A complete guide to magic, written by Aevum, Alicorn of Time. Nightmare Moon is returning, and we have a step-by-step guide on how to defeat her. What could go wrong?
Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your skills and knowledge in the realms of magic? This may have been the perfect guidebook for you to come by! I'll teach you everything you need to know about magic, and a lot of it's applications! Within, we have many examples to help you, including but not limiting to these.
How to deal with the evil version of a princess that recently returned from a 1000 year vacation.
How to steal from a pony who is awake as she sleeps, and escape with your life.
How to teach children to use friendship as a weapon.
How to talk to a princess. (If you must.)
How to fire a confetti cannon. (It's fine, Pinkie has like 10 of them.)
So don't be afraid, I'll make sure you know everything you need to know, are you ready? -Aevum
The Everfree Forest was not by any means a welcoming place, and it had been dark for hours. The bags on Twilight Sparkle’s eyes were evident, and it was only now that she cursed herself for studying on Nightmare Moon the previous night, instead of getting the 8 hours of sleep that the Princess had always forced upon her. The only thing keeping her going at this point was the support of her 5 friends, who currently stood behind her.
You were right about friendship, Princess Celestia. I’ve done it properly, haven’t I? Twilight turned to face her friends. “You guys wait out here. Get some rest. I’ll go in and see about the elements.”
The light-blue pegasus flipped back upright and turned towards Twilight, and with little regard to the possibility of Nightmare Moon being near, shouted,“WHAao-” The Rainbow-maned pegasus had no chance to continue as the ginger earth pony put a hoof over her mouth.
“Ay Dashie, you gotta be quiet, we don’ want Nightmare Moon to hear yer yappin’.” The pegasus rolled her eyes and flew just out of the earth pony’s reach.
“Applejack is right, Rainbow Dash.” The White unicorn had taken a break from observing her cut-short tail, mirror still held in the air by her magic. “ The Elements of Harmony may be the key to defeating Nightmare Moon, but we will surely fail without the element of surprise.” Applejack nodded, but Rainbow Dash seemed to have more to say, despite knowing that she was fighting a losing battle.
“So how come you get to go into the cool, abandoned castle, but we have to stay out here?”
Twilight breathed in to reply, but Applejack was already talking. “What?” She taunted, “yah afraid of the monsters that live ‘ere?”
Rainbow Dash paused, then replied with, “Nah, that’s what Fluttershy’s here for.” The pink-haired pegasus shot a timid smile at Rainbow, who paused to return the favor. Applejack, realizing that she had interrupted Twilight, stepped back and nodded at the unicorn, who finally got her chance to speak.
“Rainbow Dash, stay here. Applejack, you’re in charge.” Applejack nodded. Twilight then trotted into the castle before Rainbow dash could protest.
Mere seconds after she set foot within the temple, a dark and powerful voice echoed, resonating within the castle’s ancient halls. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle. I have been expecting you.” Albeit visibly shaken, Twilight pressed on. Welp, there goes the element of surprise. Through the central pavilion she walked, before chancing upon the hall to the throne room.
“Nightmare Moon” Twilight gasped upon her entrance to the throne room.
“Yes, yes. Who else would it be?” Nightmare Moon was not taking this very seriously. “I suppose you’re here for the elements?” She said, walking over to where they were displayed. “To… defeat me?”
“Y- yes.” I don’t think that I can make it to the elements before she does. But maybe if I can make her mad, get her away from the elements, I could teleport away and get over there while Nightmare Moon is distracted by-
Twilight’s train of thought was shattered by the loud and obnoxious arrival of her five friends. Twilight frowns Well there goes that plan. It’s unfortunate, I was never good at improvising, that was more Shining armor’s thing.
Horn glowing with magic, Nightmare Moon picked up the elements. “Ooh, I love guests, come in, come in, young Twilight is… all alone.” The elements spun around the armored mare, like a twisted and dark halo, before smashing into the ground, one after the other. Nightmare Moon brought the last of the elements, the Element of Honesty, to her eye level. “Hello, old friend” The element glowed as it resumed circling her. Twilight, frozen with shock, did not respond, but her friends did for her.
“Hehe, you’re so funny Twilight. An eagle could make a nest in that mouth of yours.”
“Now’s not the time for jokes, Pinkie Pie!” Twilight said.
“I mean, it woke ya up, Twilight” Applejack added.
“This pony, is not very nice, is she.” Fluttershy growled.
Rarity sneered, “And her fashion is sooo a millennium ago.”
Nightmare Moon got up, and trotted towards the six ponies, in order to leave in the same way that Twilight and her friends entered. “This is nice and all, but I really need to manage my new kingdom. Goodbye, my little ponies!”
“Not so fast!” Twilight said, now glowing. Light pink magic shut the door in front of the alicorn. This caught Nightmare Moon’s attention. “It took me a while to figure this out, but those rocks you just crushed are not the Elements of Harmony”
“Oh?”
“Rainbow Dash, although your words sometimes cloud your true intentions, you would always come to our aid, despite us only meeting a few short days ago.” Rainbow was now glowing, the broken element of loyalty floating around her.
“Ooh, I like this, I feel like I could do a hundred sonic rainbooms!” Rainbow dash exclaimed, punching at the air with her hooves.
Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened with realization, then went back to her normal condescending glare, all within a very short second. Stepping forward and interrupting Twilight’s monologue, she said, “So your friends possess the elements of harmony. Too bad you can’t use them!” She gestured to the orange gem that had given up on floating around her and had implanted itself into Nightmare Moon’s breastplate.
Applejack and Rarity have evidently had enough watching the psychological torture of Twilight Sparkle, judging by the unbridled rage on their faces. Applejack charged forward, and Rarity threw several stone bricks at the evil alicorn.
“Oop, somebody is quite angry. Why don’t you sleep it off?”
Nightmare Moon’s eyes glowed as she began chanting in an unknown language, and Her friends started wobbling, and they eventually dropped to the floor. Twilight and Rainbow Dash, however, with their respective elements protecting them, did not succumb to the dream realm.
“No!” Twilight shouted as all her friends fell into a magic slumber. I don’t have the power to wake them up, Nightmare Moon’s magic is leagues ahead of my own.
“Twilight, gah, run!” Applejack shouted, her status of being the last of them awake, lost.
Twilight ran and Rainbow flew back into the forest, Nightmare Moon laughing all the while.
It’s so dark here. Why did I choose this accursed place to time-nap again? The sand-colored alicorn rose to his full height. Where did I put myself to sleep again? He brushed his usually ethereal, dark mane out of his face. I forgot this would happen. I usually don’t have to brush my mane or anything, It just… floats? His weakened state only allowed him to cast a dim light at the top of the little cavern he had woken up in.
“Everfree.” He said with a nod. “ I dug this place out with magic, then fell asleep after locking myself in. The place I chose was the center of the Everfree Plains”
The light revealed several notable items. A barrel of cider and a stack of apples, all preserved by his time magic. A leather-bound notebook, and a magically shielded dummy. The alicorn walked over to his notebook, written on the cover was, “Aevum’s Guide to Magic and Its Uses” It was the ultimate and only guide to his specialties: Summoning magic, and Time magic. It also contained his own version of the basic and advanced magic curriculum. He opened the table of contents, and found his own article describing his time-naps.
[Time Magic: Page 21
Time-Naps
Time naps should last for 1,000 years a piece.
Make sure to put fluid and food in your chosen chamber
Bring something to practice magic on
Bring this Article.
Cast an Extended Advanced Preservation spell (pg.19) on everything within the chamber, including yourself.
The potion recipe to begin the Time nap is on the next page, It uses many rare ingredients, so make sure It’s worth it. Remember that you have to be willing in order to participate in a time-nap or the potion will not work.
The Preservation spell will preserve you perfectly and you will age by one day by the time you wake up. Your physical strength will be preserved but your magic power will be reduced to that of an average untrained unicorn.
The Chamber is sealed by your preservation spell. You must gain enough magic power to break free, You will need to be at the level of a powerful unicorn to escape. This will take about a week, then a month more to be as strong as an average Alicorn.
Good luck! The current year is 2670 After King Cosmos.
Well I guess my job’s cut out for me now. My magic is so weak, I’m getting tired from sustaining this tiny light!However, I am happy that my first time-nap worked.
Aevum turned to the dummy, and began his magic training.
2 Weeks Before The Summer Sun Celebration
After perhaps the longest week of his life, Aevum had finally remastered his basic and advanced magic. Although he lacked the ability to use his time or summon magic, he should have enough power to survive out in the world.
Aevum snorted. Today’s the day! His supplies were running low, but his spirit was strong. He used magic to put his things into a bag. The journal, the rest of his food, and the dummy that was still irritatingly unharmed. Once finished, he walked over to the far wall, and touched his horn to it. He searched through his own intricate enchantment, pulling on it in random places, until he found a part that budged. Aevum pulled with all his might until…
Click
Aevum solemnly munched away on an apple. Goodbye, my small time-capsule-cave thing, you have served me well. He cast the spell: Advanced Explosion, but also made sure to cast a shield to direct the blast.
I should close my eyes, the sunlight is going to be brutal if I don’t. Hopefully it’s nighttime. Cosmos used to make a wonderful night sky. He should still be around. Despite his conscience, Aevum did not close his eyes, and was glad that he did.
BOOM!!!
The sturdy stone wall remained mostly intact, but was shot with great velocity away from the sand-colored alicorn. Aevum took his first steps out of the cave, and pondered the launching of the rock.
That was pretty cool, luckily it hit that tree before it hit anyone. Wait. Tree? This is supposed to be an open plains! I guess a lot has happened since I was sleeping. A lot must have changed.
Aevum pondered the landscape he was in. There were trees everywhere. The trees were covered with all kinds of greenery. He recognised a few, but there were also many species of plant that he did not recognise. The canopy was thick, he couldn’t see through it and the mess of branches meant that he did not want to fly through it. The absence of light, however, told him that it was likely close to midnight. Wow. It must have been freezing in the cave. It’s nice and warm, despite it being the middle of the night. The last thing he noticed was a path through the woods about a hundred feet ahead of him.
There used to be a Town west of here if I remember correctly. Aevum flew over to the path. There was a three way fork in the road with a sign with three arrows pointing to their respective path. One pointed north, the sign said ‘Ponyville’. The second arrow pointed west, and said ‘Castle Ruins’. The last arrow pointed South by south-west, and said Appleoosa on it. There was a break in the canopy here. Aevum flew up above the canopy and hovered there. The moon had what looked like a pony’s head emblazoned into the right side. He then cast out his mind for a closer look, not taking long before audibly gasping.
“What crime has been committed to justify being exiled to the moon!” He cried, “The only thing capable of sending a pony to the moon must be the Elements of Harmony? Surely the elements would not be so cruel!” He paused.
Talking to yourself again, Aevum. This moment of shock would not end so soon, however.
The moon was at its peak, when suddenly, It moved from its Zenith all the way below the horizon in the matter of half a minute. The sun took the moon’s place in the same fashion. Aevum audibly gasped. What in the world just happened? He took a moment to digest the event he had just witnessed, then turned to the north. Endless expanse of trees. Then the south. More Trees. Then the West. Even more trees. Wait…
Far off in the distance, a mighty stone building stood tall over the jungle trees. The tallest point was a barren flagpole atop the taller of two dilapidated towers. I guess I know where I’m going! With a mighty wingbeat, Aevum was moving through the sky, with all the grace of a one-legged hare. The trees formed together into a blur as he got closer and closer to the castle, and he set down right by the entrance.
Now that he could see a castle better, he noticed the grand wooden doors, and how ruined this castle truly was. How is this still standing at all? How are the doors fine, but the entire part of the castle between the entrance and towers is gone!
He did not wait a second longer, and carefully opened the grand wooden doors. Although half the castle was missing, the entrance hall was still in decent enough condition. The roof was in good enough condition to make the room rather dark, so Aevum made the decision to attempt his most basic summoning spell, which was a werelight.
Summon magic: page 1
Werelight
A werelight is a floating orb that produces constant light.
It will either follow you or go wherever you want, and if you attempt to do something like read in the dark, it will immediately come over to you to help, even if you stationed it somewhere else.
Due to the nature of summons, it does not require additional magic to move, and it becomes intelligent. It will not, however, become sentient and make its own decisions.
Summons are linked to you on a fundamental level and cannot be controlled by another in any circumstance.
Werelight Incantation: Vocare Globus Lucis (Verbal or Nonverbal)
Aevum took a deep breath, stamped his front right hoof into the floor and stated, “Vocare Globus Lucis!” Aevum staggered. Crap! Magic exhaustion would absolutely be the end of me right now. He was starting to panic when the drain of energy stopped as quickly as it started.
Still kneeling, he looked up at his newly summoned werelight. Aevum grunted, and stood once more on his now-shaking legs.
I shouldn’t leave my things out in the open, thieves are commonplace in ruins such as these. Aevum looked around for anything to store his belongings, werelight in tow, until finding a dusty old chest in the back left corner of the room. He deposited his things, and now unburdened, set to searching the old ruin. First, the entrance hall. There were many tapestries and works of art on display, but there were several engravings in the wall that all contained two alicorns, one was white, and the other was dark purple.
The werelight came to rest over these engravings, and he began to read. The Princesses of Equestria: Celestia - Princess of the sun, and Luna - princess of the moon.
The tapestries told the story of the two sisters and one thousand years of their reign. However, King Cosmos, the ruler of Equestria from Aevum’s time, was not even mentioned. If these two have been ruling for one thousand years, my time nap must have taken much longer than that. Having gleaned all the information he could from the entrance room, Aevum traveled through the castle in search for more information. Eventually he found himself in the throne room. There were two thrones. The one with the moon must have belonged to Luna, and the throne with the sun tapestry hanging over it must be Celestia’s. There was a large fissure in between the thrones. That must be why the place is falling apart. Aevum could fix this easily with his magic, but his intuition told him otherwise. This place was likely a sacred ruin, fixing it was a no-go.
“Unfortunate, I know.” Said a rather abrasive voice from behind. Aevum quickly turned back. The voice had come from a purple unicorn with slightly darker purple hair.
“Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you.” The unicorn tilted her head, “Princess Celestia tried to keep this place in good shape, but support for it decreased, until ponies started asking her to stop.”
“I am Aevum” He turned to face Twilight. I’ll have to cast a spell later to prevent her from looking me up. I'm bound to be in a couple books, and she looks like the studious type. She probably lives in a library! “And what is ‘this place’?”
The unicorn gave him a surprised look. “It’s The Castle Of The Royal Sisters. Princesses Celestia and Luna used to rule from here for a thousand years.”
Aevum was thoughtful. “What happened to them?” Twilight suppressed a laugh.
“You don’t know?”
Aevum replied. “I don’t”
“Have you been living under a rock?”
Yeah, for a thousand years! “You could say that.”
Twilight Sparkle grumbled,“Well, Celestia is still ruling over Equestria, just from Canterlot, for the last thousand years, give or take.” For a thousand years! Now I’m clocking in at two-thousand, and judging that this thousand-year old building has no mention of King Cosmos, that’s three-thousand years! Aevum let out a heavy sigh.
“And what of Luna, young one?”
“That’s Princess Luna to you, sir.”
“Alright, but the question still stands.”
The unicorn seemed very excited. Aevum doubted that she had many friends. “Well, Princess Luna got mad at Princess Celestia because nopony enjoyed the night like they did the day, and through her bitterness, she transformed into Nightmare Moon, pledging to drown the lands of Equestria in night, forever. Celestia had to use the E-”
Aevum interrupted her. “She used the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the moon.” Twilight stood slack-jawed. “A cruel punishment indeed.” He paused. “This Nightmare Moon is angry, Twilight Sparkle. When will her lunar journey end?”
Twilight wore a shocked expression. “In two weeks, on the Summer Sun Celebration.” Twilight sat down. “Do you know how to use the elements, Mr. Aevum”
“Yes, actually…” The alicorn looked at the young pony. That cutie mark looks exactly like the element of magic! Aevum chuckled “I’m not going to tell you though.” I’d rather like to speak with this ‘Princess Celestia’. “Where is Canterlot, young one?”
“North.” Twilight said glumly, likely put out by Aevum’s refusal to teach her of the elements.
“I have an inquiry, Miss Sparkle. How have you come upon said information? One-thousand years is a very long time, And all ponies will eventually be forgotten within the sands of time.”
“I’m actually Princess Celestia’s student.”
“Splendid, young one! What more have you learned under her tutelage?”
“Mainly history” This concerned Aevum.
He hopefully replied “What in the way of magic?”
“I’ve learnt everything in the basic magic curriculum.”
Although his hope for the young mare was shattered, Aevum was still astonished. The princess of all Equestria had only taught her student basic spells and technique? “Is that really all, student of Celestia?”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t you hold on for a swift moment, young one?” Twilight nodded, and showed no need to be anywhere anytime soon. Aevum trotted to the entrance hall, and moved his werelight over to the corner of the room. The chest is still there. Let me just grab my things. He opened the chest and grabbed his bag before walking back over to the throne room. Twilight had kept her promise, and had not moved. She had a questioning gaze as she looked upon Aevum. He shot her a little smile as he grabbed his journal out of the bag with magic. He cast a basic duplication spell, conjuring up a brand new copy. He put the original in his bag, but opened the copy. Twilight was intrigued at this point.
Twilight took a deep breath. “What is that?” Aevum had found the pages he was looking for and ripped them out, earning a gasp from Twilight Sparkle.
“It’s my Journal.” Aevum said, matter-of-factly. “Well, a copy of it, at least.” He burned the pages in his hand, earning an additional gasp from Twilight. “The entirety of my notes on both basic and advanced magic. Better than any textbook in existence. On Equestria’s Seas you better not lose this.” Aevum sets the Journal down at her feet. Twilight’s Eyes were huge.
“I- I don’t know what to say!” Twilight looked like she was about to explode with happiness. “But what about the part you burnt?”
“You’re very welcome, Miss Sparkle. Now listen closely.” Twilight was eagerly leaning into the Conversation now. “Practice the spells in the order that the book goes, and master each spell before going onto the next, or else you could give yourself magic exhaustion.” Twilight shuddered. “You know what it is? Good. As for the stuff I burnt? It’s advanced magic that would probably kill you if you tried to use it. Even if you were strong enough to use it, I wouldn’t want you to have that power anyway.”
If he hadn’t had her attention before, he did now. “Will you at least tell me the name of it?”
“No”
“Please?”
“Fine. It’s called summon magic.”
“Thanks!” She said, Getting up and galloping out of the castle, with the Journal hoisted in her magic.
Aevum smiled at her. “Until we meet again!” What a curious young mare. Anyways, I’d like to meet her mentor. I’ll leave at dawn tomorrow morning.
-Later that night-
~Twilight Sparkle~
“Aevum, Aevum, Aevum” Twilight muttered, looking through the library within her home. It was a house and library within a tree. How the builders managed to grow a tree so thick confused her, but she definitely wasn’t complaining. The lower level was the library, dappled with color from all the books, while upstairs lay her room, Spike’s room, and a guest room. Speaking of the little dragon… “Spike! Have you found anything yet?”
The little dragon boastingly replied, “Yep! This delicious ice-cream sandwich.”
“Spike, that’s not what I meant, and it’s too close to your bedtime to be eating that junk.” Twilight used her magic to grab the sandwich out of Spike’s hand and into the freezer. “Did you brush your teeth, Spike?”
“Yep.”
“Go to bed”
“Fine” Spike climbed up the stairs and went to sleep.
“Ooh, found it!” There it was. The book was titled, “Notable Alicorns And Their Magic”. Twilight opened the table of contents. Celestia, Luna/Nightmare Moon, Cosmos, Ah, there he is, Aevum. Page 39. Summon magic. Page 15. Twilight flipped to page 39 with her magic. Aevum, Alicorn of… “What!” Twilight softly exclaimed. “The words, they’re blurring! I can’t read it!” Twilight quickly flipped to page 15 and immediately started reading.
Summoning Magic
Simply put, summoning magic is a very powerful class of magic which is used by summoning an intelligent vassal to do your bidding. It is only limited by the magical endurance of the summoner. The only known user is the creator of the class, Aevum, Alicorn of À̴̢̜̟͇̭̟̄̋̔̏̿c̷̦̟̪̰̲̞͈̃́̐̄͋͊̇c̷͓̮͈͌̒̇ẽ̶̫̰š̵̞̞̜̭͈̆͗̆̏̑͝ͅs̸̛̻̼̣̗͇͔̪͆͒̆ ̵̧̊̾̅̓́̄d̸̡̪̼͖̒̃̚͜e̷̱̖͛̋̐̍͘͠n̴̘̻͓̺̯̏̉̑̃̃͛͂i̶͎̗̰̫̙̳̍̎̑̾̒̓e̸̼̹̘̦̺̼̯͒d̴̬̏͑͌͐̚, and it’s most significant uses were in A̷̢̛̫͓̣̥̣͔̳̻͇͚̣̫̝̲̖̩͎̰̪̗̠̙̾̽̈́̓̓̐́͂̃̊͂̄̊͌̐̏̀͂̾̓̈́̐̀̆̂̄̽͊͛̀͒̌̔̓̽̀̈́̀̇͒͛̂̈́̏͂̕̚č̷̥̺̠͈̥͔̭̹̘̯̫̲͇͔̥̖̤͓͉̜̲͇̳̣̣̲͍̙͉͉͈̫̦͎͕̲͎̖̩͚͔̣̑̔̐͑̊̈̈́̈́̂̏͗̓͂̿̌͂͜͠͝ͅͅç̷̛̛̛͓͇̭̮̤̺̬͕͇̦̗̗͚̫̠̙̖͚̞̭̋̆̅͗̎̆͂́̃́̀̐̎͐̔̍́̉̈́̅͆̿̇̌̎̅̾͘̕̕͘͜͠ę̷̨͙͓̝̠͇̹̩͕͉͖̹̫̲̲̫͓̙̫̑̀̽̐͑̉̂́́́̀̄́͒͊̓̚͠ͅs̸̢̢̨̧̻̘͔̬̻̯̱͚̲̲͖̺̳̬̙͙̹͍̖̦̬̲͍̠̘̠̅̆̄̊̄̋͊̏̌̃͒͜͜͜͠͝͠s̶̡̧̛͙̻̣͙̟͓̥̻̙͓̖̩̖̺̰̺͔̹͈̺̝̪̼͉̟͍̰̎̽̅̔̏̌̑́̄̃̓̀̊͒̈̈́̌̾́̓͐̉́̋̅̂̐̈́͌̓̚ ̸̨̡̣̩̰̤͉͈̬̣͕͍̏̿̉̉̆́͐̅̋̑̀̈̑̈́́͌̇̌͌̔̾̔͐̋͒͋͒̕͜͠͝͝ḍ̸̡̢̗̻̭̖͆͂͂͂̓̾̐̌̾̓͗́͊̌̀̀̋͋͐̈͌̓́͗̎̊̆̊͒́͒̈͗͆̓̃͐̈́̂̕͘̕͠ę̶̺͓͕͖̞̠͓͓͔̝͙̩̯͔̱͙̜̺͑͂̾͗͆͊͌̒̃̎̓̆͛͂̇́̾͒̂̆́̎̉̓̍̓̆̏͗̒̚͘͝͠͠͝n̸̪͇̾͆͗̉͆̀͒̉̋̌̀͛̂͆̏̊̋͒͑̿̔̍͋̒̅̾̿͐̀̏̐͗̀̑̊̚͘͝͠͠͝i̴̖͑͆̍͗͘ͅê̶̢̢͙̝̻̬͎̻̝͔̻̥͚̘͛̉͆́̍̓̃̑̕̕͜͠d̴̨̡̡̼̪͙̝̗͎͇̱̰̜͇̬͖͙̟̫͍͋̍̐͑̀͊̀͛̓͆̓̈́̓̑͌̄͊̈́͌̂͑͋̐͆͌͒͑̈́̑̃́̃̐̈̅͐͆́͘͘̚͘͘͘͠͠͝, ̴̟̰̣̤̻́́'̴̩̟̯͐͗̈̈́̃̈́A̴͙̭̱̙̐͝c̵̠̣̤̟̦̿̿͋ͅc̶̢̘͈͗̇̈́͒e̸̠̗̾̒̐͑̿̀̚͜s̵̯̰͋ṣ̸̡̖̭̗̀̆͘ ̷̠͑̿̈́́̚d̷̙̲̼͒̽ȩ̸̮͉̜̝̬̜͗̒̓͋n̶͖̤͈̬͖͔͐͜ĩ̶̠̜̠̦̰͚̗̃́͐̇͝e̸̞̳͉̠͒̎̑̔̋̂̂ḑ̴͔̙̲͉̰̓͆̉̃̀̏̚ and most importantly, Ą̷̨̛̼̦͛̐́̀̿͂͋c̵̨̨̛͓͔̦͇͙̘̪̈̃̇̍̊̓̃̌̑̔̅͒́̌͝c̷̡̢̖̣͈̝̝̲̣͕̘̠̖̲͕͕̫̼̫̫̣̩͉̟̑̈͐̄̇͌̍̋̓͒̂͑̇̐̾͊͑́̒̚̚͜͝e̴͈͍̥̦̩͕̠͛́̿̇͒̀̋̐̔̕͘͠s̴̢̛̯̞͕̹̦̞̹̲̼̺̦͍͂̒͌̿̕s̸͈̹̪͔̞̱̗̣̹̲̬̯̹̠̜̹͕͓̬̟͈̝̬͑̈̈́͂̊͋͊̚ͅ ̵̨̡͓̱̝̠̻͙͍̣̟̝͎̬̖͍͍̓̂̏͒̈́͂̀̊͊̉͛̍̑̒̿̈̄͜͝d̶̡͙͍̲̼̭͍̙̼̝͓̳̞͇̍̉͊͘͝e̷̢͍̮̳̘̪͖͉̰͖̥͖̱̹̾̈̆͒̀̒͂̎̐͂͑̏̉̈́̎̽̾͑̊͒̑͘͠͝ͅn̷̡̛̝̠͓̦͇͚̳̳͔̼̘̙̭̞͉̤̣͈̆̂̈́̌̈́͆̽̍͋͑̀̍̀̎̒͗͌̿̕͘͜͝͠͝ĭ̷̡̡̛̩̩̟̜̹̠̥͈͙͖͎̖̬̤̮̟̂̈́ͅę̷̱͕̯̙̳̖̙̖̻̦̰̩̟͚̳̗͕͓̏̽̊̍̀̇͂̋͂́͋̉͗̚͝͝d̴̨̟̺̞͌͐́̒̀̒͆̑̈́̒̔̂͊̐̓̂͛̋͝͠͝͝.
“UGHHHHH this is so annoying!” There was so much that Aevum did not tell me. The only pony besides the princess that knows how to use the elements, and still, nopony will tell me!
“How come all the ponies that know things are secretive alicorns?” Twilight whined.
Four days. It had been four days since she had met Aevum. And ten days until she comes back. She had spent the last three going over the basic magic and the first of the advanced magic segments of Aevum’s Guide to Magic and Its Uses. None of the spells were particularly difficult for her, but there were a few that she had not seen before, such as the magic she would be attempting to cast today. Flip, flip flip, Basic magic, almost there. Oop! Went too far. There! Advanced Magic, page 1.
Advanced Magic: Page 1
Concept of Weaving Spells and SpellWeaving
Complex magic, like curses and enchantments are very useful to mages; they have near-infinite uses and have the potential to last years. However, in order to cast them, you must learn a skill which I have dubbed “Spellweaving”. Spellweaving is the practice of using and casting ‘weaving spells’. These weaving spells, once casted, weave together into your curse or magic.
Weaving spells are ineffective on their own, they must be part of a functioning system to actually provide an efficient product.
Weaving spells last for a very long time and sometimes don’t even need to be replaced.
Example: To enchant a door to open whenever you, let’s say, rotate a flower vase in a certain way, you would need to cast a Weaving Spell to detect when the vase is rotated correctly, and another to trigger the opening of the door. In order to make the system work, you have to weave the spells together with your mind.
Weaving spells leave a magic footprint that can be detected by experienced magicians.
The more powerful the caster, the harder the spells are to detect and/or break.
You will not be creating systems in this lesson, just casting individual weaving spells.
The creation of spell systems is covered in the second Advanced Magic lesson.
I suppose that I should be thankful, these spells have the potential to be the most useful in my arsenal. I’ll need as much practice as I can get for her return. The elements may not work, and if so, what would I do then? A simple magic missile would be pitiful. I’ll have to figure out some more powerful combat magic so I can keep up.
Twilight yawned and arose from her bed. Her stomach rumbled, Time for breakfast! I wonder what’s left in the fridge? Twilight made her way down the stairs, “Oof!” Twilight had stumbled, but managed to regain her footing before her unwanted reunion with the floor. I could have sworn that the last step was smaller than that! She shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
Anyways… she called to her magic. It responded, gathering energy from throughout her whole body before concentrating in her horn, which had taken up a purple sheen. Fridge. The fridge opened, accompanied by Twilight’s magic. Half a gallon of milk, a cup of cider, a few eggs, three apples, and a slice of apple pie: of the six,she levitated the pie and cider and set them down on her dining table.
Thank you apple family. Twilight thought back to the knock on her door the night prior. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, two mares that were her own age, had come to welcome her to Ponyville. Applejack had brought cider and apple pie, the latter of which Twilight would be eating for breakfast this morning. Dash, on the other hand, had brought her a pillow made of clouds, which had alleviated the neck pain she usually woke up with. The evening had started out slow, but the, ah, ‘easygoing’ effects of the cider had lightened the mood and caused a brand new friendship to form between the three.
The front door swung open, “Good Morning, Twilight!” a small dragon walked in.
“Good morning Spike,” Twilight called upon her magic once more, casting a heating spell on the pie. She heated it until it was the perfect temperature, then cut off the flow of magic. “You’re up early.”
Spike suppressed a laugh. “Actually Twilight, it’s noon!” He walked over to the stairs and climbed up the first step, “I didn’t wake up early, you woke up late.”
What? Did I really sleep in so late? Good thing I have nothing going on today, that could have been bad. Twilight shook her head, breaking free from her thoughts.
“Hold on, Spike,” Twilight wiped the sticky pie filling from her mouth. Could you send a letter to the Princess for me?” Spike ran back down the stairs, positioning himself to Twilight’s left side. He then summoned a piece of slightly yellowed parchment and a quill pen, seemingly out of thin air.
“Sure thing! What do you want me to say?”
“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight paused for a moment, thinking of how to word the letter. “Uhhh, So I was at your old castle about four days ago when I came across this curious pony named Aevum. His coat was the color of sand and his mane and tail were a dark gray. He said he wanted to meet you, but didn’t even know who you were. He left for Canterlot, um, two, no, three days ago. He gave me a guide to Advanced magic before I left to write my daily letter to you. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. Your loyal student, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Anything else?” Spike looked at her with an expectant gaze.
“Erase all the verbal mistakes I made, please,” Twilight ate a piece of pie while Spike crossed out a few things in the letter. He then rolled it up, held it at his eye-level, then bathed the letter with a stream of green fire from his mouth. The Parchment did not burn, instead evaporating into a fine mist and zooming out of Twilight’s window on its way to Canterlot. Spike then retreated to his room. That’s done, breakfast is… She ate the rest of the pie, and washed it down with a glass of water. Done, now to practice magic, I totally forgot to do so yesterday.
Twilight opened her door and walked around to the back of her house. Containing the yard was a short white fence. In the center was a small maple tree, surrounded by iris and spirea plants in a little garden island. On the left side of her garden, there was a red and white target propped up by a wooden trellis. This was her magic target. However, she would not be using it today. Twilight called upon her magic, concentrating the magic in her horn, and willing a spell to detect the sunlight. While doing so, her mind wandered, creating a magical vacuum which absorbed the magical power she was pouring into the task.
A failure. No matter, I’ll try again. Again she called her magic, and again her mind wandered. Another failure. Come on Twilight, you can do this! As she prepared to call forth her magic a third time, a parchment sealed with a golden sun hit her in the temple.
“Oww…” She whined. Really, Princess? Twilight used her already prepared magic and unfurled the scroll. “Dearest Twilight, You were wise to inform me of this. Unfortunately, you were too late. Mr. Aevum arrived this morning and requested an audience with me after sunset. Since you know him, I’d like to speak with you afterwards. I’m sending you a chariot pulled by two of my pegasus guards. They’ll be at your doorstep in half an hour. Bring some friends with you! I’d love to meet them. -Princess Celestia Ruler of Equestria Alicorn of the Sun
Twilight skipped the rest of the formalities. She knew them all by heart anyways. I don’t want to disappoint the Princess, I’ll ask Applejack and Dash if they want to come with me.
Twilight packed Aevum’s Journal in a bag, along with her Canterlot ID Badge. She would have a hard time entering the castle otherwise, and getting Applejack and Rainbow Dash in would be impossible. Applejack will be on the farm somewhere, I'll look for Rainbow Dash first. Twilight opened the fence gate with magic and walked around front. She opened her front door door and shouted, “Spike! Come outside! we’re going to Canterlot!” His voice responded, understandable although muffled. “I’ll be right out!” Twilight closed the door and stepped away from her house.
“If I was an insufferable blue pegasus,” she whispered to herself, “where would I be?”
“Hey Twinkletoes!” Rainbow Dash was above her, lounging atop a cloud.
“There.” Twilight said, astonished. “Uhhh, Do you want to escort me to Canterlot for an audience with the Princess?”
“First of all, absolutely!” Rainbow Dash looked very surprised. “Secondly, Twinkletoes, that is a horrible way to start a conversation.”
“Great!” Twilight beamed. “Could you invite Applejack? You would both need to be here in 20 minutes.”
“Sure thing!” Dash replied, soaring towards the apple farm.
- 30 minutes later -
As the last into the Chariot, Spike closed the door behind the three mares,“We’re all ready to go!” he announced, donning his conductor hat.
“About time!” The lead pegasus stamped the ground, “Alright, let’s get outta here!” The chariot started to move forward, getting faster and faster until they had abandoned the earth entirely, taking to the sky akin to a fledgeling bird.
“Twilight, wake me when we get there,” Spike whispered, curled up into a little ball next to Twilight, who nodded in affirmation. If he starts snoring, I will be using magic on him. Thank you Aevum, for putting an anti snore spell in your journal.
“Hey Applejack,” Rainbow Dash taunted, with a touch of seriousness in her tone, “You better not throw up in here.” I didn’t even notice that she looked sick! I really need to get more sleep. Twilight shifted away from Applejack and Dash, and successfully went unnoticed
“Shut yer mouth, featherbrain,” Applejack retorted weakly, “I’m tryin’ my best here!”
“Applejack, Is this the first time you’ve flown?” Twilight gave Applejack a comforting pat on her shoulder. You don’t look too good, Applejack. I hate to admit it, but I have to agree with Rainbow on this one. At least Applejack isn’t acting weird – besides feeling sick, that is.
“Yes, yes it is.” Applejack said.
“The first time’s always the worst, Applejack." Twilight shifted in discomfort, "as the Princess’ personal student, I’ve been flying in these things since I was a filly!”
“Yeah!” said one of the four pegasi pulling the Chariot, “and it’s the worst way to travel. Apparently, Equestria used to employ flying sailing ships to travel. They were fast and could carry lots of things at once! The longest of them were hundreds of feet long!”
“Really?” Applejack looked up, the green in her face less prominent than it was before. “How did they float?”
“They would float on clouds maintained by gemstones, and some even had cannons to help deal with monsters. It’s a shame the Princess decommissioned them. The Griffons have been getting bolder since then.” The pegasi sighed. “Hey orange, If you don’t look straight forward, you’ll feel worse. Everyone else, we’ll be landing soon, so don’t get too comfy.” Applejack followed the pegasi’s advice, looking straight ahead.
“Thank you!” Twilight replied. Those airships seem like a cool idea, I’ll have to ask the Princess about them later.
“Cannons are totally sick.” Rainbow dash had a blank expression. “I could be a sky pirate!”
“Cannons are also dangerous, Dash.” Twilight had snapped Rainbow out of her daze. “And frankly, I wouldn’t trust you with one in the first place.”
Rainbow Dash was not amused. “But Pinkie Pie has like seven of them!”
“Those are Confetti Cannons.” Applejack met Rainbow’s eyes. “You’re leaving out some very important details.”
“Sorry to break you up, but who’s Pinkie Pie?” Both ponies turned to look at Twilight, surprise plastered on their faces. Umm, did I strike a nerve?
Rainbow Dash got a mischievous look in her eyes “Hey Applejack.”
Touchdown! Looks like I don’t need to wake Spike up after all. The little dragon was already stirring.
“Owww, I bih mah tounhh” Dash pouted. Now it was Applejack and Twilight’s turn to laugh. They came to a stop and there it was.
Rainbow Dash exited the carriage, immediately taking off, then almost fell out of the air, almost like her wings had stopped functioning for a moment, “Woah!”
“This is Canterlot?” Applejack looked around nervously, “Ah feel severely underdressed.” Twilight picked Spike up with magic and set him on her back.
“Pick up your mouths and let’s go, we’re gonna miss our audience with Princess Celestia!” Twilight's misgivings were made tangible when the sun dipped below the horizon, signaling the approach of the night. “Run!” Twilight exploded into a full gallop, Dash keeping pace in the air, Applejack not far behind. They passed glamorous shops, nice houses, and even nicer restaurants. The Buildings turned into a blur as the trio galloped by. Door! She skidded to a halt just before hitting a large metal gate. There were ornate walls on either side of the gate, both sides running off into the distance, curving out of Twilight’s line of sight. Through the gate, Twilight could view the magnificent, yet imposing sight of Celestia’s castle, moonlight coating it in a harsh white light. As she breathed a sigh of relief, Applejack, who had been looking around while running, slammed into Twilight’s rear, sending her face into the gate anyway.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I mean, that works, but you could just knock.” She made a knocking motion with her hoof. If looks could kill, Rainbow Dash would be out cold. Fortunately for her though, a palace guard opening the door prevented the verbal lashing brewing behind Applejack’s eyes from happening. Applejack and Twilight were still a pile on the ground at this point. And now I look like an idiot.
“We’re with her.” Rainbow Dash gestured to herself and Applejack, and then to Twilight.”
“I feel ya.” The guard said to Dash. “It do be like that sometimes.” Applejack and Twilight hurriedly got back up, cheeks bright red.
“Here’s my I.D. Sir.” Twilight said, trying to play off what had just occurred.
“You’re good to go, ma’am. Celestia and her guest await you in the throne room. It’s through those doors there. He gestured to the far side of the courtyard. “Good day!”
“Same to you.” Twilight said as the trio walked into the courtyard, Guard closing the Gate behind them.
(Break)
~Celestia: Solar Princess~
Who is this pony? Celestia looked up at the ceiling of her throne room. Observing the massive gilded chandelier hanging on a chain was always nice, and she commonly found herself lost in the artwork which adorned the domed ceiling. I’ve already tried being nice, but this pony just refuses to talk.
“Who are you, Mr. Aevum? Where are you from?” Said an agitated Princess Celestia, “I will not ask you again.”
“I told you. I am Aevum,” Aevum rolled his eyes, “and I was born and raised here in Equestria” That is simply not possible. I’m so tired of this.
“The birth and existence of every single alicorn in Equestria has been documented since the beginning!” Celestia used her magic to levitate a scroll that had seen much better times. “This is that document.”
For the first time in this audience, she was rewarded with a genuine reaction. Aevum developed a slight grimace. He looks as though he forgot something. Suddenly, Celestia felt an imbalance in the flow of magic around her. The fool! He’s trying to cast a spell!
Celestia jumped out of her seat – horn glowing with an intense golden light – and casted a pushing spell, sending Aevum into the right wall with an audible thunk. “What have you done!” Celestia raised her voice, “How dare you attack me in my own castle!” Aevum coughed and stood up, immediately recovering from his impact. No normal pony could have recovered that fast. He is definitely not in some kind of disguise.
“I did not attack you,” Aevum replied weakly, “I only hid the truth.” Aevum made some distance between himself and the Princess before sitting down again.
Celestia observed her father’s scroll for damage, noticing a line of blurry text towards the top of the list. She eyed Aevum and moved the scroll to her side. “This would work against an ordinary mage, but I am no ordinary mage.” Celestia called upon her magic for the second time, intending to use her golden magic. “Reveal yourself!” A golden wave erupted from her horn, revealing the text and temporarily showing Aevum’s true form. Aevum now stood slightly shorter than her with an ethereal dark mane and a matching tail which were much like her own, despite differences in shape and color. Sand particles lazily floated off his coat, moving behind him and disappearing, as if an invisible wind blew constantly into his face. The magical image of Aevum disappeared.
He would be handsome if he wasn't giving me such a hard time right now. Celestia turned to the scroll, and looked to where the blurred line was. It was written with her father’s penmanship.
(page break)
Aevum: Alicorn of Time. Description: Sand colored coat with a dark gray mane and tail. Sand floats off and behind him. His talent mark is an hourglass on a clock, adorned with strange runes instead of numbers. Went missing 2670 years after I took the throne.
*1,015 years before Celestia and I, for future reference. - Luna
Page break. “Knowledge is power. Please do not tell anyone of my true identity.” Just who does this stallion think he is?
Celestia registered this and replied with a calm and easy tone. “Do you think it wise to give me orders? In my throne room? After what you just did?”
“Then I ask it of you, your majesty.”
“Very well, Aevum.” Celestia stood up and stretched, earning a pop in her back. That felt nice. She had to restrain herself from allowing a goofy smile to worm its way onto her face. However, what doesn’t feel nice is keeping secrets for a pony whom I have never met before.
“If you will, I am tired from my journey, and would like to retire for the night.” Aevum had gotten up, turned around, and thrown his bag onto his back. He was now walking towards the exit.
“Then I will see you again, sooner or later. Would you send my student in on your way out? I do believe you know her.” Celestia sat back down on her throne. “And don’t you dare try anything else whilst you stay here.” Dear student, we have quite a bit to speak about.
After Aevum left the throne room, a sense of relief washed over Celestia, but her mind was still reeling from the encounter, allowing unease to set in. The only other meeting that has shaken me this badly was the Europonean convention I had attended with Luna. She never was too cordial, never too afraid to speak her mind. Of course, that got us into a huge mess at the time, but it’s hilarious to look back at. Celestia chuckled to herself, failing to notice that her student had long since entered the room.
“That’s the Princess of all Equestria?” The irritating voice echoed in the back of her mind.
A very southern voice replied to the first. “That’s not too polite of you now, ain’t it?”
“Princess?” Twilight was standing in front of her. Crap, I really need some sleep. This Nightmare Moon situation is having me constantly working. At least the Summer Sun Celebration sets itself up without my input.
“I apologize, Twilight, I have not been getting enough sleep as of late.” Celestia stood up to her full height and turned toward the other two ponies accompanying her student. It is good that she finally made some friends, I was getting concerned over her lack of them when she lived here. Celestia slightly bowed her head, before making eye contact with the two ponies once more. A traditional Equestrian greeting. “And who might you two be?”
They reciprocated the motion. The blue pegasus spoke up first. “My name is Rainbow Dash, future Wonderbolt extraordinaire.” Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest with pride. Oh my, I hope she doesn’t expect me to judge her or anything. I’ve always hated doing that. Luna was great at it though.
“Ah, full of confidence. It will serve you well, given you abstain from becoming overconfident.” That came out so much better than I thought it would. Go me!
The second pony took a step forward. “Howdy, name’s Applejack. I’m just here to make sure Twilight’s doin’ alright, and to keep this one out of trouble.” She gestured towards Rainbow Dash with her hoof. Rainbow gave her the stink eye. Celestia giggled
“How very noble of you, Applejack,” Celestia said, “It is good to meet you both. Unfortunately, certain… events that have occurred have forced me to end our meeting prematurely.”
“That’s alright, Princess,” Applejack said, “We’re mighty tired too, it’s been a long day for all of us.”
“I appreciate it, Applejack.” Celestia turned to the door, “Nebula!” A guard peeked her azure head through the now-open doorway. “Would you show these two to their rooms?”
“Certainly, your majesty.” Celestia motioned for Applejack and Rainbow Dash to leave with the guard. When Twilight moved to follow, Celestia put her front leg in her way. The guard shut the door behind her.
“Twilight, did Aevum give you anything last time you met?” Celestia observed Twilight closely, noticing the slight change in her expression.
"Why?"
Celestia, although seeing the curiostity burn in Twilight's eyes, remained cryptic, leaving Twilight more confused than when her meeting started. With a sigh of defeat, Twilight reluctantly pulled Aevum’s Journal out of her bag and put it on the ground in front of her. “Thank you, Twilight. You know where your room is. I placed your friends in the adjacent rooms.” Celestia picked up Aevum’s journal with her magic, “Get some sleep. We both know how much we need it.”
(break)
- Nine Days Before Her Return -
~Luna: Bright Light, Smothered by Shadows~
Nightmare Moon was pacing. My great return is at hand! Only nine more days until the stars come to free me! Argh! Why can’t it be sooner!
“You’re the one who got hit by the elements, you know exactly why.”
“I forgot you could hear my thoughts, pest,” She turned to face the spirit of her other self. My weaker self.
“You mean our thoughts,” The spirit of Luna stood tall, “You’re me, remember?”
“I, in my entirety, am part of you,” Luna did not meet Nightmare Moon’s gaze. “However, your whole being is not part of me.”
“Thank the heavens for that.”
“Agreed,” Luna said as she moved forward. The moon was a desolate place. Without the Nightmare, Luna would have gone insane hundreds of years ago. It’s nighttime now. Although she had looked up at Earth every single night for one-thousand years, it was a sight that never really got old. Unlike the stars, Celestia has maybe changed them twice. Luna's gaze eventually came to rest upon the faint glow of Equestria, the land where she longed to be.
“Gazing at the earth, again?” Nightmare Moon's voice dripped with malice. “It’s so bland after observing it for a thousand years.”
“It would be serene and perfect without you here, you pollute the beautiful starscape.” Luna attempted to make distance between her and the incarnation of shadows to no avail.
“Where are you off to, Princess?” Nightmare Moon spat into Luna’s ear, which had simply passed through her spiritual form.
“Away from you,” Luna wistfully bowed her head, “we’ll be stuck together when we return.”
“Very well. I shall let you be.”
And she left.
Just eight more days until our fight. I’ve been storing magical energy within the jewel on my crown for a thousand years. I’ll materialize a form and fight for the control of my mind soon before my return. That way nobody gets hurt, and I don’t risk getting sent back here again.
Luna stood.
“Celestia, the next time we meet, It will be I in control,” Luna pledged, “and not her.”
Aevum paced, briskly, lines of concern scribbled all over his face. Back and forth he went, as he thought of a way to escape. He hadn’t woken up soon enough to just leave, and he hadn’t risen from his slumber late enough to formally announce his departure, yet he still had to leave now. What a fine mess he’d gotten himself in, indeed.
Now, this mess would be manageable, given that there weren’t any guards outside his door, and that he wasn’t in the room he was in. His complaints were not about the room itself – the room was quite nice, with a simple silver chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling, and a matching carpet of the same color. Songs of praise could be sung about the bed. It was fit for a princess, with a deep blue quilt and silver pillows of finely woven cumulus. The mattress was simply divine, yet Aevum had no idea what it was made of.
Aevum snorted, and poked the mattress with a curious hoof. It was too soft to be made from wool and spring, yet not soft enough to be of the clouds. On the side wall of the room was a window, overlooking a desk made from fine cedar, surrounded by dressers and cabinets of the same material. Upon the desk was a finely cut emerald, which Aevum surmised to be a paperweight, and had stashed it in his bag; it would come in handy later, he told himself.
Anywho, the fact that this room was fit for a princess bothered Aevum, and that was because it was made for a princess, in fact, it was built by Princess Celestia for Princess Luna, as a ‘welcome home’ gift. Celestia’s explanation for this was that she wanted an ‘unbiased’ party to stay at and comment on the room she had built. That was all fine and dandy, but what wasn’t was how the room resided on the top level of the palace, meaning Aevum had to be much more careful to escape than if he was closer to the bottom.
Now, the guards. Aevum reached out with his mind, noticing that both were asleep. As long as he was quiet, he could escape without alerting them to his presence.
“Stille Deur,” he whispered. A brassy sheen encapsulated his horn, and shot a thin beam of light at the door. On contact, the door glowed slightly, as if agreeing to Aevum and his magic. He opened the door, and took a step.
“Thump!”
Aevum inhaled sharply, refusing to let any air escape his lips. He had forgotten that his footsteps still made noise. One of the guards stirred, but did not awaken. Stille laarzen! He thought, the same brassy magic that had silenced the door now silenced his feet.
Now as quiet as a church mouse, Aevum stepped out onto the hallway’s red carpet, closing the door behind him and releasing its silence spell. He made his way through the marble hallway, noting the golden pillars that frequented the sides of the hall, along with several suits of steel armor, each with a unique weapon. If he got into a fight here, Aevum would be very well off.
As he strode through the hallway, Princess Celestia’s reason for putting Aevum in Luna’s room became very clear. A door opened, and Celesia herself strode through it, Closing the door before stretching and yawning, her rainbow mane and tail afloat with the sheen of a brand-new day, much brighter than they were during the audience the night prior.
Aevum wasted no time rushing to the side of the room, using some armor and a well-placed pillar to block himself from Celestia’s view. Aevum looked down with a sour expression, asking himself if hiding was truly the best option? Hiding from the princess would make his life much more miserable; He needed to fix their relationship now, as to prevent any problems later. But how would he go about this? He lay motionless until the princess threw him a proverbial bone.
“Good morning Equestria!” Celestia declared, a warm smile spreading across her face. Aevum’s ears perked up at this; he rose from the floor and walked towards her, in a way that made it seem as if he had just been walking near the wall, and not actually hiding from the princess.
“Good morning, princess,” Aevum said while passing her, “‘tis’ surely shaping to be a fine day.”
Celestia nodded, then followed Aevum, who both shared a common destination – the balcony where she would lift the sun and lower the moon. Aevum was slightly nervous about the encounter to come, but showed nothing of it, externally. This, of course, changed when he reached the balcony door, Celestia in tow.
“After you, your highness.” Aevum opened the door, allowing Celestia to access the balcony if she so wished.
“Thank you, Aevum,” Celestia said, “your courtesy is most appreciated.” She walked through the door, Aevum followed, shutting the door behind him.
“Princess, may I have a wor- '' Aevum's jaw dropped to the floor, and Celestia – who had turned to address him – raised an eyebrow, before following his gaze towards the city.
“Oh!” Celestia said with a quiet giggle, “yes, the view from up upon the palace is truly a sight to behold. I love to start my day looking upon the work that all of my little ponies have achieved over the years, which is why I built this. And yes, you may have a word.”
Aevum opened his mouth to speak, but quickly changed his mind. The moonlight reflected off the tops of all the buildings and turned the city into a glittering, yet serene sight to behold. “Princess –” Aevum took a deep breath, “ – I wanted to apologize for my actions last night.” Celestia blinked: one, two, no, three times before answering.
“It’s quite alright, Aevum,” Celestia said, “anyways, how was your room?”
Aevum, puzzled about the sudden shift in conversation, sighed and complied with the Sun Princess. “It was delightful,” Aevum said, “I’m sure Luna will love it!”
Celestia froze. “How-”
“As I said, Celestia, knowledge is power, and I obtained this little tidbit from your apprentice, young Twilight Sparkle.” Aevum took a small step closer, “She told us about Miss Moody’s –” Aevum gestured towards the moon with his hoof, “ – return. If I may, how does thou stand to halt her surely-evil plans?” Although the light levels stayed very much the same, a shadow passed over Celestia’s tall figure.
“Twilight will use the elements to sa…” Celestia cleared her throat, “defeat Nightmare Moon.” Celestia looked to the moon with a sullen gaze, as if she wanted something from it. Aevum stepped towards the edge of the balcony, uncomfortable upon looking into Celestia’s personal life. He wanted to make amends, nothing more. He did not wish to make friends with a princess of all things, not that Celestia was unlikable or anything, Aevum just didn’t want to get roped into Equestria’s business.
“Well, I do believe my time here is over for now,” Aevum stated, “A long journey awaits, and I must travel at a precarious pace to make it to the lush expanses of Everfree. If you need me, I will be near your old castle, I believe.”
“Oh, I see,” Celestia said thoughtfully, “I will call, should you be needed.” However, this fell on deaf ears, as Aevum had already left.
-Eight Days Before the Summer Sun Celebration-
~Twilight Sparkle: Promising Prodigy~
The visit to Canterlot had been great. The day prior, to Spike’s dismay, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight had gone shopping, and watched a famous opera with the princess, who had been acting strange around Twilight as of late. Now, after a long day of exploring the city with her friends – which made Spike much happier – Twilight was heading home.
The carriage had not moved, a luxurious white vehicle upon a gravel runway, it contrasted the sunset that Celestia had formed just for her, giving the carriage what seemed like a halo of orange light.
“Hey guys!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “are you guys ready to go?” The rest of the conversation evaded her; Twilight’s attention had been diverted to the arrival of Princess Celestia, who hovered over a red-brick building, gesturing for Twilight to come over before landing behind it.
“I forgot something,” Twilight said to Applejack, “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be long now!” Applejack said as Twilight galloped over to the building which hid Princess Celestia. Sure enough, the princess was there, waiting for her. Much like the carriage, the sunset complimented Celestia’s coat and mane, which made her sparkle. What the sunset did not compliment, however, was the somber expression upon her face. Before Twilight could ask what was wrong, Celestia was already speaking.
“I know you’re leaving, so let’s make this quick.” Celestia lifted the copy of Aevum’s journal in her magic, and returned it to Twilight. “I went through it yesterday, and there’s nothing harmful within it. You may continue learning from its contents.”
Twilight put it in her bag, elated at the return of her journal. Now she could prepare for the conflict between Nightmare Moon and the forces of Equestria. “thank you, princess!”
“You’re so welcome, Twilight,” Celestia purred, “It was the least I could do.” Celestia turned away from Twilight, and in her movement, Twilight noticed the bags under her eyes, and her clenched jaw.
“Are you alright, Princess? Twilight asked.
“I don’t know, Twilight,” Celestia said, “I am plagued by the mistakes of the past, and I have nobody to confide in.”
“What about me?” Twilight said hopefully.
“You are biased, Twilight.” Celestia looked up into the distance. Or was she looking back? Twilight wondered. “Also, even if I told you what plagues me, you simply would not understand.
Twilight frowned as Celestia flew back towards the castle.
(Break)
-30 Minutes Later-
After twenty minutes on the carriage, conversation had screeched to a halt, and Twilight pulled out Aevum’s journal to pass the time.
Natural Magic – Page 1.
Natural Magic
Not all magic is harnessed by us magicians. ‘Natural Magic,’ as I call it, is what many know as the basic laws of nature. Wind, weather, the day/night cycle, and ocean currents are all powered by Natural Magic.
Remember from basic magic that magic is simply the caster harnessing pure energy in order to complete a certain task, which is usually determined by the spellcaster. Natural Magic, however, has no caster, and the tasks it carries out are predetermined.
As I said earlier, magic requires energy in its purest form to operate. This includes Natural Magic, but where does it get that energy from? There are multiple ways, but the main source of energy for Natural Magic, (and us, by the way) is the sun.
Natural magic is the most common type of magic, it is everywhere on the planet, and surrounds us all. It is so common, in fact, that whenever a magician casts a spell, it causes a temporal rift to form in the flow of Natural Magic, which can be detected by other magicians. This occurs about a second before the spell takes effect, so being in tune with Natural Magic can improve your battle sense.
Twilight turned the page.
Natural Magic: Page 2.
Gemstones
Gemstones are complex mineral formations that form underground. While they may look pretty, they have applicable uses to everyone, especially magicians. There’s a reason that all of the great archmages of the past wore some form of jewelry – it wasn’t for show, I’ll tell you that!
Gemstones act as an energy reservoir, storing any amount of energy for an infinite amount of time. This energy can be built up by direct sunlight or by the manual transfer of energy from an organism to the gem. Any pony with a strong mind can use the energy within gemstones to run faster, lift heavier objects, and increase their endurance with other tasks involving physical action. Mages, on the other hand, can act as a conduit, and cast spells using energy directly from the gem. You lose more energy the further away you are from the gem (while transferring energy.)
I recommend setting your gem of choice on a sunny windowsill near your bed, so that it gains energy from sunlight, and you can put the remainder of the day’s unneeded energy into the gem before you go to sleep for the night.
Some things to consider when purchasing a gemstone.
The clearer the gem, the more energy it can hold.
The bigger the gem, the more energy it can hold (It’s not worth carrying a huge gem around, a one-inch diameter gem should be plenty for any mage.
Although clear gems can get energy from the sun, gems with darker colors are much more effective at this, and much like plants, dark green gemstones are particularly effective. I have found emeralds to soar above the rest.
The way the gem is cut can also provide benefits; the more flat surface area on the gem, the better it will be at gathering sunlight energy.
I recommend an Emerald Step-Cut with a 4:3 Length to Width ratio, The flat top is perfect for collecting energy from sunlight.
(break)
Twilight looked out the window and saw a glittering island of light among the sea of darkness that had engulfed the world. She woke Applejack and Rainbow Dash, but left Spike asleep, he was only a baby dragon after all. While still in midair, Rainbow Dash grinned.
“Catch ya later, slowpokes!” She said in a hushed voice, “have fun with the landing!” Rainbow then saluted, before falling backwards into the air, flying down to Ponyville in a rainbow blur.
“Who’s she callin’ slowpoke?” Applejack slurred, “It ain’t me, that’s for sure.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, realizing that she felt normal because she stayed up so late so consistently. She ignored Applejack’s sleep-deprived words and braced for landing, which caused Applejack’s eyes to widen. She straightened her hat and gathered her things – along with Twilight – and made her way off the carriage, which promptly left.
“Hey, it was a lot of fun, Twilight,” Applejack said warmly, “feel free to invite me the next time you go on an adventure like that!”
“Of course!” Twilight watched Applejack walk towards the apple farm before making her way over to her own house, and for the first time in weeks, slept peacefully.
