//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Journey Of Seven Thousand Steps Begins With A Blizzard. (unedited) // Story: Love thicker than blood. // by neokiva //------------------------------// A sigh escaped Twilight’s mouth, I wish I was a more active mare, then this wouldn’t be so hard. Then again I tend to prefer my comfortable library home to the outside world. “Come on Twilight there are only two thousand steps left,” Luna called back to her companion Twilight glared at her marefriend. “Who builds a monastery on a mountain with seven thousand steps and in a sun forsaken land!?” Luna shook her head and trotted back to her tired marefriend, “ come on dear we are almost there.” “Can we rest?” Twilight nuzzled into the unnatural warmth of Luna’s coat, “I am a flame in this freaking blizzard, I feel like the wind is trying to snuff me out,” she shivered her teeth chattering together. Luna frowned and charge her horn, casting a dome ten foot by ten foot in size and ten feet in height leaving plenty, of room for the two to move. “Oh thank you, Luna, that blasted blizzard can go to Tartarus for all I care!” Twilight ranted “This should keep us warm and dry, a friendly magus taught me the spell a long time ago…” Luna placed her right hoof under her chin, “I believe his name was Mordenkainen, he called the spell Leomund’s tiny hut, we should be fine for eight hours. In the meantime,” Luna cast another spell, crates of food and barrels filled with water appeared next to Luna, “There we go-” “Oh my Faust, new spells! Why hasn’t any pony learned about them?”   A high pitched squeal left Twilight’s mouth as she began to jump up and down, only to be caught by Luna’s magic. “Calm down Twilight, the reason is simple, our ponies aren’t ready for them and most of them are combat spells. Some have mundane utility or even miraculous results, for instance, the spell Mighty Fortress can conjure a fortress of stone. It erupts from a square area of ground of your choice that you can see within range. The area is one hundred and twenty feet on each side, and it must not have any buildings or other structures on it. Any creatures in the area are harmlessly lifted up as the fortress rises.” Twilight’s horn glowed and in a puff, a notepad and quill appeared as she scrambled to take notes. “The fortress has four turrets with square bases, each one twenty feet on a side and thirty feet tall, with one turret on each corner. The turrets are connected to each other by stone walls that are each eighty feet long, creating an enclosed area. Each wall is one foot thick and is composed of panels that are ten feet wide and twenty feet tall. Each panel is contiguous with two other panels or one other panel and a turret. You can place up to four stone doors in the fortress’s outer wall.” Luna paused her description to allow Twilight to catch up, after five minutes of furious scribbling Twilight’s head rose so she could see Luna, she received a warm smile in return. As she surreptitiously, conjured cooking utensils and bowls, before beginning to prepare, supper. “A small keep stands inside the enclosed area. The keep has a square base that is fifty feet on each side, and it has three floors with ten-foot-high ceilings. Each of the floors can be divided into as many rooms as you like, provided each room is at least five feet on each side. The floors of the keep are connected by stone staircases, its walls are six inches thick, and interior rooms can have stone doors or open archways as you choose. The keep is furnished and decorated however you like, and it contains sufficient food to serve a nine-course banquet for up to hundred ponies each day. Furnishings, food, and other objects created by this spell crumble to dust if removed from the fortress. A staff of one hundred invisible servants obeys any command given to them by creatures you designate when you cast the spell. Each servant functions as if created by the ‘unseen servant spell.’ The walls, turrets, and keep are all made of stone that can be damaged. It is immune to poison and psychic damage. After seven days or when you cast this spell somewhere else, the fortress harmlessly crumbles and sinks back into the ground, leaving any creatures that were inside it safely on the ground. Casting this spell on the same spot once every seven days for a year makes the fortress permanent.”    Luna portioned out the food, Twilight jumped as she received hers, making Luna chuckle and Twilight blush. “A spell like that isn’t even the limit, but it is one of the higher levels spells one could learn,”   “He also taught me of many spells which his world could no longer cast, due to their misuse and the destruction of their world’s magic and so the goddess of magic in their world sealed the magic so now one could cause an apocalyptic event again. I sadly haven’t seen the old goat since he last appeared in this world. He’s what you would call an interdimensional nomad. I hope we can meet again, he is certainly on par if not someone who surpassed Starswirl much to the mage’s chagrin, it was funny watching Starswirl having something of a rival, and competition for the first time, whether Mordenkainen acknowledged the rivalry, I do not know,” Luna suddenly stopped and had gone very silent. It wasn’t until she felt Luna’s body against her back, wrapping around Twilight, “Twilight~” Luna playfully whispered as she nuzzled and lick Twilight’s neck the short hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck suddenly stood up, as Luna’s warm breath hit it. “I’m hungry too, it’s not fair that only you are eating.” Luna pouted while whining, Twilight shivered and rolled her eyes. Presenting her neck while she keeps eating I silent invitation, Luna licked her lips before sinking here teeth into Twilight’s tender neck. “Mmnn, Like a cup of cocoa on a cold winter’s night,” Luna hummed playfully teasing Twilight.