//------------------------------// // Ch 49: And Into the Fire // Story: Enchanted // by The Whiskey Spirit //------------------------------// The chariot landed with a small thud as the pair of guards slowed to a halt. Aurick stepped off with a broad smile, wondering just what other things of interest this world had that he didn’t know of yet. Sadly he didn’t have much time to ponder upon the subject, as Luna was waiting for him at their landing point. They had touched down in what looked like a fairly secluded area in the gardens. The guards that had transported them quickling removing themselves once he and Ashwyn stepped from the chariot. Luna’s only reaction was to twitch an ear, as she seemed to be engrossed in a particular set of flowers before her. After a few moments and a couple steps forward by Aurick, Luna finally deigned to address them. “Hello, Aurick. Ashwyn.” She said with a pleasant smile, as though there were no pressing matters they had to tend to. “I’d prefer if we skipped the pleasantries for now, Luna. It’d be better for me to complete what you need of me as swiftly as possible.” Aurick replied sternly, wishing he had thought to bring some coffee with him. “As prudent as always. Very well, Aurick, if you’d be so kind as to follow me?” She gestured towards a small doorway in the castle wall a short distance away. Aurick nodded and made to follow the blue princess, with Ashwyn beside him. “I’m sure you have a couple of ideas on what you could do to help, but my sister has requested that you secure a location.” “I could do that in many ways, and not all of them require my abilities.” Aurick told her. “What did Celestia have in mind?” Luna lead them through the regal halls of the castle, looking no different from the last time he had traversed them. He didn’t pay the deor any mind, but Ashwyn on the other hand… She was doing her best impression of a fish. Her mouth lie agape beneath her wide eyes. Her head swiftly turning this way and that as she attempted to soak in as much as she could during their walk. Aurick couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, and he nearly missed what Luna said next because of it. “The wedding shall be hosted within the great hall. Celestia does not wish this to change, despite the issues with the placement.” She stated with the faintest hint of annoyance. “The hall has a number of windows, as well as a balcony. To put it simply, it would be a terrible place to defend against any invading force.” “And she wants me to do something about that?” “That would be correct. Celestia was hoping you would be able to create a barrier that prevents any living form from passing through.” Aurick raised a brow at that. It was certainly something that he had not thought of, though he didn’t think it would be any different from a normal shield spell. “I don’t see where she’s coming from.” He told her, deciding to speak his mind on the subject. “Sounds like a glorified shield to me, and you already have one around the entire city.” “I don’t believe she intends it to be a shield, Aurick. I believe she had in mind something akin to a zone that nothing could pass through. Not blocking attacks, as it is simply air, but not allowing any creature to enter or leave.” Aurick couldn’t help but blink at her. It was a strange idea, and he wasn’t entirely sure it was the best use of his abilities, but then again, Celestia was meant to be thousands of years old. She was easily his senior and had likely a great deal more experience than he. He decided he’d defer to her judgment this time, and do as she requested. That didn’t mean it would be easy though. “I can… attempt to do so. To be honest, I’ve never had to do something like that before so I might need to experiment a bit.” “That is perfectly reasonable.” Luna replied, a small smile gracing her lips. “So long as the task can be accomplished, there shall be no complaints.” “How long do I have?” He asked after a moment. A question that should have been at the forefront of his mind, if he was to be perfectly honest. “The wedding is in a week.” Aurick visibly blanched at that. Luna had taken note of his silence and looked back at him, only to see his reaction. “Believe me, I would rather there be more time as well. As it is, we only received warning last night.” She informed him, doing nothing to quell his unease. “This is might be an issue if I don’t get it right fast. How large is this room?” He asked after a short silence. “You may see for yourself.” She told him as they stopped before a rather ornate set of doors. With a flick of her magic, the doors opened revealing a massive room. Red carpet ran the length of it, climbing a small set of stairs and reaching the balcony at the other end. Large windows opened up the walls, packed together and only spread apart by a couple short feet of distance. The roof towered over head, and as he looked up, he pressed a hand to the door beside him to steady himself. “This… is going to be tricky.” He said in a low voice. “Can you do it?” Luna asked, making the elf look down to her. “Within a week? Yes, but I don’t have much time to experiment and get it right.” He told her honestly. “If I had more time, it wouldn’t be a problem, but…” He trailed off as he began to scan the walls. His expertly trained eyes deducing the best places to insert gems and how to create the matrix. The more he thought about it, the more confident he became of his ability to accomplish the task, but he knew that it would be a tight squeeze with the schedule he had been given. “Is there any help you could recieve?” For a moment, he thought about requesting she bring in Twilight. Then he thought better of it. The mare was capable of enchanting, but in a situation like this, her inexperience would be nothing but a hindrance. That didn’t mean he couldn’t receive any help, though. He was quite used to performing his work alone, but desperate times… “I’ll need at least five unicorns who are willing to help. Ideally I’d like someone who is good at working with metal, and I’d need someone who is capable of carving the walls.” He told her, his voice steady as his mind began processing everything that would need to be done. “Can I help?” Ashwyn asked from beside him. It almost didn’t register, but the paw the rested on his thigh was enough to grab his attention. He considered the request for a moment before looking up at the high ceiling. “Yes. I could get you to work up there.” He told her gesturing to the air above him. She seemed satisfied with that and he returned to his calculations. Sadly he was interrupted once more, this time by Luna. “What materials would you need?” She asked, a small notepad floating in her magical grasp as she stared at him. “I don’t know the numbers yet, I’d need more time in here. For now, just bring me every gem and gold ingot you can. The larger the gems the better. I’ll also need something to carve into the walls, as well as a heat resistant container so I can melt the gold.” He informed her as she furiously scribbled down what he said. “That’s all I can think of at the moment.” “I’ll make sure you get everything you need and I’ll find you the best ponies I can muster.” Aurick nodded as he turned and approached one of the walls. Placing a hand on it, he began to confirm what he thought to be the best places to insert gems. Luna, seeing that the conversation was clearly over, made her way back out of the hall, but not before speaking once more. “Thank you for assisting us in this, Aurick.” He simply waved her off, intent to get to work sooner than later.