//------------------------------//
// Lesson 14: School of Enchantments 
// Story: The Basics of the Equestrian Magic 
// by MirroredHawk 
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“Alright. It's our last lecture introducing you the basics of the Equestrian magic. School of enchantments. I've mentioned enchanting many times before, already, but I've never got to explain how exactly it is done. Let's fix it today.

“Object enchantment is a very hard and complicated process. First the object must be able to absorb the magical energy and there are several methods of achieving it:

1.  An object is able to store large amounts of magical energy and slowly spend it.
2.  An object is able to absorb magical energy from the environment and maintain its functionality by doing this.
3.  An object, which receives some amount of magical energy to trigger only once in certain conditions.

“... And other variations of those. Currently we often see the first and the third type, but even they often require some forbidden practices. Very simple example of such enchanted object will be the enchanted flying chariot. You surely have seen some officials being carried in such chariots by the pegasi and asked yourself a question, how is this even possible. Easy! – I will answer. Enchanted chariot lines up horizontally by itself, passengers don't even feel that they are far up high in the air. Wind and cold are blocked by the chariot. Of course, such artifact is very hard in making. Our ancestors made an easiest and effective way to create such chariot. Just 13 rituals, half of which can be done only during the particular days of a year, but it doesn't require any sacrifices, dead relatives or the lost love. Yeah, school of enchantments is the darkest, most cruel and complex of all, as well as the least studied one.

“It took 13 generations of unicorns before the Celestia's banishment to find a way to make objects vulnerable to transformation spells without resorting to any rituals or sacrifices. Moreover, Stygian is the unicorn, who developed the vulnerability to transformation enchantment. He stumbled upon it due to the pure luck, taking pity on some failed apprentice whose name he chose to conceal. Adding pity to the formula made an ideal combination of feelings, which we use even today. Just to think of it, this formula contains so many different emotions and feelings that an unprepared unicorn can simply go crazy. I can’t understand how he felt himself while developing it, it’s hard to imagine how Stygian was capable of such a thing without the illusion spells.

“But let’s get back to the school of enchantments. To this day unicorns already for quite a while tried to find a consistent series of rituals to create an apotrópaios, the protective amulet, which will be able to save a wearer from death. All those attempts failed so far. It’s always a life for life exchange, you need to take somepony’s life to save your own. There was one famous attempt to break this rule recently done by my friend, Golden Robe, with the series of 55 rituals. The created apotrópaios teleported the user 5 kilometres into the sky. Thanks Luna there were pegasi to save the poor stallion.

“I think these examples were enough to get the point. School of enchantment is complicated, but it creates priceless inventions. All schools of magic are hard to learn in their own way and you cannot concentrate only on one of them. I can only wish you luck in your studies. Choose your program wisely and focus on those schools which you are more leaned to. Nopony will return you the wasted time, even the time freezing spell won’t be able to,” Fire smiled.

“So, I think it’s time to part and finish our short introduction into the world of magic. I hope to see some of you on the elemental or manipulative magic lectures later,” he winked. “Good luck young ponies and have a nice day.”

Students started to get up from their places creating lots of noise in the auditorium. Fire closed the study material on the lecturer’s desk and sighed. Well, it wasn't a half as bad as I expected, he thought to himself looking at the chatting students leaving the auditorium.

“Professor Sense,” a young mare's voice distracted him from his thoughts, “Could you tell me more about the weather controlling spells from the school of elements?”

Fire got a bit confused, but then remembered how little he told about it, “Well, it's kind of a thing of its own in the elemental magic—” Fire started telling to some curious students, who haven't left the auditorium, about the debates around the weather controlling spells and how there are developed and used. Next time he will surely make some of his own corrections to the study material.