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// Strength and Weaknesses 
// Story: The Blackheart Forest 
// by Sabre_Cat 
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Lesson 1: 






The Strengths and Weaknesses of Ethereal Magic




This is a very complex subject, as most things are regarding the magic of the ether. Ethereal magic itself is not fully understood. It is but a group of theories of… truly fascinating nonsense. Alternate universes, a secret afterlife... but it’s all just theories in the end. Regardless, let us hop straight into the points and not dwell on how they all work. 

The Pros: 



Ethereal magic is the magic of space and time, and as such, great masters of the craft can put the laws of physics straight down on their knees. 

The spells offered in the ethereal school of magic serve very unique purposes and are thus paired very well with other schools such as cryomancy, (ice magic,) restoratory magic, (for healing,) and most especially black magic--the very thing that most ponies confuse ethereal magic with. Ironic. 



The Cons: 



Ethereal magic is, without a doubt, the hardest school of magic a pony can ever hope to learn. Apart from the unjust discrimination and unfortunate lack of instructors, it is a hard craft that sometimes takes years to learn the easiest of spells, decades to learn the intermediate, lifetimes to become a master, and MULTIPLE lifetimes to become anything greater. The faint of heart shall find zero refuge here. 

The void is a useful tool, but a tricky one. Remember how it was mentioned earlier that ethereal magic is best paired with that of another school? Well, it almost needs to be if you’re a lower-level ethereal mage. While ethereal magic is helpful, it is usually only good for manipulation, concealment, and summoning. If you wish to perform more basic tasks like setting your foes alight, mending your wounds, or simply suspend an object in the air, you best turn to another school. 





>Skip a few pages to “Common Ethereal Spells”.
>Search the table of contents for something new.