrowed her brow, not sure what to do in the situation. After a few seconds of thinking, she simply sighed.

"Fine... I'll play you for the table," she said, somewhat annoyed. At this, the pink mare immediately stood up.

"Mares! Gentlecolts! Everypony who is anypony! Over here on this very table, you are about to witness me, Strawberry Scoops, defeat a unicorn who has played Aura Battle with the princesses themselves!" she announced to the entire cafe. Several ponies ears perked up at the mention of the royal sisters, as many of the cafe’s visitors began to make their way over to the table, surrounding it in anticipation of the match.

"But... but I only just star-" Twilight began to say before being cut off.

"Yes, yes, make up your excuses now. It doesn't matter anyways. People will see how good I am when I defeat a student of the princesses," Strawberry Scoops spoke over Twilight, hushing her with a motion of her hoof. The pink mare used her magic to lift a bright pink doll out of her saddlebags and toss it into the aura. As it crossed through the invisible barrier, its eyes shot open. The doll did a flip before landing on all fours, it's darker pink mane flowing downwards and coming to rest across it's back. The doll crouched in a stance ready to charge her opponent.

"Wait! I don't eve-" Twilight tried to object again, but this time was interrupted by one of the pink mare's friends, who walked to the center edge of the table.

"I guess I can be the judge of this fight," she said nonchalantly. "The rules are simple. Knock out the opponent to win. No time limit. The match between Cotton Candy and... uh... what is that... things... name?" the white mare asked.

Twilight furrowed her brow at the insult of her doll. "Firemane," she answered with a growl.

"Right... The match between Cotton Candy and Firemane may begin... NOW!" she yelled out. As she did so, the pink doll began charging forward, it's head down. Twilight panicked, not sure what to do in this situation. She had yet to learn how to attack or defend her doll from Luna yet! Cotton Candy quickly closed the gap and dove forward, leading with her forehead. Twilight let out a yelp of surprise and covered her own head, as if she was dodging the attack herself.

A few laughs were elicited from the gathered crowd at the purple unicorn's actions. After a quick second, she opened her eyes and noticed Firemane was mimicking her, collapsed on the ground with his forehooves covering his head. Twilight felt a rush of heated embarrassment rise to her face as she made her doll stand back up.

"Wow, to think, such a pathetic player is being taught by the princesses. Hopefully they have the mercy to tell you to find a different hobby soon, especially if that's how you play," Strawberry Scoops jeered. Twilight shot a nasty look at the pink mare before focusing on the match yet again.

Cotton Candy had quickly turned around and was ready to charge Firemane again. The pink doll broke into a gallop, but this time jumped into the air, sticking out both hind legs in an attempt to kick Firemane. Twilight panicked, wondering how she could possibly avoid this attack. She quickly wracked her mind, her thoughts going back to the fight she had watched the day previously. Dew Drop had simply rolled out of the way and countered with a punch, Twilight thought to herself. She watched as Cotton Candy came closer, its hind legs stuck out ready to strike its opponent.

Right before the pink doll was about to connect, Firemane quickly jumped to the side, standing on his hind legs and throwing out a forehoof towards his opponent’s face. As Cotton Candy struck the ground, Firemane's attack hit, sending the pink doll twisting violently to the side. Firemane quickly dropped back down to all fours, galloping a few steps before lunging out, wrapping his forelegs around the pink doll. The momentum of the dive carried the two ponies all the way up to the border of the aura, the impact causing the air to shimmer as they slammed into the invisible wall. After a few seconds of pinning his opponent, Firemane took two steps back, releasing the pink doll from his grip. Cotton Candy slumped to the ground, motionless, as a small buzzer went off above the table.

"E... End of match... Cotton Candy is knocked out by loss of hit points... Firemane wins..." the white mare said, stunned by the sudden turn of events. The entire cafe was silent around Twilight for a few seconds as the ponies watching processed what had just happened.

"Wow... That was amazing... She must be a student of the princesses with reaction skills like that," a colt voice said in the audience. This seemed to break the crowd from their stupor as they began to cheer and congratulate Twilight. Across the table, the pink mare slammed her hooves down in frustration as she deactivated the aura and fetched her doll. Tears had begun to well up in her eyes as she turned and packed the doll back into her bags. Twilight gave a concerned look to her opponent, standing up and walking over to her.

"Thanks! That was a lot fun!" Twilight said, hoping to make Strawberry Scoops feel a little bit better about the match.

"Yeah... fun..." the pink mare replied, her voice cracking a bit. "I just can't beat anybody at this game..." she continued. Twilight simply held out her hoof.

"I mean it, I've never played before, but I'm glad my first match could be against a competitive opponent like you," Twilight continued. "Would you... like to play again sometime?" she asked. The pink unicorn looked up, her eyes meeting Twilight's. The pink unicorn studied her purple counterpart for a few seconds before smiling.

"Sure... I want a chance to try and beat you again," Strawberry Scoops said playfully as she took the purple unicorn's hoof. "I'm Strawberry Scoops... sorry our introduction had to be like this," she said.

Twilight shook her head. "No worries. I'm Twilight Sparkle. I look forward to playing again!" she said. "Oh, you and your friends can have the table. I have to get back to the castle soon anyways," she continued as she packed her saddlebags, placing them across her back. She waved goodbye to her new friend and trotted out the door.

~`~`~`~`~

Twilight practically skipped home, ecstatic from winning her first match of Aura Battle. She pushed the door to her living quarters open with her magic, a grin still spread across her face as she hummed a happy tune. She quickly removed the saddlebags from her back, placing them on the ground and flipping them open, pulling out Firemane. She trotted over to her bed and sat down, bringing Firemane into her arms. She embraced the doll as if it was a stuffed animal.

"That was amazing!" she said, as she held the doll out, beaming at it. "I'm so proud of you Firemane! You did great!" She wrapped the doll into an embrace before laying back, the crunch of parchment on her back being the only thing to break her out of the wonderful moment. She sat up and looked at her pillow, noticing an unopened letter sitting upon it. She cast a levitation spell, breaking the seal and unfurling the letter before her. She gasped as she recognized the handwriting.

Dear Twilight,
Rarity and I have finished our project extremely early. I will be coming to Canterlot with her tomorrow to drop off the finished product to her client and assist you through the rest of your project. I also have some huge news! Can't wait to see you again!
Your Number One Assistant,
Spike

Twilight felt a very happy smile cross her face. This day can't possibly get any better! she thought to herself as she looked at Firemane once again. Spike is going to love this... I know it!

Comments

[Pwnyta]

New chapter! Issue though, i couldnt find a prereader or ediotr. If anyone finds errors or low quality, please please please comment so i can correct it! Thanks for the support everyone!!

[nemryn]

Don't put your hand in there

Whoops!

[Pwnyta]

851259

Wow! Good catch lol. Thanks!

[PonyBlaze]

Awesome! I'm sure of it now. Sunfire is controlled by Colgate.

Anyways, I really like this story, compelled me to go read Angelic Layer. And for some reason... Sunfire reminds me of Athena...

Good job! Looking forward to the next chapter!

[Twilicorn]

MOAR!

[Pwnyta]

Hey everyone! The story is once again on a temporary and hopefully very short hold! I have finally found someone who is willing to edit for me. He has revised the first 3 parts of the story and I am now making corrections before reposting them. Also, I am going to make an attempt at EqD once these revisions have been made. Wish me luck! Next chapter will come out once I hear back from EqD, good or bad!

[Monochromation]

I just keep thinking, "Be real, be real, be real, be rea..."

I think it would honestly be hilarious to see an opponent who didn't do anything. Just had the doll staring at a watch and sidestepping as the opponent hit the aura.

Dear lord god, why can't it be real?

[ArtieStroke]

So, a Game-based-anime type pony fic, eh? I like it!

CHILDREN'S CARD GAME!

[Summer Dust]

I can see this being like Owl's Well That Ends Well all over again in the next chapter.

[jaio1]

PLEASE MORE!Don't make Fluttershy cry.

[Mondoblasto]

Five years, hasn't been seen in two.