//------------------------------// // Along Came Inspiration // Story: Ace's Spell Shop // by Aceofgods //------------------------------// Chapter Two: Along Came Inspiration --Written by Aceofgods, edited with the help of Shockhoof Ace felt a twinge in his horn, something like a spark of magic: the sign that a pony was entering his perimeter spell. Ace finished his coffee and set it aside, having finished his breakfast not long prior. Ace then teleported himself to the room behind the counter in his shop, his eyes taking a moment to adjust. Shapes started to take form from the darkness as he was greeted by the pale glow of his enchanted inkwells. The twinge in his horn tightening as the pony outside neared the shop. Ace liked to enter the shop at the same time as the customers, adding to the mystique of the shop. As he waited, he took stock of his wares, making a note to order another box of quills, just to be on the safe side. After a time, the twinge began nearing its apex before Ace opened the door in time with the entrance to the shop. "Welcome to the Dragon Eyes spell shop! I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before." he called to the tender brown coated Pegasus with a brown, round-brimmed hat with green fabric over the front. The hat covered her mane, which faded from dingy white to black. She wore a green vest covered in pockets. The ruby of her irises quickly met Ace’s own sapphire gaze. "I need a spell that will make me immune to magic," the mare voiced in a confident tone that matched the look in her eyes. Ace pondered for a moment, rubbing his jaw with his hoof and closing his eyes, nodding slowly. "Well I'm sorry ma'am, but we sell spells here, not manners," he concluded with a shrug. The Pegasus looked confused for a moment before she sighed and started over, trying to keep her voice from sounding annoyed at the distraction. "You're right, I'm sorry,” she said as she shook her head for a moment. “My name is Daring Do, and I'd like to purchase a spell that will make me immune to magic.” Ace nodded with a grin as he stepped forward to shake hooves with the better behaved Daring Do. "Ace Deus Fenrir, nice to meet you Miss Do." Ace shifted uncomfortably when he saw Daring’s eyes alight with intrigue at the ancient name. He cut in quickly to avoid any prying questions, "And to answer your inquiry, I'm afraid there are no spells I can sell to make a pony immune to magic. Blocking spells cast at a pony, however, is a spell I can sell, if that would suit your intention. ‘However, perhaps if a pony were to be coated in pre-magic, they could be immune to all manners of magic… Perhaps an experiment could bear the fruit of such a spell...’ Ace thought to himself… Daring shook her head almost violently. "Daring, if you please, and the spell must be able to protect me from a constant and ever present magical force,” Daring spread her hooves wide in the air, as if for emphasis. “Anything less could mean my death." Ace was taken back a bit by this, recovering with a nod, his gentle smile giving way to the look of concern that he felt as he gazed into Daring’s eyes. “Perhaps if you tell me a bit more, I could tailor something to your specific situation. As it stands however, I must say there is no spell that makes a pony immune to magic; There have been a number of attempts, but none a success.” Daring stood still for a moment, appearing to consider whether or not Ace was likely to use the information to steal the adventure and possibly valuable artifacts from her. Finally she nodded, having come to a decision. “I’m an explorer, and a client has recently provided me with a pretty big job with what is meant to be a treasure trove of artifacts. However, before I can get to anything in the depths of that trove, I need to get past a room filled with what could only be a magical gas, as well as numerous other traps, physical and magical alike.” Daring took on a triumphant pose, remembering previous exploits before continuing. “The physical traps I can handle well enough on my own, but what I need is a little protection from the magic traps. Worse than the traps though is the gas: it constantly fills the room, and from what the rumors mention is that it eats away and decays anypony who tries to enter the area. Stranger still is that I really do mean pony, as other wildlife pass by just fine; totally unaffected by the gas. I can easily extract the stuff and get paid if I don’t have to worry about the gas.” Ace wasn’t one who would have appreciated defacing ancient temples or the like, but he could tell Daring would extract whatever she found whole and undamaged, and would likely have a buyer in mind for the things she did extract. Of course, even if he asked, Daring wouldn’t likely divulge who her buyers were, but Ace could easily guess it’d be somepony interested in preserving or studying the relics. Deciding study was likely the best future for artifacts, Ace reasoned that helping Daring would do no harm, and possibly save the artifacts from the careless hooves of jewel hunters, and others raiding the area for things of immediate value. Looking thoughtful for a moment, he proceeded behind the counter, readying some parchment, his dark-gray quill and one of the enchanted inkwells. “Well, Miss Daring, I do know a few spells that might help. I could enchant that hat of yours with a barrier spell that would nullify any magic within it. Bear in mind however, that physical objects moved by things such as propulsion spells or levitation will still pass through the barrier and can easily hurt you. Also, this is a high level spell, and as per the rules of the shop, I need to receive payment in advance for spells over level 5.” he said as he motioned towards the poster on the wall to his left. Pointing out the level 7 row of the chart, the spell would cost four hundred bits. For most ponies the price would have been staggering, but Daring looked unphased. She pulled off her hat and from it pulled an object wrapped in a red silk cloth. She placed it on the counter and unwrapped it slowly, revealing a black amulet formed in the effigy of an Alicorn, small rubies serving as its eyes, and a larger one as the centerpiece on a plate where the Alicorn’s chest would have been. She set her hat back on her head and took a step back from the counter. A triumphant smile played at the edges of Daring’s lips as Ace gazed upon the unusual neckwear unbelievingly. “It’s the Amulet of the Alicorn, an ancient artifact that boosts the magical prowess of the Unicorn that wears it,” Daring said as she passed a cursory glance over the chart. “I’m told you accept trades in lieu of cash.” Ace continued to look at the familiar amulet, having thought it was lost to the ages. “Of course, but not without knowing more about the artifact. Would you mind if I cast an appraising spell before I agree to the trade?” Daring nodded in affirmation. Ace’s horn lit up, his eyes focused on the relic. Through his mind, a well-read female voice relayed the information to him. Type: Artifact. Classification: Enchanted, magical; class 4. Power: Amplifies magic in Unicorns; Amplifies flight in Pegasi. Side effects: Only the wearer can remove the artifact. The wearer descends into a primordial obedience to their emotions. The more the wearer uses the power of the amulet, the more they are overcome with: Lust for power, anger, envy and jealousy. History: The Amulet of the Alicorn was created by the apprentice of one Luna Nightblade. Seeking to grow more powerful than his mentor, the student cast an enchantment spell on his favorite necklace, once given to him by Luna Nightblade herself, and within the enchantment placed all of his magic, including the magic of emotion. Drained by magical fatigue, the student fell asleep until the following day, his magic recovered. Bearing the Amulet of the Alicorn, in addition to his already measurable power, the student sought to overthrow his mentor. After the— ‘Stop. Value?’ Estimated value: one thousand two hundred seventy three bits. Ace finally blinked, unaware that he had failed to do so in the time that had passed as he watched the images play through his mind as he listened to the appraisal spell, the sight of a pony about to challenge Luna Nightblade in a duel of spells. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he finally nodded with a soft smile. “Yes, this will make a fine trade for the spell.” Ace rubbed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “In fact, you could walk out of here with three of these spells, unless you have any other magical needs, Miss Daring?” Daring Do looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head. “I think I’ll take the three copies of the spell, if that’s what you’re offering, Ace.” Ace tensed at first as she pronounced his name with the proper ‘Ah-chay’ before shrugging off the danger and taking pleasure that somepony liked his given name. Already preparing the spells, his horn glowing as the quill dipped in the inkwell, followed by eight others, each writing on different sections of the three pieces of parchment that were considerably longer than the others, as the more complicated spell required multiple layers of magic to function. The quills easily set to work making the copies of the more complex spell as Ace pulled a light brown activator from the shelf behind him, in the shape of a fully functional compass. “In case you’ve never activated a written spell before, allow me to inform you: This is a Spell Activator. You’ll need it to trigger the spell, since you are unable to control magic yourself. Simply unfurl the scroll and press the activator, in this case the compass I’ve provided, to the words on the spell until they glow. At which point, for this spell, simply press the scroll to your hat to set it as the focus of the spell. “Also, I’ve laced the spell with a small binding spell; what that means is your hat will only come off if you take it off by hoof, which if you do so, please keep the hat in hoof. If it ceases making contact with you, you will no longer gain the effects of the spell. The spell will last for about an hour and a half, assuming you enchant the hat. “Should you choose to enchant, say, your vest, the spell would last quite a bit shorter, somewhere around thirty-five minutes instead. "One last thing, the spell has a built in warning system as well: with ten minutes remaining, the enchanted piece will begin to tighten around you, just enough to be slightly uncomfortable; at five minutes, it will begin to glow a solid color, and as time continues to run out, the glow will fade. "Should you feel the need to re-enchant the item, simply recast the spell at any point you wish. Will that be all today, Miss Daring?” Ace finished writing the spells, sliding the quills into the drawer beneath the counter, leaving the enchanted inkwell, before rolling up and tying the spells and offering them to Daring, who held out her hat in a hoof to receive the spells before putting it back on, effectively stowing them. “I believe that this concludes our transaction, have a good day, Ace,” the proper name sent delighted chills down Ace’s back. “I do believe we’ll be seeing each other again,” She said with a wink before she turned towards the door. Ace held open the door as he watched her descending the hill back to Hoofsdale, waving a hoof as he called out, “To you as well, and happy hunting!” Once Daring Do was out of sight, Ace hung a sign reading: “Away on business, write the nature of the spell you need and where you can be reached.” Ace then turned back towards the storage room, stowing the enchanted inkwell in the desk before taking the Alicorn Amulet in his magic. ’Such a fortunate find… Of course, I have no intention of using such a double edged sword, but ‘tis always nice to expand my collection.’ He stepped into the storeroom and closed the door before bathing the room in a dark-gray light as he teleported, this time to his workshop rather than the manor. The lights of the workshop kicked on as Ace appeared in the room, his vision blurry as his eyes still tried to cling to the darkness of the storeroom. To Ace’s back was a terribly long hallway, while in front of him was a solid metal door. Using his magic, Ace flipped the switch near the door to the small room, kicking on the sprayers overhead. The chemicals were designed to gently cleanse the coat while killing any infectious or malignant bacteria that could brought into the workshop. The workshop was right below the spell shop, though the only ways one could arrive there would be to dig all the way, teleport there directly, or open the thick doors that only responded to Ace’s magic. It was for the best that the workshop stayed secret, that way should something go wrong, such as a misfire during an experiment, much like the one Ace was about to exact, little damage would be done that could not easily be mended. Of course, there were any number of safety procedures, such as the doors to the lab opening automatically in the case of an uncontrolled fire. After the cleansing cycle had finished, Ace flipped the opposite switch to open the doors and proceeded out of the hallway and into the main room of the workshop: the test lab. The room was expansive, to say the least, with solid stone flooring and walls. As he entered the lab, a pair of stones marred by glowing glyphs greeted him, scanning him in a purple light. ”Welcome back, Ace Deus Fenrir, the moon lights your path. Noblesse Oblige,” the stones spoke into his mind through their magic, programmed to act as an assistant. After the greeting, they retreated through the room, dodging one of the few support columns as they went. The lightly glowing blue spheres affixed to the ceiling throughout the room lit his path in their pale glow as he proceeded to a door on the left of the large room. Making way towards his trophy room, Ace looked to the back wall and saw all of the tables and equipment neatly placed along its length, making a mental note of the location of the equipment he would soon need. Once inside, Ace admired his trophy room, which played host to a number of pedestals and displays. The most favored of these was the large display in the back, which showed off a large metal machine about the size of a pony, though it more resembled a sphere with arms and legs. The other displays held jewelry or weapons, some pulsing with a light glow in their silent prisons of glass. Ace picked up a gold-leaf plaque from the wall along with an enchanted chisel. Using the chisel, Ace marked the plaque with the date, as well as the title in large, bold script: Alicorn Amulet. Finishing the plaque, Ace prepared a marble pedestal for the amulet, with a pony’s bust to set it upon and a glass dome of a lid to set over it, enchanted with a longevity spell since its creation to keep the contents free from the erosion of age. Ace admired the amulet for the briefest of moments before proceeding back into the lab. Back in the main room, Ace quickly marched to the supplies closet and pulled out a few things and stacked them on a table - specifically one with a built in magnifying lens - he pulled from the wall. Before long, the table was covered in an assortment of books, and some writing supplies. Ace placed the table in the center of the room, securing it with his magic before he was satisfied with the arrangement. Continuing past the table, now set up proper and only furthering his lust to experiment, he proceeded to the metal door straight across from the display room. Ace smiled sadly at the sign on the door reading: “WARNING: Beyond this door lies a firing range intended for the use of magic. Enter at your own risk.” Opening the door and stepping inside the padded room, Ace locked the door and braced himself, setting up several targets at the far end of the room. Always check for misfires before conducting insane experiments, and don’t try this at home, fillies and colts. Ace’s horn lit softly in its black glow as he prepared to cast a fireball at the first target, striking it solid in the chest and setting it ablaze before countermeasures at the far end of the room put out the magic flames. Moving on to the next target, Ace hurled a series of ice shards into the chest, head and front hooves of the second target, not a single one missing the intended mark. Again, the barrier magic of the countermeasures ran over the targets at the end of the range, melting the ice as it passed. Preparing to cast another spell, Ace’s horn started glowing violently. Electricity started arcing down his horn and into his head, which made him jump just before the electricity surged and exploded with a loud flash and a bang as the electricity struck his skull, chest, neck and back all at once with enough force to slam him into the padded wall behind him. The air knocked from his lungs and his coat noticeably burnt in some places, Ace battled the swimming spots in his vision for consciousness. Moments later, the countermeasures ran over his body, dispelling the electricity that he had not noticed was still jumping across his mane and tail, then passing over again to heal the burnt patches of his coat. A few passes later, and Ace was good as new and out the door to the testing lab. Taking one of the books in his magic, he began to read the terribly old book, “What is Magic? A Beginner’s Guide to Magic and how it Works.” Despite the name, it was a rather advanced tome by the current standards, as the book was an introductory tome depicting the ‘Old Magic,’ the majority of which was violent combat spells, or powerful alteration magic. The first third of the book was about using a Unicorn’s horn, controlling magic, using magic to sense things around you, and touched lightly upon levitation. The middle section of the book (and primary reason Ace had chosen the tome), was about Pre-Magic. Pre-Magic is the magic that builds in a Unicorn’s horn as they prepare a spell. Pre-Magic has a number of uses and countless functions in the use of spell casting and spell crafting. The most notable function of Pre-Magic is that it absorbs any other form of magic that comes in contact with it, and turns it into magical fuel to power the spell it was designed for. Example: Pony A is preparing a class 3 fireball spell, when Pony B casts a class 4 ice column spell; Pony A, its horn encased in pre-magic, blocks the spell with its horn; the pre-magic absorbs the magic of the class 4 spell along with magic Pony A is putting into the horn for the class 3 spell, turning the fireball spell into a class 5 spell that fatigues Pony A as though it were a class 3. When pre-magic is created, it is created to serve a purpose. Once the pre-magic has the means to fulfill that purpose, it does so. Should the pre-magic gain more magical fuel than what is required for its purpose, the pre-magic will unload any excess magic into its purpose. When it comes to combat spells, this is a boon, but when it comes to alteration magic, this can be catastrophic. Example: Pony A casts a spell to turn a tree into a bed, the pre-magic coating its horn; Pony B casts a class 4 fireball spell at Pony A; Pony A guards itself by absorbing the spell; Now overloaded by magical energy, the spell Pony A prepared casts, but now the bed is comically three times larger than what was intended. . . . Ace read the entirety of the book, having brought the coffee maker out of the storage room, yet the book did not answer the pivotal questions that his whole experiment hinged upon. What happens if the pre-magic is removed from the horn, and placed on something else, such as a pony? What if pre-magic is created with the purpose being to simply exist, or simply not having a purpose? What happens to excess magic that cannot be discharged when the pre-magic has no purpose? What happens when pre-magic comes in contact with something that is innately magical, such as something enchanted? What happens when a pony covered in pre-magic casts a spell? Is there a way to remove pre-magic from a pony? Is there a way to move pre-magic at all? There were many questions and few answers on the ancient subject. Ace reviewed all the books he had found that so much as mentioned pre-magic, but they offered precious little information. Books of old spoke of pre-magic as though it was as common as a levitation spell and everypony would know about it through its use. Newer tomes rarely made mention of it, and those that did said little more than a single line, granting the subject an air of taboo and mystery. Growing frustrated with the research stage of his experiment, Ace decided to write a hypothesis for the results of the experiment. An hour passed, his hypothesis now completed, Ace was ready to prepare the experiment. Setting his notes on a second table with the books, Ace enchanted the magnifying glass with an amplification spell that could easily be adjusted on the fly as the experiment progressed. After the magnifying glass was satisfactory, he set the A.C.S. (Anti-magic Countermeasure System) on testing mode. The preparations almost complete, Ace set a few instruments on the table that would help should something go wrong as well as calibrating the instruments built into the table. The safety instruments included various spherical enchanted gems that Ace could swap for the sapphire that presently rested in his necklace - the sapphire enchanted to strengthen his magical strength and stamina - and a knife that was enchanted with the purpose of carving magical runes or glyphs that would ward against magic. In addition to the gems, there was the first, most helpful book he had read on pre-magic, and two first-aid kits, one regular, and one magic in nature. Preparations finished, Ace braced himself for the experiment. Don’t try this at home, fillies and colts.