//------------------------------// // Lesson One // Story: Regem et Patriae // by Autism Central //------------------------------// Soft shafts of sunlight lanced through the clear windows of the castle’s leftmost tower, slowly moving from the walls to the floor. The window faced a grand, king sized bed covered in fine green silks and built from redwood which had been carved, sanded, and polished to a mirror shine. The sole occupant didn’t wait for the morning light to reach her. ‘Sleep is for the weak!’ she thought cheerily as she tossed the many sheets from her body. She bounced on her hooves excitedly, her barely contained joy causing her to practically vibrate. Hope leapt off the side of the bed and continued to bounce to the mahogany vanity next to the window. She wasn’t a mare that spent any extended amount of time in front of a mirror; she simply straightened her mane and gave her coat a few brushes to even it out. This done, she bounced to the wash basin next to her vanity and wiped her face with a damp cloth. She returned to the vanity to give herself one last look and beamed at the sparkling mare staring back at her. “You’re going to be a princessss~” she whispered to herself, the last word petering off into an excited squee. She struck a pose, as if offering somepony her hoof while looking down with a bored expression. “That’s Princess Hope, peasant,” She spoke in what she felt was a “royal” voice, which was essentially mimicking Princess Luna. She flicked her offered hoof up and sneered to the ceiling. “To the dungeons with you!” After a few seconds, she broke into a fit of giggles. When the door to her room was knocked upon, Hope nearly jumped out of her hide. She prayed whoever it was hadn’t heard her. “H-hello!?” her voice cracked a bit when she called, making her groan and bring her hooves to her cringing face. “Miss Radiant Hope?” the slightly muffled and feminine voice from the other side called. “May I come in? Are you decent?” The question caused Hope to twist her head in confusion. Was she decent? She thought she was pretty alright by pony standards, so decent would be at least accurate. “Yes?” she called back, unsure if she understood the other mare properly. The door opened and in walked a cream colored unicorn mare with her nut brown mane tied into a braided ponytail. She wore a butter yellow doublet with wavy white embroidery, causing Hope to think for a moment that the mare had noodles clinging to her fur. She offered Hope a bow and spoke. “My name is Glowing Wick, and I’m the Royal Secretary of the Day.” Hope returned the bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “I’m here to escort you to Breakfast with the Princesses,” Glowing Wick explained. Her expression shifted to a mix of shock and confusion for a moment before returning to her polite neutral look. “When I asked if you were decent, I was asking if you were dressed. Ponies must be properly covered in the presence of royalty.” “Oh… do I have to wear that thing from last night?” Hope shivered at the thought of wearing the restricting garments. They were pretty, but the way the material bunched and caught in her hooves made it increasingly uncomfortable. Glowing Wick shook her head. “Certainly not. It would be unseemly to wear the same attire before it was properly cleaned. There should be a simple assortment of suitable outfits within your wardrobe.” She indicated a tall cupboard placed close to the vanity. Hope complied, opening the wardrobe which exposed a veritable boutique of clothing. She couldn’t tell which was appropriate for breakfast and which was supposed to be worn at dinner. ‘Fancy ponies wear different clothes for each meal, right?’ Without wanting to stall her minder, Hope snatched what looked to be a simple gown that didn’t look like it would irritate her. It was white and poofy, but it looked easy enough to get into compared to the outfit that needed a dedicated team to fit into from last night. After slipping the garment on, she  worriedly eyed her mussed bed top. The servant that returned her to her room last night had assured her that any and all messes would be taken care of by the staff, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of being lazy by leaving a mess to be looked after by somepony else. When Wick took the lead, Hope noticed her guide's cutie mark, a lit candle. She hesitated in asking what she wanted to, feeling it rude. She had to clamp her teeth down to keep herself from blurting out how odd she thought it was for a Royal Secretary to have a cutie mark that seemed contrary to such a position. She had to say something else, anything, or she was going to say something rude. “I met Copper Star last night!” she blurted, and immediately regretted it. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid! I meant to ask if she knew the Night Secretary! What kind of awkward mess of words was that!?’ “Yes, I’d imagine you’d have met my sister,” Glowing Wick replied with a smile. That tidbit of information brought Hope to pause, and then hurriedly trot back behind Wick to keep from falling behind. “She’s your sister?”  Glowing Wick’s smile grew slightly and she nodded. “I know she might seem uptight, but she just wants to make the Princesses' lives easier, especially Princess Luna.” “Is being Royal Secretary a difficult job?” Hope asked, finding herself more interested in the subject. “Calling it difficult would be an understatement,” Wick replied with a good humored laugh. “Planning the Royal Schedule is the easiest part, we simply have to ensure the Princesses eat and sleep, and then we set times for everything in between. Making sure the events stick to the schedule is another task in and of itself. If one pony cancels plans, that creates anywhere from a half hour to an entire afternoon where nothing will happen. We have to be able to plan around such things to ensure the Princesses have their time spent wisely.” “A lot of ponies must want to meet them.” Glowing Wick nodded solemnly. “A lot of the time, I have to refuse ponies with legitimate causes to bring to Princess Celestia in order to allow… more “important” individuals an audience.” Her last words were laced with venom and her face took on a bitter expression. “Couldn’t the other ponies speak with Princess Luna?” Hope offered. Wick let out a tired sigh and shook her head. “I’m terribly sorry, Miss Hope. This isn’t something I should be discussing openly. I request we not continue exploring this topic… it saddens me.” Hope didn’t offer a reply, opting to flatten her ears against her skull and look down as they continued on silently. When they arrived at a set of double doors with alicorn iconography carved onto their surfaces, she turned to regard Glowing Wick with a sad, but empathetic smile. She placed a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry for upsetting you, Miss Wick. I think you and your sister do wonderful things, and I look forward to working with the two of you in the future.” Glowing Wick went stiff for a moment, and then her face split into a small grin. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I’ll make sure my sister hears your kind words.” “Please do,” Hope gave the mare a pat and turned to face the door. Then, a thought rose within her as she remembered the pony she brought with her. “Has Sombra been woken yet?” Wick cocked her head in thought. “Not yet, I don’t think. The general rule is for the Royalty to arrive first, followed by their guests in… in order of importance…” she said this last part with a hint of shame in her voice. “N-not that anyone sees the young stallion as-” “It’s alright,” Hope held up a hoof to stop the worried mare from rambling into apologies. “Would you see to it he sleeps in? He has trouble waking early, and I’d like him to get a bit more sleep before he begins the day.” Glowing Wick cleared her throat nervously, trying to compose herself before giving a response. “I’ll see what I can do. “Thank you.” Hope  took in a long breath through her nose to clear her mind, and was pleased to have the smell of fresh fruit and baked goods waft her way. “Now… breakfast?” Wick smiled and nodded before turning and opening the doors, announcing, “You’re Royal Highnesses, may I present Miss Radiant Hope.” The dining room was, unlike many rooms in the castle, rather cozy. The mahogany table, which could easily seat twenty ponies, took most of the space, leaving enough room for the matching chairs to be pulled out and the servants to move around. The head of the table had its back to a warm fire in a carved stone hearth with the Solar and Lunar banners hanging overhead. Four doors were symmetrically opposite on each side of the room, one of which kitchen staff periodically moved in and out of to place more food on the already substantial banquet. Celestia and Luna both sat near the end, leaving the seat at the head open for Hope. Upon the table rested a grand assortment of baked goods, fresh fruits, and ripe flowers. The aroma in the room brought Hope's stomach to quietly groan in need. She gave the Princesses a deep bow, not just to show respect, but to tear her hungry eyes from the food long enough to keep herself from drooling in front of royalty. “Miss Hope,” Celestia’s cheerful voice called. “Please,” her horn lit up and the end chair moved back further. “Join us for breakfast.” Hope didn’t need to be told twice. She moved with a bit of haste in her steps and hopped on to the chair with little ceremony. Without thinking, she grabbed the seat with her hooves and began to jerk her body forward, causing the chair to noisily scoot inwards until there were only a few inches between her and her plate. It was only when she looked up at the two sisters that she realized what she’d done, and she turned a deep red. “I’m sorry!” she squeaked while burying her face in her hooves. Celestia broke the short silence when she belted out in a hearty laugh. She wiped tears from her eyes with one hoof and tried to steady herself with the other. Between her guffaws, she managed to get out a few words. “Luna used to do that all the time!” Luna shrank in her seat, her face turning a shade of purple from embarrassment. Hope continued to bury her face into her hooves in shame. After a while, when Celestia regained her composure and Hope returned from her shrunken position in her chair, they began to partake in their breakfasts. Celestia enjoyed her cherry cheese turnover with gusto. Luna carefully broke off small pieces of her quiche and took small bites. Hope, still not wanting to look at either princess after she made a fool of herself, simply nibbled on a small crescent roll. “I hope you slept well,” Celestia offered in an attempt to break the awkward silence. Hope smiled and nodded. “Oh yes, I’ve never slept in such a large bed before.” “You get used to it over time.”  “Aside from that, I was too excited to stay asleep for long…” Both the Royal sisters smiled  and snickered to one another. “We were the same when we first started learning under Star Swirl,” Celestia admitted. Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Dearest sister,” she scoffed humorously. “We recall thou swiftly growing tired of his training. Something about him being a “harsh and grumpy old mule.”” Celestia’s eyes widened and her face reddened in embarrassment. “I’ll have you know,” her voice was a bit off as she was trying to keep from snickering. “That I have always been nothing but respectful…” The amused and knowing look Luna gave caused her speech to peter out. Hope was fairly lost in what was going on, but found herself smiling at the joyous atmosphere she found herself in nonetheless. It was certainly an odd change to see the sisters in a jovial mood considering how seriously they (and especially Luna) presented themselves last night. Even Princess Amore always held her royal composure during the few times Hope had met her in private. She supposed it was a matter of professionalism, and that they chose to present themselves with dignity when in court. “Miss Hope?” She snapped out of her thoughts when Celestia addressed her. “You’ve hardly touched your food, is it not to your liking?” Looking at her barely damaged roll, Hope broke a chunk off with her magic and brought it to her mouth. Before she took a bite, an errant thought came to her. “Um… would it be acceptable if I took some food to Sombra for his breakfast?” she asked nervously. “I asked Miss Wick if she could see to letting him sleep in.” “Of course,” Celestia replied. “You can bring him a basket if you’d like.” “And if it isn’t too much more trouble…” Hope hated asking for so much, but knew asking this now would be better than later. “But the pony that took Sombra to his room… he mentioned some sort of… minor possibility of… danger?” The two sisters blinked in confusion at the question, though Luna Seemed to catch on, as her eyes widened slightly, as if remembering something. “There art some ponies within Our realm that feel We are ill fit to rule Equestria,” Luna explained, her tone leaden with bitterness. “Some of them have less scruples over performing acts of violence.” She shook her head, as if to banish a thought. “Regardless, thou may be at ease within Our protection. No harm shall befall those of this land whilst we remain its vigil protectors.” Hope breathed a sigh of relief and finished her breakfast. “That’s good to know. My friend was worried about trouble.” “Ah, yes…” Luna’s expression remained stony, though her tone gave the impression that the subject matter was something she was ill to discuss. “Well… thou may inform thy companion that all is well and safe within Our walls.” An uncomfortable silence reigned in the dining room once more, and was left undisturbed for the remainder of the meal. Only when the servants had entered to clean things up was the quiet broken, much to Hope’s relief. When the food was being removed, Luna stood and rolled her shoulders and neck. “We shall bid thee good day,” she announced. “Our time to rest is at hoof, and Our sister must begin thy first lessons. We shall begin teaching at Moonrise. Until then, fare thee well, Radiant Hope.” She turned to a set of doors opened by a duo of guards and marched out, shortly followed by her guards. Celestia had an uncertain smile on her muzzle, though she swiftly changed expression when Hope turned to her. “Right then…” her words sounded unsure and timid, like she was unused to teaching. If that was the case, she recovered quickly as her horn lit up and the doors opposite to those Luna had taken opened. She stood from her seat, beckoning Hope to follow. Hope swiftly hopped off her chair and moved behind Celestia with a spring in her canter. Her teacher seemed to find something about her movements amusing, but remained silent as she strode into the hallway. Unlike the sections she had seen already, the corridors they moved through contained more than simple paintings and symmetrical vases. The carpeting was the normal red found everywhere else, but the walls were adorned with Celestia’s banners. The few paintings they passed were unlike those found elsewhere in the castle. They were sloppy, smudged, and amature at best. “Who painted these?” “The worst artist in the land,” Celestia responded with a knowing smile. Hope took a moment to get a better look at one of the blotchy canvases. “Is this supposed to be… moldy cheese?” she asked, squinting at a greenish blob dotted with red, orange, and yellow blotches. Celestia was silent for a moment as her mouth twitched upwards. “I… think it’s a tree in autumn,” she replied quietly. “Let’s move on. My study is just over here.” “Your study is really close to the kitchens and dining room,” Hope noted. Celestia let out a soft chuckle and smiled. “It makes it easier to fetch a midnight snack when I should be sleeping,” she whispered, opening the door. The study was much like the dining room: cozy. A hillock of cushions laid in the center before a set of stained glass windows which copied the banners of Celestia and Luna. At the northern section, a white painted desk large enough for three ponies sat facing the door, covered in even stacks of parchment and books. The eastern wall was covered in a set of bookshelves that reached the high vaulted ceiling, each stuffed with books both untouched and withered. All of this would have amazed Hope, were it not for the other decoration in the room. In the north western corner stood an easel with a half finished painting of a splotchy blue… thing. The realization that she had insulted Celestia’s paintings caused Hope’s heart to nearly stop in shock. “I think I’ll call that one, “I Spilled Blue Ink on an Expensive Canvas and Needed to Try to Salvage it.”” Celestia said, leaning down to Hope’s level with a Cheshire grin. “What do you think?” Hope simply buried her face in her hoof and mumbled out, “Can we start the lessons, Princess?” Celestia nodded, having had her fun at her student's expense, and moved further into the room. From the shelves, she removed a large, weathered tome with yellowed pages. She then cleared her throat and beckoned Hope to take a seat on one of the many cushions. “Light magic is an exceptionally potent energy,” she began. **** A knock at the door roused Sombra from his sleep. He groaned out at the pony disturbing him when he heard them say something he was too tired to listen to. Even when his door opened and a set of hooves clip-clopped on his floor loud enough to wake the dead, he curled up in the warm sheets and soft pillows, grumbling out a complaint of some sort. It was only when he heard a familiar voice snicker in his direction, followed by his covers being yanked off and pulling him with them to the floor that his focus shifted from sleep. His eyes snapped open to the sound of “You’d sleep through a hurricane, wouldn’t you?” “Hope?” Sombra called groggily. He rubbed the sleep gunk from his eyes to see Hope smiling down at him as he lay on his back. “Why do you hate to see me in peace?” he grumbled. Hope rolled her eyes and gave him a nudge with her forehoove. “Wake up, lazy flank,” she teased. Sombra grumbled/laughed as he grabbed at the sheets and tried to toss them over himself, only to meet resistance as Hope used her magic to enact an impromptu game of tug of war. He didn’t put up much of a struggle before giving up and letting his legs flop lazily to his side. “Lemme sleep,” he mewled. Apparently, Hope wasn’t going to accept his request as she began to count down from five. As soon as she reached one, Sombra sprung up in time to avoid a splash of water hitting where his head had been. It wasn’t the first time she’d used water to wake him, and he had learned when to get up to avoid the splash. Hope smiled at his deep grimace and slow blinking eyes. “Rise and shine?” she offered innocently, placing the flagon to the side. Part of Sombra wanted to retaliate by taking the flagon and starting a water fight, however, his focus was taken by the light streaming in through his windows. “What time is it?” “Half past the tenth bell,” Hope answered. Sombra winced. He had slept a great deal longer than he’d intended. “How was breakfast?” he asked, knowing he had long since missed it. “Filling… I brought you some,” she pointed to the opened door where a basket of baked goods sat. “I asked that you be left to sleep in a bit more,” she admitted with a guilty smile. “I know you like to sleep a bit longer than me so I thought it’d be nice…” she stopped talking when Sombra bopped her horn and grumbled out his gratitude. He snatched the basket from the doorway, giving the guard outside a look before returning to his bedside. “I would’ve liked to talk to the Princesses about what Captain Flax mentioned the other night,” he said before stuffing a lemon and poppy seed muffin in his mouth. Hope cocked her head to the side, apparently not knowing what he was talking about. “Vwa dan-” he held a hoof up, realizing he was talking with food in his mouth. After taking the time to chew and swallow, he tried again. “He mentioned there being some sort of danger last night,” Hope’s eyes widened as the memory returned to her. “I brought it up at breakfast.” “What?” He was having second thoughts about being grateful for the extra sleep. “What’d they say?” “Apparently there are some ponies in Equestria that don’t recognize the Princesses as rulers, and some are more violent than others in expressing their opinions.” Sombra didn’t know how to feel about that. He knew nothing about how the Princesses ruled, nor did he know anything about politics, so he didn’t know how to react to this. Originally, he thought Equestria was at war, or close to it, with a neighboring kingdom. A significant part of him thought the danger was referring to him. Princess Amore and Hope had forgiven him for what they termed as a “lapse in judgment,” but he wouldn’t expect equestrians that knew to be so forgiving. He never thought a domestic threat was a possibility. Nonetheless, his curiosity was partially sated, though he’d have further questions to be answered the next time he met with either of the sisters. If that ever happened. For now, he had his first lessons with Star Swirl to look forward to. “Ho-mph!” His next question was cut off by a mouthful of honey oat and carrot muffin. Hope, who had been kind enough to force the food into his mouth, bopped Sombra on the horn. “Stop worrying so much,” she commanded. “Eat your breakfast, an-mph!” Sombra retaliated by mashing a chestnut and oat muffin into Hope’s face, trying to look menacing while crumbs covered his snout. He was about to offer a retort when Hope lifted a lemon muffin with her magic, causing Sombra to dive to the other side of his bed in time to avoid being hit. Hope took up shelter on the opposing side. Once she cleared her mouth of food, she called out with a grin. “I’ve got the advantage, Sombra! In your haste to find cover, you left the ammunition!” she held the basket in her magic and picked a strawberry and cheese turnover from the pile. “You forget, hope,” Sombra called from the other side. “What I lack in foresight, I make up for in actually having good aim as opposed to the flailing of a madmare!” He held the one muffin he had in his hoof with determination and sent a quiet apology to the cleaning staff for what would happen. **** When he arrived at Star Swirl’s Spire, the scent of mixed fruits and oats wafted heavily from Sombra’s body. While he had managed to clean the sticky fruit preserves and honey from his fur and mane with his wash basin, the smell of fresh baked goods stuck to him like glue. This earned him several confused looks from the castle staff as he and his escorting guard moved through the castle. The spire which Star Swirl called home was, much like its occupant, odd. The only way to get in was by walking the buttress down to its only door, which was more than thirty meters high. There were railings, sure, but they could hardly be called that when they were a hoof in height. Apparently, Star Swirl didn’t like to be disturbed if he was working on something, and thought this was a good way to ensure ponies would have second thoughts about entering his home; though Sombra had an inkling that the old Stallion just found it funny to make unicorns and earth ponies scared. Thankfully, the Guard escorting Sombra was a Pegasus, so he felt less terrified of falling to his death. The guard offered to carry him across, but Sombra just puffed out his chest and proclaimed that he had no problem crossing. His bravado lasted all of three seconds when he actually looked down and realized just how fast the guard would have to be in order to catch him. Given the options of crossing on his own, or asking the guard for help in exchange for his dignity, Sombra opted for galloping down the buttress as if Tirek himself were chasing him like a true stallion. This resulted in him slamming into the door, followed by the sound of his escort doing his best to suppress his laughter. He had little time to rub his sore shoulder and snout when the door swung open, and he was gripped by a brilliant blue aura and pulled into the darkness of the spire. Once inside, he was shoved before a rickety table. Adding to his confusion was what appeared to be an obstacle course of sorts set up around him made up of hoops, hurdles and winding tubes just big enough for a foal to fit through… attached to the ceiling. It reminded him of the playground at the orphanage where he and Hope would play. The rest of the room held a few more tables with objects and implements he couldn’t recognize that buzzed and whirred. To the side of the door were stairs leading up and down which stuck to the walls. “Good, you’re here,” a voice called from behind. Star Swirl stood by the door, holding the orb which contained some of Sombra’s magic from the previous night. The old stallion placed the ball into his hat and moved to approach Sombra. “Now, before you can learn about magic, you’ll need to know what your limitations are.” He tapped his hoof on the table where a thimble sat. “I’d like you to pick this up.” Sombra thought the request was a bit odd, and felt a bit shaken by the speed of the last few events catching up to him, but he obliged the old stallion anyway. Unlike the orb, the thimble lifted in the air by the black and green bubbling aura with ease. Star Swirl eyed the levitated object for a moment before pointing to a quill on the table. Sombra didn’t need any further instructions and lifted the quill up next to the thimble. “Fascinating,” Star Swirl whispered. “As I understand it, you never showed much aptitude towards magic, correct?” “I wasn’t very good with it, no,” Sombra answered. “I learned to write with my mouth before I  could lift anything… I just assumed I wasn’t much of a unicorn.” Star Swirl’s face scrunched, making him look like a fuzzy prune, as he stroked his beard in thought. “Maybe…” his eyes suddenly brightened as an idea came to mind. “You were made to infiltrate the Crystal Empire under the guise of a normal pony, correct?” The question felt like a kick to the gut for Sombra. It was true, he was made to be a disguised weapon for the Umbrum, but the old stallion didn’t have to be so blunt in his questioning.  “Yes…” he responded eventually with some reluctance. The other stallion didn’t seem to notice the soured mood of his student. “It’s possible that your previous lack of magical skill is due to the form you took. Using dark magic as a little colt would have drawn too much attention, so you probably had access to a minuscule reserve of mana. But how would you have used unicorn magic if you weren’t a unicorn?” he began to pace the room as he mumbled further questions too incoherent to hear. This proceeded for half an hour before the old stallion stomped his fore hooves, causing Sombra to jump up from the seat he took on the floor. “I’ve got it!” he announced with a bug-eyed grin. “I simply don’t know!” He spoke the statement as if it were not only obvious, but the answer to life, the universe, and everything. “Wha-” “Try this as well.” Star Swirl announced, having abandoned the train of thought and returning to the central table. He rummaged through the pile of odds and ends, eventually producing a small cage/mousetrap. From the cage, he removed a squirming mouse, which upon seeing the fangs jutting from Sombra’s mouth, attempted to scurry away. Star Swirl was swifter than the little rodent, and snatched it back in his grasp. “I… I’m not sure,” Sombra said. “I’ve never picked a living thing up… especially with dark magic. What if I-” “Nonsense,” Star Swirl replied dismissively. “If I didn’t know the effects of dark magic infused telekinesis, I wouldn’t have you in my personal tower, let alone handle a living creature.” He gave Sombra a pat on the shoulder and nodded. “If anything goes wrong, I’m more than enough to stop it.” Sombra breathed and nodded back. With a flick of his horn, he picked the animal up in his aura, and it began to twist and writhe. This caused him to immediately drop the spell and let everything fall. The mouse swiftly skittered behind Star Swirl in fear. “I- I think I was hurting it,” Sombra explained. “It looked afraid and I jus-” “It’s fine, my boy.” Star Swirl’s batrachian eyes focused on his student. His horn lit up and brought a cage with a robin inside to the table. “Lift the bird,” he commanded. “I’m not su-” “I assure you, my boy,” Star Swirl cut him off. “I’ll see to it that no harm comes to this creature. And it will make sense in a moment. Now… pick up the bird.” Sombra swallowed his objections and chose to comply. His horn lit up again, and the frightened robin watched as the door to its cage opened. It made a dash to escape, but no sooner than it passed the opening did it find itself flapping to no avail. Sombra lifted it in his aura and watched as it continued to flap in an attempt to escape. Part of him, and he’d be lying if he said it was a small part, enjoyed the feeling of power over the small creature. It was fascinating to see it move so quickly, yet going nowhere. But he banished these thoughts from his mind. He’d not let himself fall so easily to temptation this time. “Astounding,” Star Swirl whispered. “What do you feel?” It took Sombra a few moments to understand what the old stallion meant by that. He returned his mind to the robin and felt what he did with the mouse. “Cold, but it’s not a biting cold like northern winds… more like...I’m not sure...” This seemed to fascinate the older stallion as he began to observe the bird with scholarly focus. “When a unicorn lifts an animal or other living creature,” he began to use various implements Sombra had never seen to poke and prod the bird. “It requires intense focus and mental fortitude. This is because we must ensure the subject is not crushed in our grasp, nor that they slip out. It demands a precise amount of applied pressure to keep the subject elevated and free to move. Yet you show no signs of strain in holding the robin, its movements are completely unrestricted, allowing it to flap as if free. This is similar to previous accounts of dark magic.” He backed away with an expression of excitement poorly contained. “You may release it,” he offered. The other stallion didn’t need to be told twice. He released his hold on the robin, which immediately shot through an open window. Sombra was about to ask what was next, when he had a stack of parchment placed before him. “Note’s are the fulcrum of research,” Star Swirl announced, placing a quill and inkwell down. “You’ll want to write down our findings as we work, so begin with what we just discussed and the differences between unicorn magic and dark magic concerning levitation. Meanwhile, I’m going to prepare for the next test.” He didn’t wait for a reply and zipped off towards a far off table. At first, Sombra was going to write with his mouth like he used to; however, given that he was being encouraged to use his magic, he saw no harm in trying the unicorn way, even if his horn writing was often a tad messy. The quill jumped to attention and dunked itself into the ink before coming to hover above the first page. It was sloppy, uneven, and the letters occasionally hovered or drooped out of line. Still, it was something. After a few minutes of writing to himself, he looked up to see Star Swirl had removed his hat and cloak and had several of the odd tools strapped to his front legs. “Have you finished?” the old stallion asked. When he received confirmation, he leapt up onto the central table, sending parchments and bits of metal scattering to the floor. “This time, you’ll be lifting me into the air!” he proclaimed with an excited grin. Sombra was, to say the least, surprised. However, seeing as Star Swirl was the teacher, and he… hopefully knew what he was doing, he obliged the request. Once again, his horn was enveloped and so was his target. Star Swirl found himself lifted a meter into the air by a cloud of roiling black and green smoke. Unlike the thimble or the robin, however, Sombra could feel some strain when lifting the older stallion up. It wasn’t much, but it was as if he was trying to lift a bucket with his horn. It was in no way heavy, but he could feel the weight. “You’re… a little heavier than the animals.” Part of him regretted saying that aloud, as Star Swirl instantly hit him with an offended glare and a harrumph. “I’ll have you know I’ve lost a pound and a half this year!” Star Swirl grumbled with high dudgeon. “Now focus!” After half a minute passed, Sombra felt the weight in his horn increase from empty bucket to bucket of rocks. He clenched his teeth as with each passing second, the strain grew. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and neck when he felt he was trying to lift Star Swirl’s actual weight with his head alone. “C-can’t… can’t hold an-any longer…” Star Swirl tore his eyes from the glass doohickey with red liquid inside to notice the look of pain and tension on Sombra’s features. “It’s only been a minute and a half,” he said in a tone of confusion and disappointment. “Well then, let me down…” Sombra was more than happy to obey the command. He quickly lowered the older stallion and released his hold on him. As soon as the spell broke, Sombra began to gulp in air and fell on his rump. Star Swirl hopped off the table and brought his own stack of parchment with an accompanying quill to his face. “It seems we’ve found the first limit,” he announced as his quill moved at speeds Sombra had never seen in writing. “When a unicorn lifts an object, most of the weight is placed upon them while a small portion is handled by the magic. With time and practice, less and less weight is applied to the caster. The bigger and heavier the object or creature, the more difficult it is to lift; however, it seems dark magic, instead of placing the weight on you at once, gradually adds it over time. In theory, you could lift something three times your weight, but only for a short span of time, whereas a normal unicorn would need time and practice. The trade off is a well practiced unicorn could hold a heavy object longer than you. It’s like the difference between raw strength and stamina.” Sombra had his quill moving as quickly as he could will it, hoping to keep up as Star Swirl spoke of the mechanics of levitation. He wondered if it would be in his best interests to practice lifting heavy objects to better condition himself towards lifting greater weights for extended periods of time. He’d have to ask Star Swirl sometime at the end of the lessons. He quickly added a small reminder on the corner of his new sheet. “Now, according to the Quicksilver Meter,” Star Swirl pointed to the glass doodad on his fetlock. “The temperature around myself and the robin which you lifted lowered drastically and peaked at around zero degrees, the freezing point of water. Although, my breath was oddly invisible... I’ve theorized that dark magic, being the polar opposite of light magic, would remove heat. Darkness is, after all, the absence of light. It would stand to reason that dark magic is the absence of heat. You see, Celestia and Luna happen to know a bit of light magic-” This caused Sombra to halt in his note taking and look up in surprise. “They do?” He immediately felt stupid for asking, considering they were the ones teaching Hope. “Oh yes, alicorns are living melting pots of magic. They can access any magic which the three pony tribes are capable of, and unicorns can use dark and light magic.” “So… aside from the names, what’s the difference between dark and light magic?” Sombra asked pensively. An addition to his question formed in the back of his mind, an addition which worried him and despite his reluctance, made it out of his mouth. “Is dark magic evil?” The parchment and quill held aloft in Star Swirl’s blue aura fell to the floor as the old stallion’s eyes widened and turned to focus on Sombra. “Don’t,” Star Swirl commanded in a harsh whisper, his tone level and features serious. “Don’t ever think that your existence defines you as evil. I’ve seen a caster of light turn a pony to an ashy stain, and a unicorn mage set a town ablaze in “holy light.” The magic you wield does not dictate your character, what you do with it does.” With his left fore hoof, he tussled Sombra’s mane and offered him a warm smile. “You fear this power will corrupt you. Perhaps you’ve been told it can deteriorate the mind?” When Sombra nodded to this, Star Swirl sighed and shook his head. “For a unicorn… it will, but I don’t think that’s the case with your kind. Light magic has its drawbacks as well. Your friend, Hoop-” “Hope,” Sombra corrected. “Right… were she not a crystal pony, her use of light magic would bring her body to rot.” This statement caused Sombra’s eyes to widen in terror. “W-what!?” Star Swirl nodded grimly. “I’ve known many a healer and holy knight that met their end not by beast or blade, but from their negligent use of light magic. Just as Dark magic harms the mind, Light magic ruins the body. Oftentimes, it ages the caster slightly; but it can cause greater destruction to the wielder if overused. Light magic can do miraculous things… but at a price. The crystal ponies, however, seem to have a natural affinity to it that keeps them safe from the repercussions, though few practice it as their ancestors once did. Your very Princess is supposedly a practitioner.” Once more, Sombra was flummoxed by what the older stallion was saying. “Princess Amore can use light magic?” “From what I’ve heard,” Star Swirl’s voice took on a bitter undertone. “She’s specifically requested I not enter the Empire if I intend to study the Crystal Heart up close. She acts as if I were going to shatter the thing on the floor!” “Well… it is sacred to… to us,” Sombra offered, though hesitated when the memory of the Heart vanishing into his bag played in his mind. The Heart was sacred… to the crystal ponies, but he hated what it put him through. A small part of him, a part that caused his gut to twist in guilt, regretted not destroying the Heart. He knew it kept the crystal ponies safe from the Umbrum and the cold, but the fact it robbed him and Hope of so much left a bitter feeling in his mouth. “Humph!” Star Swirl’s verbal displeasure and bristling beard shook Sombra from his thoughts. “I didn’t want to go to her silly city anyway!” he declared, crossing his front hooves like an embittered colt. Sombra smiled at the odd stallion. “So… you were saying?” Star Swirl needed a moment to recall the conversation before he coughed into his hoof. “Right… as I was trying to say, You needn't worry too much about your magic. If the Umbrum are meant to be the opposing “shadow” of the Crystal ponies, it stands to reason that they would enjoy a similar immunity to their own magic’s deleterious effects. Of the three main branches of magic, dark magic is more suited to… less enjoyable spells. While light magic utilizes feelings of love, warmth, and insight, dark magic is drawn from fear, cold, and obfuscation.” “That… still sounds evil,” Sombra noted with concern. “Again, it’s how you choose to use it that matters. A normal Pony’s magic is connected to their soul, and by inviting fear and coldness into themselves, they can turn… not so nice. The warmth of light magic will sear and wither the soul, like leaving fruit out in the sun.” His small joke received no response, causing him to huff at how serious Sombra took things. “Anyway, you and the Crystal Ponies are different when it comes to magic.” Having finished his lesson on morality, Star Swirl tiredly blinked his eyes a few times and scratched his beard as he looked about the room for something. His eyes eventually settled on the upside-down hoops and vaults on the ceiling and he clicked his tongue. “I hear you can turn into a flying cloud of smoke,” he spoke softly, returning his gaze to Sombra. “How would you feel about running through a little obstacle course?” **** “Once more!” Star Swirl shouted. He wore a great smile, eyes wide and filled with wonder, as he commanded the moving smoke with Sombra’s head around the courtyard. It had taken a while for Sombra to remember how he had done it before, but once he had shifted, the feeling was truly exuberating. His best way to describe it was like swimming in the air. His speed was nothing to be impressed with, as Star Swirl could outpace him with a brisk trot, but his maneuverability was something to behold. He had spent over an hour twisting and bobbing through the hoops and obstacles Star Swirl had set up in the tower, laughing and whooping each time he swirled through a hoop or hurdle with ease. It only got tiring when Star Swirl started timing him, in hopes of seeing if the speed could be improved. This, according to Sombra, felt like wading through four hooves of snow uphill, and the harder he pushed, the clumsier he became. Eventually, Star Swirl decided that his tower was too cramped to get a proper grasp on Sombra’s “umbral form” as he called it. His solution was to simply tear the equipment off the ceiling with his magic, and teleport them both to the courtyard, where Sombra promptly fell out of his form from dizziness, and a gardener whinnied in terror as the two appeared less than a meter in front of him. Star Swirl mumbled out a quick apology before setting the obstacles up in the open. With more open space, Sombra was able to show off his speed, or lack thereof. Eventually, Star Swirl wished to see if the smokey form would allow any manipulation of the environment, and thus hurled himself at a black cloud with a shout of, “Catch me!” Sombra promptly panicked and “braced himself” as the older stallion landed in his smoke and began to fall to the ground at the speed of a feather. Apparently, if he focused on it, Sombra could condense his body to make it more solid, allowing it to interact better with the environment. The catch was that he found it more difficult to fly and maneuver, and the object he was holding felt heavier than it should. Star Swirl , however, saw another possible use, and began running Sombra ragged with exercises in which he was to alter his form in various ways while condensing as much as possible. In three hours, the older stallion was having Sombra form a set of “stairs” which he’d walk up, leaping off, and then land softly on the ground below. While Star Swirl found the experience fun and exuberant, his apprentice was clearly in need of a rest. “Alright,” Star Swirl called to the huffing mass of smoke. “Let’s take a break.” he trotted to a well-groomed sycamore tree in the yard and laid against the trunk. Sombra’s smokey form condensed itself at ground level, where with some ease it returned his body to a solid form. He let out a huff from his exercises before joining his teacher, plopping down on the soft grass in the shade with another great sigh of relief. The older stallion took his conical hat off and reached into it, producing a loaf of bread. Before Sombra could question this, Star Swirl answered. “Hat of Holding. Magic enriched fabric with a spatial expansion enchantment placed within.” He reached in once more and placed a pitcher of water with two clay cups between them. Sombra accepted the cup and slurped greedily at the refreshing drink. He couldn’t help wondering what dark magic Star Swirl commanded to have so much energy, as the elder stallion had already caught his breath and summoned a large, timeworn tome thick enough to double as building material. The text moved from Star Swirl to Sombra, and the younger stallion squinted his eyes to make out the faded words on the cover. “My old spellbook,” Star Swirl answered between sips. “All my students should learn the basic spells there. You can have it for the foreseeable future, but I expect you to learn every spell there before returning it.” “Physical practice before reading?” Sombra asked. “Is this normal for your students?” Star Swirl wavered a hoof about in a so-so gesture. “It depends on the student. Most want to do something practical before going into theories and study. You strike me as a colt who’s a hard study, so we began with some exercise so you wouldn’t get too antsy while reading.” Sombra nodded, despite feeling like it made him sound bookish. He’d spent plenty of time studying books just to keep up with school, how bad could this be compared to learning to read and write? He opened the book to a random section and- ‘-Ley Line Theory, then it can certainly be a possibility to manipulate matter in such a way that near instantaneous extraction and displacement of said matter on Equas could be practiced. However, if Internal Mana Source Theory is correct, the displacement of matter wou-’ “Unwise to start with teleportation before learning more basics,” Star Swirl announced. “That’s what all that word salad was supposed to say?” Sombra asked in shock, looking back at the page and trying to understand the multi-syllabled paragraphs. “Why didn’t you just write, “Teleport Spell?”” His teacher huffed and stood to stretch, but gave no response to the question. “Your work for this week is to read five spells in the book, and learn to cast one of them. Dark magic may make it easier to cast, but if you put in some of the effort required, you’ll hopefully use up less magic and find a balance of power and precision. You’ll also be practicing your smoke form as much as possible, and attempt to work on your telekinesis. I’d like to see you able to hold my weight for longer. I’d recommend practicing with multiple small objects, and then lift more until you reach a weight equivalent to a pony.” “I’m not going to come to your tower for lessons?” Star Swirl shook his head. “I’m not going to micromanage your learning. Students need to try to figure things out for themselves and have room to breathe.” He turned to leave, but stopped as he seemed to have forgotten something. “However, if you’re stuck with anything, or have questions, or simply wish to talk, my door will always be open no matter the hour.” Star Swirl gave Sombra’s mane another tussle and smiled. “You’ll do fine. Every student is different, and depending on the impressions they give, I can usually figure out a solid teaching method. You’re a lot like Luna, in that you have a strong will to learn but need a bit more self reliance.” His eyes seemed to look at something far off for a moment as a humored smile spread across his face. “I still can’t decide if she and Celestia are my best students or my worst.” Without another word, his horn lit up and in a flash of brilliant light, he and the obstacle course had vanished, leaving Sombra with the books and his thoughts. ****   Sombra had eventually retreated to the castle’s library after his lesson with Star Swirl, intending on getting a start on his first assignment. He figured he’d start with a simple flame cantrip for lighting small fires. Obviously, he’d practice the spells outside the library With his guard escort leading, he came upon the grand, three storied section of the castle. The room was almost as large as the library in the empire, though far more comforting with the various reading areas littered with cushions and desks. The ceiling sported a large stained glass mural of the sun wrapped within a crescent moon. The soft yellows and blues had a strange effect on the sunlight streaming in, causing it to illuminate the library gently without the glare. As he took his first few steps inside, Sombra spotted Hope sitting at a table with enough books to make a miniature fort… which she had done. Sombra coughed in an attempt to hold his laughter and approached the book-made keep. His friend was hidden by the “drawbridge” of her keep, but the bored sighs coming from the fort told him she might need some company.  “Those can’t really be the books you have to read,” he said as he took the seat opposite of her. Hope’s head poked up from the walls of her fort, her dour expression shifting to excitement. “Who dares approach Fort Forlorn Hope!?” She whispered harshly, then turned to peek at the librarian behind his desk to ensure he hadn’t heard her. “Already got in trouble?” “Not allowed to use the ladders anymore…” she grumbled in reply. “Apparently, they’re, ‘not for riding.’” Sombra looked at the tall ladders that were latched onto several towering shelves and smiled. They did look like fun to ride… He shook his head of the thought, not wanting to get in trouble and returned his attention to his friend. “Want to study togeth-” “Yes,” Hope replied quickly. She lifted her book fort up and brought it to a section of the library with some cushions and a window facing the courtyard. Sombra followed, lying comfortably by the window and placing his book before himself. Without warning, Hope flopped down and rested her head against Sombra’s back, lifting a book to hover above her face. Sombra tried not to laugh and nudged her with his foreleg. “There’s cushions all over here.” “Yes, but this one’s squishy and soft,” she replied. Hope sniffed at the air a moment, then smiled. “And smells like lemon and boysenberry.” “Your aim is terrible.” Hope snorted, earning a hush from some hidden pony in the library. “And you throw like a foal.” Sombra huffed, then chuckled before turning to his book. He had missed times like this; when he and Hope could just be together without her being torn away for some medical emergency. They had been slowly drifting apart after she had gotten her cutie mark,so it was nice to have another moment with her that wouldn’t be interrupted. While he knew their stay in Equestria wouldn’t be permanent, he intended to make the most of the time he had with her before she’d be whisked off once more by her mark’s calling. But come hell or high water, he’d be sure to be with her.