//------------------------------// // Chapter 7. Magic // Story: Learning to see Luna, the story of Vivid Colour. // by Hope //------------------------------// If anything, a year of training only made Vivid more certain of her superiority over those who could see. She progressed rapidly as a student of Unicorn magic, under Lady Fine Line. Line was a patient teacher, despite making it clear that she would much rather be tending to the operation of the castle. Often their lessons would be interrupted without warning by a guard or servant running in, panicked and squeaking with anxiety, only for Line to set them straight and solve their problem with a few instructions. Vivid respected that power and grace, but found it was not something she was capable of. Many times, Vivid stormed off at the interruption, and sat herself in her room with a few mundane objects which she would examine and probe with her magic to keep her mind busy. But Line always found her, coaxed her back into the hall they used as a classroom, and got her mind back on the lesson at hoof. The latest lesson that Vivid was occupied with was a particularly annoying one. Annoying because it should be easy for her. She was to reach out and grab hold of an object that she could not perceive, without spreading her magic across the floor. She had to keep the location of the object in her mind, the size and composition, and then produce a spell circle that would grab that one thing. “Is this how you torture me?” Vivid growled, sitting on one end of the hall. “Whatsoever do you mean?” Line’s chipper voice came from the opposite end. “By forcing me to admit that being blind has limitations. You will torture me until I break and admit I cannot do it.” “But I know you can do it,” Line contradicted her, voice full of sincerity. “It is difficult, for any pony, to maintain perfect recall. This is not some simple lesson, it is your final lesson. It is only natural that it would be difficult.” Vivid paused, ears perking up from where they’d been laid back in anger. “Final lesson?” Line chuckled. “That is what I said, yes.” Vivid thought on that. She’d nearly forgotten that Line would not be her teacher indefinitely, that she was here on the whim of Princess Luna, and would eventually learn under her. She’d barely even heard Luna’s voice since those first few days in the castle. It wasn’t surprising, she had a country to run, but Vivid still felt a pang of envy at how she’d been left to learn and learn all the seemingly mundane aspects of magic, all while regular cityfolk could just come to court and see the princess. Then again, what claim did she really have to the princess, besides being in debt to her for every bit of food she’d eaten and every day she’d slept through in the last year? Nonetheless, the envy was there. “But you must pass that lesson, to move forward,” Line reminded her. Vivid sighed and turned to take her stance again. She braced her legs firmly before imagining the vase in her mind that was her target. It was an abnormally large vase, really designed to have a bush or small tree planted in it, than flowers. In part it was so large so that she could not accidentally push it off the table or knock it over if she didn’t grab it properly. But also because it had happened to be in the room. It had designs along the handles, which made the handles look somewhat like dragons, with little spikes and shapes that would be easy to damage. The lip was about level with her head, and it was exactly twenty two paces away from her, on a table that put it’s lip above her head. She lit her horn, creating a simple spell circle. Two circles, petals, and then distance and height from her horn. Like a web, she wove a spell that would act as a net being cast out into the room, with a very narrow target. She released, and she felt the spell bounce off something, unable to grab hold of whatever it was, it dissipated, and Vivid stomped her hoof in anger. “What was that?! It was too close to be the vase! Did you put something in my way?!” Line sighed before she walked closer. “Vivid, challenge your assumptions. You were given certain facts, but those facts could change. You found an object, why not use that as a tool to further your goal?” Vivid frowned, before casting out a net at the thing she’d hit, and catching hold of it. A high backed chair, in her way. She thought about the challenge she had, and how the chair might help. She kept hold of it, and turned it so that the back of the chair was a thin line in her perspective, and she used it as a sight, casting her net across the back of the chair, so that she could know she was shooting for a different spot each time rather than having to guess at the angles. Finally, she caught hold of the vase, and used her magic to proudly lift it off the table, and set it down on a cushion, panting from the effort at such a distance. “Bravo, I knew you could do it.” Vivid froze, that was not Line’s voice. It was deeper, more rich with years and wisdom. She swept into a bow towards the voice. “Your Majesty.” “Highness,” Princess Luna corrected as she walked closer, hooves barely making a noise. “Majesty has the taint of greedier royalty upon it. But I digress, you are due your congratulations for that feat, Vivid. Rise.” Vivid stood, and felt something settle around her shoulders. A cloak, by the feel of it, but of very soft light fabric. “Since a time long past, I have had those under my care anointed as Children of the Night. Typically brought to me as children, their ranks have become nobles, royalty in some cases, and mages of the greatest skill. From those mages, a new organization has been born. Known only as the Archway, it is an order of mages which has had it’s members grow thin in the last Century. As you are already under my care, and seem to have an aptitude for magic, I wish for you to become a member of this group, if you will accept. This robe of stars is a symbol of your membership.” Vivid bit her lip, and stepped back. “Princess, I am not… I’ve barely passed the basic tutoring that Fine Line could offer, I’ve hardly earned a ranking in this organization you speak of.” The princess chuckled, soft a without malice. “Vivid, you have reached the fullness of skill that Line has mastered. Not basic lessons, but all that she could teach you. If you now accept this, I will teach you so much more.” Vivid nodded, quickly as her heart beat quick and heavy in her chest. “Please, your Highness, I would like to continue learning, and if that means to be a mage of the Archway, then I will be so.” “Then come with me, Vivid Colour, and learn of secrets which most ponies would never know.” Luna led Vivid out of their prior room, and Vivid easily summoned the spell that allowed her to perceive the space around her. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was eager to see Luna again. As usual, the perception spread out from her in a bubble. It could go out fairly far now, with a year of practice, but she usually kept it to about the length of four ponies. But this time she pushed it out ahead so she could see where Luna was walking, and all of the princess. But as the magic passed over Luna, she shivered and looked back at Vivid, smiling. To Vivid's sight, the princess was composed of an infinite number of stars, flowing through her like blood. Her crown, torc, and boots all glowed like solid masses of magic. "I can feel when magic touches me," she explained as she turned back around to face her. Vivid hesitated, wondering if she'd done something wrong, but Luna continued. "An unintended effect of examining me, is that you will be capable of perceiving that which sustains me." Luna gestured up with a hoof, and Vivid slowly raised her head, until she saw what Luna meant. She could perceive the moon in as great detail as she could perceive Luna. Every crater, ridge, and valley. Even the net of magic humming just under the surface, and the points where that power left and reappeared within the princess. Vivid swallowed her instinctual fear, and looked back to Luna. "I suppose your ponies do not examine you with magic often, then." "Oh but they do not benefit from the same purity of sight as you do, my little pony," Luna said as she turned and resumed her stride, Vivid quickly following just behind her. "They would see the ceiling, or the light of the moon much brighter than the light of what the moon and I share. But you can see it all without seeing the distractions. Only one other being has ever seen me as you now can, and she..." An expression crossed Luna's features and Vivid could only imagine it was grief or pain, by the way the princess's voice tightened. "She is no longer with us. But that is not of your concern. Now come, we must arrive at the Archway before midnight, they hold themselves and myself to a strict schedule." She seemed faintly amused at being held to a schedule by somepony else, but they both resumed walking. Vivid observed the hallway giving way to a rougher but still well crafted tunnel. “The castle is built into a mountain?” Vivid asked curiously. “More than that,” Luna said, slowing slightly. “We are perched upon the upper third of the Canterhorn peak. We are nearly two thousand feet above the ground, and seven thousand above the sea. These tunnels go deeper into the mountain, and include the vaults and similar things. The Archway chambers are deep within the mountain so that any magical accidents they may produce are not at risk of threatening Canterlot or it’s ponies.” “Magical accidents?” Vivid asked, slowing down as she suddenly second guessed joining the group. “They are researchers of the highest order,” Luna said, stopping and turning around to face Vivid. “They have seperate rooms for dangerous experiments, and are careful, but one of their precautions is to be placed outside of the city. I’m certain they can put your mind at ease once you are officially one of the Arches.” Vivid sighed. “This is… Perhaps I should have asked more questions before agreeing. I’m just… nervous about it all.” “This isn’t a prison sentence, Vivid!” Luna laughed. “You could quit the order tomorrow, and I’d give you a long career in the castle. This is not forever.” Vivid relaxed, and they resumed their walk, Vivid counting pillars as they faded into her vision and then faded behind. Eventually the hallway opened up into a wider and taller room with a stone archway in the middle of it. The room seemed empty besides that. “Welcome to the Archway,” a soft male voice said from the entire room at once. “Please craft a passway spell using the archway in order to enter.” Vivid scowled. “Really? I have to create a spell to gain access?” “Give it a try, evaluate the situation before you give up,” Luna prompted her. Vivid recognized the same words that Line had told her, when she’d begun to falter in various lessons. She wanted to ask Luna if she’d taught magic to her assistant, but there was a test for her to pass, before she could return to personal questions. She turned to face the archway, and modified the ongoing spell that allowed her to perceive it. She narrowed the beam of the spell so that it would only examine a single foot wide section of the stone at a time. She also increased the sensitivity of it, and how deep it could penetrate into the stone. The archway was composed of marble, polished smooth with grooves carved into it and metal wire laid into those grooves in a pattern. It was incredibly ornate, but looking beneath the surface of the stone revealed another layer of intricacy to the archway. Inside of the stone were four metal rods running up through it. She followed them down and then up, finding the rods not only went through the whole archway, but formed an oval underneath the floor, joining the two legs of the archway. Inside of the oval was a sort of modified spell circle, with symbols that Vivid did not recognize, but could theorize the purpose of. It was as though someone had formed a conduit, so that any spell of sufficient type or quality would be drained into the arch, and used to activate the existing spell circle. It was a cheater’s test. Almost any spell would make it work. Vivid couldn't help but laugh, as she returned her perception to the whole of the room, and faced towards Luna, who was smiling politely. “It isn’t real!” Vivid said. “The test, it’s a fake test! It doesn’t matter what I actually do, as long as I provide enough magical power, it will function, am I right?” “Oh now, there’s only one way to know if you are right,” Luna said with great amusement. “You have to try!” Vivid turned back and prepared a spell. It was the strongest spell she knew, a shielding spell. The thick bubble of absorbent magic had been a method taught to her to protect herself if she were ever in danger, a way to avoid using her more deadly skills. In this case, she placed the shield around the gateway. The bubble began to bow inward towards the opening in the middle of the archway, before it began to be ripped apart as though it were made of wet paper, and being pulled in. The middle of each side of the shield fell into the portal, which began to glow at the edges. The shield eventually was fully absorbed, and a flash of magic almost dazed Vivid. When she was able to perceive again, she found that the inside of the archway no longer was an open space, but was another room. Stone of the same material, Vivid at first couldn’t perceive beyond the impossible dimensions of the other room overlaid with this one. But then five unicorns just outside of her range each cast marker spells, making themselves visible to Vivid. The far left unicorn was very tall, thin, and old. Her magic and aura were the color of Luna’s, a pale blue. She was dressed in ornate robes with metal fibers woven into the fabric, and gemstones on a bracelet on her forehooves. The next unicorn was a small stallion, maybe young enough to be called a colt. He wore a simple cape, but nothing else. His aura was a deep purple, vibrant. The middle was a mare just a little older than Vivid, with a pale yellow aura, not wearing anything special except for two metal bracelets. She was fairly heavyset, and shied away from looking towards the princess. Next in line was a second old mare, but this one quite short when compared to the first. She wore jewelry to absurdity, dozens of bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and other things that reflected her orange magic to make her glow like a small sun. Lastly, a figure that Vivid could not easily identify as male or female, tall and thin, in heavy robes, with a gemstone on a ring around the base of their horn. This last figure had magic which shifted. It seemed to be deep green but would have waves of brown that rippled through it. The first mare, on the left with Luna’s magic, stepped forward up to the edge of the portal, and spoke. Her voice was strained with age and possibly smoking a pipe by the dragging sound of it, but she forced herself to sound confident and bold. “Vivid Colour, as a member of the Archway, you are welcomed to enter our chambers for the first time, and become one of our members. Princess Luna, we thank you for delivering her here. You may leave.” Luna chuckled but turned to go, while Vivid was stunned by the crude and inappropriate speech to such a grand ruler. “Princess…” “You are in the care of the finest mares upon this mountain, Vivid. We may speak when you are done with your first day.” She then walked away, and Vivid nervously turned back to the Archway and took four steps, which carried her through the magical doorway. The moment she was through, the doorway fizzled out with a hum, and she was only able to perceive a wide rectangle room with the empty arch on one end, the five standing around her, and many tables scattered throughout the rest of the place. “Why were you so rude to the Princess?” Aurora asked sharply, turning to face the mare that seemed to be the leader. There was a ripple of laughter through the group, but not chiding. They largely seemed amused. But the leader bowed slightly, smiling a little. “I am Princess Wishing Star. Luna’s great granddaughter.” Vivid froze, confused beyond reason as she opened then closed her mouth, backing away slightly and then sitting down. “I… don’t understand. I did not think alicorns could have children.” “Oh they do not!” Wish said lightly as she led the whole group back to the tables, pulling three of them together into a triangle so they could all sit facing eachother. “Not in the sense you imagine. At least, not that has ever been done. But they can certainly adopt! My grandmother was adopted some hundred years ago, when there was an attack by dragons on a remote village, killing her birth parents. My mother grew ill when I was young so I grew up in the castle for the most part, and I have a very… unconventional way of interacting with Luna.” “She gives Luna a hard time because they’re family, and Luna gives her a hard time back,” the colt said quickly, like some sort of translator. He spoke with great energy, but also a sort of sly playfulness that made him seem even younger than he was. “I… see. So you are a princess,” Vivid gestured to Wish. “The rest of you…” “I am also a princess, though from a much more ancient lineage,” the orange lit mare with the overwhelming amount of jewelry said quickly. “This is Princess Sunlight Sol Howl,” the colt introduced grandly before leaning closer to Vivid and adding; “If you translate her name from the original languages, it means Sunny Sun Sun.” “Yes, well… We are proud of holding the faith,” Sunlight said briskly, crossing her forelegs “I see, and the rest of you?” Vivid asked. “I was a shoeshiner, and one day I accidentally turned a client’s shoes into mice!” the colt said excitedly. “So, since they couldn’t figure out how I did that, and I couldn’t either, they brought me here! My name’s Deep Sheen.” Vivid looked to the shy mare next, who spoke almost too quietly for Vivid to hear. “I’m Posey Sprig,” she whispered. Vivid waited for further elaboration, but it didn’t seem to be coming. “Why were you made part of the Archway?” Vivid finally asked. “Oh… I’m not sure,” she replied, turning her head away. “A tower of the castle started to collapse towards a group of guards, who’d been evacuating after a fire. She was a gardener and saw the tower start to fall. So she reached out with her magic and put the tower back together,” Sheen said with a wide excited grin, speaking almost too rapidly to sort the words out.. “Anypony could have done that,” Posey mumbled. “Nuh uh. You’ve got the highest total energy reserve of anypony we’ve ever measured,” Sheen countered. Posey mumbled something else, but it was too quiet to hear. Vivid looked to the last of the five, the hooded robed figure. A surprisingly normal sounding voice came from the figure, though it was still impossible to tell their gender. The voice was gentle, but firm, with a slight breathiness to it. “You may call me Clover.” “Like Clover the clever?” Vivid asked, getting a simple nod from the figure. “Very well. I… I am Vivid Colour. I was brought here, because I did not know how to use my magic to defend myself, except by the most violent method… I was brought to Equestria, because my actions resulted in many creatures dying. I hope that in this group, I can learn to be skilled enough to be worth your time, and Princess Luna’s trust.”