//------------------------------// // Perfection // Story: Ace's Spell Shop // by Aceofgods //------------------------------// Chapter Fourteen: Perfection Twilight spent just over an hour teleporting around the hill, the occasional passerby stopping to watch for a moment before taking their leave, resuming whatever business brought them to pass the hillside. Twilight was beginning to tire, having been able to efficiently cast the teleport spell twice in a row a number of times, but the third time using either too much or too little. Whenever she used too little, the spell would either fizzle, or take her to a location near her target, which Ace had informed her, “Would be quite dangerous for longer-ranged teleportation. An imperfect cast could place you within a solid object, which will either cancel the spell as your body is flung at the solid mass at faster than light speeds, or transplant you inside the object, which is even worse.” Feeling that she was beginning to wear herself out, Ace came closer and watched her put too much magic into another teleportation with a short growl of frustration. “Think of the objective, not the difficulty. Is there not a simpler way to complete this test, Twilight? Surely there must be some way to do something with the excess power…” Twilight thought for a moment before her eyes went wide and she planted her hoof against her face before charging her horn for one last try at the challenge. She knew she was using too much power, but when she appeared at her target location, she kept the excess magic in her horn before the spell had ended. Ace smiled with a nod as he watched her teleport again and again in a line. Once she had finished, she lit up her horn to ignite her magic senses to check if she had left any spell residue behind. The hillside lit up in the purple glow of Twilight’s magic behind her eyelids, and small forms of mist formed in a number of spots around the hillside, but not where she had just teleported. Twilight’s smile widened as Ace’s magical form appeared before her, applauding. “You have done well, my student, though I did expect you would figure it out sooner. Worry not, it is still a skill most Unicorns never learn in all their lives.” Twilight was at first embarrassed she hadn’t thought of the simple trick sooner, but looking at the big picture did make her feel better. “For the last segment of this lesson, please gather the excess magic and we shall make our way home.” Twilight kept her magical senses open, not sure how she was meant to gather the energy. Figuring it was likely the same as controlling her own energy, she used levitation magic to gather one of the mists and pull it to herself. Once it was close enough, she studied it for a moment before attempting to use the levitation magic to pull it into herself, which seemed to be the simplest method. Twilight pulled all of the nearby masses into herself at once, but winced at the feeling. Ace nodded as he watched. “Yes, trying to pull too much in at once will provide an unpleasant feeling of your magic being pulled out, rather than in. The spell residue is attempting to take your magic from you to give itself greater form. Normally, it wouldn’t have the strength to, but in large quantities, especially connected to you through your manipulation of it, it will certainly try to. It would be best to keep the spell residue separate as you pull it in.” Twilight nodded, barely needing to take mental note of the feeling to remember the lesson. Taking it much more slowly now, she pulled the spell residue to herself a portion at a time, feeling her magic recover as she did so. “If I were to pull in enough residual energy, would I be able to cast a stronger spell I couldn’t normally cast, using the excess energy?” Ace nodded as he watched her work. “Technically, yes. You can use the spare energy to cast a stronger spell, but doing so will put a great strain on your magic, and perhaps even your body depending on the spell and its level. I certainly wouldn’t make a habit of it, but it could do in a pinch.” Once Twilight had absorbed all of the excess energy from the hillside, her and Ace proceeded through the marketplace on their way back home. “I’m not sure what they teach at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but I won’t be teaching you many spells; not directly, at any rate. "No, my lessons will be centered on applications of magic, practice of magic, strengthening and supplementing your magical abilities, and any recreational magic activities you’re interested in. My primary hobby for magic is enchanting, and I’d be happy to teach it to you as well, but there are any number of hobbies you may prefer.” Ace and Twilight walked past Deft Hoof and his puppet stall as he was enjoying a sandwich as though it were crafted of the finest produce in all of Equestria. Noticing the pair, he started to panic, but Ace just waved with a smile as he continued through the bazaar. Deft Hoof looked as though he had almost had a heart attack as he waved back nervously with a smile of his own. Twilight shifted the saddlebags on her back as she began to wonder why Ace was carrying the spell scrolls with him. “Ace, how come you don’t deliver those spells? Surely the ponies who ordered them would be glad to receive them.” Ace looked over his shoulder at the spells as though he had forgotten about them altogether. “I haven’t finished making all of them yet. It wouldn’t be fair to deliver somepony’s spells before another’s, so I’m making all of them before I sell them. Most of them are pretty simple spells, but I can’t leave spells in the shop unattended. Believe it or not, Princess Celestia herself has forbade me from leaving the shop while there are spells inside.” Twilight could understand there being a rule or a law against leaving the spells alone someplace, but for Princess Celestia to personally enforce the law; “Did something happen that made the Princess upset?” Ace laughed a bit to himself before he spoke. “Well you see, Princess Luna and Celestia were doing me a favor by requesting a pair of spells. Princess Luna requested a spell that would revert her to a normal pony’s size and hide her wings so that she could mingle with her subjects for the evening. Celestia, on the other hoof, wanted a pyrotechnics spell to set off fireworks for a Summer Sun Celebration festival. I crafted the spells and left them on the counter for the sisters to pick up at their leisure as I stepped out to make more of the enchanted ink. “I told Celestia and Princess Luna to take the spells when they stopped by, and they did. However, they mixed up the spells.” Ace was laughing too hard to speak for a moment before he continued. “Celestia received Princess Luna’s spell and vice-versa. As Celestia was preparing to give her speech, she cast the spell and turned into a normal Unicorn pony as Princess Luna ran into the crowd with her mane ablaze and fireworks flying out of it.” Twilight had to literally stop in the road for moment as the scene played through in her mind, unable to keep herself from laughing at the mental images. “They were both okay though, right? I mean you wouldn’t laugh if they had been hurt…” Ace’s features quickly recovered from laughing to serious with a twinge of hurt. “Of course, they were both quite fine, though Princess Luna was quite shaken. Being Immortal Alicorns, Luna’s resistance to the spell kept it from hurting her, and most ponies gave her a wide path to run through as she fled through the crowd. "Celestia was most unhappy, though, and passed the law over my shop as I removed the spell and created a new pair, properly labeling it with their emblems on the outside. Best. Summer Sun Celebration. Ever,” Ace finished with another bout of laughter. As Twilight and Ace neared the library, Ace stopped with a look as he motioned for Twilight to stop as well. And then his smile came back bigger than ever as he motioned for her to follow him as he went around the back of the tree-home and motioned to the second story window. Ace used his magic to silently form a staircase up to the window, ascending the steps and motioning to her from the window before placing a hoof over his muzzle, begging for stealth. Twilight did as she was told before Ace took back the magic forming the staircase and looking over the banister to the ground floor, which housed a number of ponies who were watching the door expectantly. Ace drew Twilight’s attention away from the large number of ponies and put his front hooves into the air, mouthing the word ‘Surprise!’ Twilight nodded that she understood, a smile spreading on her muzzle as she understood what was going on. Twilight and Ace counted to three to themselves before flashing their horns over the group of ponies and yelling “Surprise!” in unison as they let streamers of their magic fall over the group as they turned swiftly around at the pair, many of them laughing, others mimicking the gesture, but certainly everypony was surprised. Except for Pinkie Pie, who leapt from behind Ace’s bed to tackle into him as he was distracted. ‘DOUBLE Surprise!’ she shouted with a laugh as Ace was knocked over to the floor, laughing all the louder. Twilight helped the two of them up as she began laughing as well. “Pinkie, what’s going on here?” Ace and Twilight both looked at her as though she had asked why Pegasi had wings, each of them raising an eyebrow in unison while Ace’s horn lit up to use the mimicry spell from before. “It’s a Perfectly Planned Pinkie Pie Pinkie Power Party! P7 for short,” they both spoke in Pinkie Pie’s voice. The mimicry spell ending, Ace turned to Pinkie as he pondered something. “Pinkie, I’m surprised you didn’t host the party in the ballroom of my home. You’re always welcome there, you know.” Pinkie’s face froze for a moment as she looked as though she was about to implode. After a few moments, she finally spoke. “Darn it! I hadn’t thought of that! I guess that makes this a Semi-Perfectly Planned Pinkie Pie Pinkie Party. Can I throw you a party there next time?” Pinkie started to bounce around the pair, likely planning another party already. Ace laughed as he nodded, but still left Twilight with more and more questions. “You have a ballroom in your house? And how is Pinkie supposed to get all the way to Hoofsdale to play host to a party? Wouldn’t the other ponies need to get there as well?” The noise of the party below was starting to get a little louder as Ace whispered to Pinkie, ‘Did you bring that drink I like?’ as she bounced by. Pinkie nodded before answering Twilight as Ace raced down the steps to the concession table. “Acey has a really huge mansion! It’s soooooo big I could throw five whole parties in there at once! After Acey and I started writing letters to each other, one of the letters never made it and he got upset, so he set up a two-way teleporty thingy in my room! The other ponies can just teleport with me, silly!” Pinkie started to bounce down the stairs after Ace. Twilight still had too many questions, but didn’t want to miss the party, so she went down the stairs as well. At the bottom of the stairs, she could see Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy together talking to each other as Rarity was talking to Ace next to the drinks. Wondering what they could be talking about, she decided to visit them first as Pinkie tended to the party and thanked everypony for coming. “…nopony has said a thing; even I have a hard time telling the difference myself,” Ace said before taking a large drink of whatever concoction Pinkie Pie had prepared for her friend. “Ah, Twilight, perhaps you could contribute to the topic at hoof. Rarity believes that I shouldn’t pay her for the fine work she has done for me. What do you think on the matter?” Twilight looked hesitantly between the two as Rarity spoke her side of the argument, “I could never dream of charging a friend for so simple a task! Oh, do tell him, Twilight, that there is no need to exchange bits between friends!” Ace was nearly shocked when he heard Rarity call him her friend. Twilight could understand what was going on, now. “Ace, Rarity is your friend, and we don’t charge our friends for something as simple as a few minutes of our work. You really should-“ Ace was preparing to pour another drink without looking as she spoke when she saw him pick up the bottle of hot sauce that Twilight had drank at her first Pinkie Pie party; “wait, don’t drink that!” Ace cocked an eyebrow at her as he took a deep drink of the spicy concoction and Twilight cringed as she recalled when she had done the same the first day she came to Ponyville. Ace, however, just set the half-full glass aside and continued to look at her as though she had lost her mind. Twilight and Rarity both stared in awe at him, finally taking a closer look at the bottle and then looking back at the two. “I don’t understand. If you want some, I’ll be happy to pour you both a glass, there’s plenty to go around.” Ace motioned to the table, and Twilight realized there were at least five bottles of the liquid flame that was Pinkie’s special mixture. Twilight and Rarity just looked at Ace as though he had just announced that he enjoyed the taste of meat. “How… how can you drink that stuff? It’s like fire melted down and put inside a bottle.” Ace nodded as he took another drink from the glass. “I know! Fantastic, isn’t it? Pinkie told me she’d show me how to make it someday. It goes great with nearly everything too. I used to cook with it, but I could never get Pinkie to make me enough of it, so I started saving them for special occasions. Pinkie says she started to bring to her parties ever since I drank some at one, but I rarely can make it to her parties.” Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts and return to the previous conversation. “Well, I’m glad somepony likes that stuff… Anyways, Rarity is our friend, and she doesn’t want to charge her friends for a simple order that only took a few minutes. If she says she doesn’t want to take your bits, then you should listen to her wishes.” Ace looked shocked again, staring in silence for a moment. “We’re… Friends?” Twilight and Rarity exchanged a look for a moment, nearly stifling a laugh as they looked back at him. Rarity was the one to speak what they were both thinking. “But of course we are, darling! Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine, and I think I can say the same for the others, too! In fact, everypony here is a friend to you, whether you believe it or not.” His mouth agape, Ace looked around the room for a moment, realizing that aside from Twilight and her five friends, there were any number of ponies that Ace had sold spells to or given them away to during the local festivals he attended. Even Ditzy Doo was there. Ace’s face lit up a bit as he started to recognize each of the ponies and the spells he had crafted for them. Two of the ponies saw him looking at them and waved politely from across the room, making Ace smile and wave back awkwardly before the two went back to their conversation. Twilight smiled as Ace’s features brightened the more he looked around the room. Having seen Ace looking around, Pinkie and Applejack came over, followed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “Howdy, Ace. Enjoyin’ the party? You look like a hen that found her way into the wrong henhouse.” Ace watched the group come by as Applejack spoke. Ace nodded, placing a hoof behind his head as he smiled a goofy smile again, “Yeah, that’s about how I feel, too. I barely know all of you, and being called your friend caught me off-guard, is all. N-not that it’s bad, or anything; just, uh, unexpected.” Twilight laughed, having never seen Ace seem unsure about anything. She took a mental note of the situation as Ace’s cheeks started to flush a bit. “Well it’s not like you’re going anywhere any time soon,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered by the group. “Besides, you can’t leave without watching all of my amazing tricks!” Applejack pulled the flying mare to the ground, earning her a look as she told Dash to keep her hooves down indoors before she spoke. “Granny wanted me ta’ invite ya over for dinner some night soon, too. She was awful glad to see ya up ‘til you and Twilight ran off in a hurry.” Rarity was next to chime in as she looked Ace over again. “And you simply must tell me all about the latest fashions in Hoofsdale! After I return what you left in my home, perhaps you could even model for me! Oh, it would be so much fun making a nice suit for such a statuesque pony.” Fluttershy, hiding behind Rarity as she watched over as much of the party as she could see from her vantage point, spoke in a whisper. “After you’re finished helping everypony else, I would like to hear more about the rare animals you’ve seen. I-if you’re not too busy, I mean.” Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly as she finally got her turn. “Oh! Oh! Now that you’re in town, you can come to all of my amazing parties! Can you still do those one-pony plays? Those were always soooo cool!” Twilight smiled as Ace looked as though her were about to explode from all of the positive attention. “We’re all your friends Ace, and we’d really like for you to stay here in Ponyville with us.” Ace looked around at the group, his goofy smile returning as everypony else smiled at him as well. The party lasted for a few hours, Ace taking the chance better acquaint himself with the ponies who had come just to wish him well and celebrate his visiting their town. After a while, the party started to die down, and Ace made sure to bid farewell to everypony he had seen at the party. Ace and Twilight used their magic to clean up after the party as they waved goodbye to Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack. Spike took the accumulated trash outside to incinerate it with his dragon fire as the sun was beginning to set. Twilight set her plot down and closed her eyes with a soft sigh from all of the day’s excitement. However, before she could touch the floor, she could feel Ace’s magic wash over her as there was a flash of magic. Opening her eyes to glare at him and whatever prank or joke he was about to pull, she saw the sunset from the top of her house upon the terrace where she had found Ace the night before. Twilight’s cheeks started to tint as Ace sat beside her admiring the view. “Perhaps we should have our lessons up here. It’s truly peaceful, and you don’t seem to use it for much, aside from whatever that telescope is used for. It truly is a nice view from here.” Ace turned his head to look at Twilight when next he spoke, as Celestia’s golden sun was fading behind the mountains, his glasses tinted a much darker shade after starting at the bright light. “Do you know what my favorite part of the sunset is, Twilight?” Twilight could only manage to shake her head as Ace turned the opposite direction of the sunset as he removed his glasses with his hooves and set them aside. “The moonrise. Many ponies view the sunset as a sad occasion; the last of the sun’s bright life fading to darkness as it slips behind the cover of night, assassinated by the moon as it ascends the throne of the sky. "However, the moon does not wish to see the sun run from it so. The moon wishes to be friends with the sun, but the sun does not trust the moon, and leaves the moon only the darkness to keep it company. But the moon isn’t sad about its fate; in fact, it embraces it. Do you know why?” Twilight turned around to watch the moonrise as well as the silver of the waning moon began to crest the peak of the distant horizon. Unsure of the answer, Twilight shook her head again. Ace’s horn lit up in its black glow, and soon after a sphere, like a barrier, expanded all around the pair and spread far into the sky as it blacked out all the light from everywhere but the sky. “Because the moon has made friends with the stars.” Twilight’s mouth hung open in awe as she saw the nighttime sky, really saw it, for the first time. All around the pair it was pitch black as though there were no more light in all of Equestria, save for the brilliant light of the moon and the countless stars in the sky. “Each of the stars has accepted the moon, and they welcome it. The stars, blinded by the radiance and snuffed out in the presence of the sun, thrive and are cheerful in the presence of the moon. The moon is a softer light, a light that is rarely appreciated by the ponies of Equestria. “The moon wishes only to be loved, only to have friends, and yet the ponies of Equestria turn their heads and close their eyes as they await the harsh, golden rays of Celestia’s sun. Shunned by the ponies of the world, the moon has turned its embrace to the stars above. Still, the moon is kind, and does not wish to leave the ponies with no light at all during the night. "The moon, not wanting to disappoint neither the stars nor the ponies, turns its light repeatedly so that all may bask in its glorious glow.” Ace turned to look Twilight in the eyes with a soft, sincere smile. “‘Twas the night when the moon smiles upon the ponies that I met you, Twilight, as my fortune is always greatest when the moon smiles upon Equestria.” Twilight didn’t think her cheeks could get any pinker if she had changed the color of her coat to match Pinkie’s. Knowing that Twilight was getting uncomfortable, Ace simply turned back to the moon and watched it silently climb its way into the sky. For the longest time, Twilight truly didn’t know what to say, so she just sat and watched the moon as well, simply enjoying being next to him. Wanting to say something, wanting to fill the silence and be heard, Twilight spoke what was on her mind. “I really do envy you, you know…” Ace watched the moon for a moment more before turning his gaze to Twilight. Thinking he would say something, Twilight had waited until he cocked his head to one side, waiting for her to continue. “You have so much magic power that you have to vent it out, you have more money than I’ll likely ever see in my lifetime, and you speak of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as though you know them… You even make a business selling spells, and you have many talents and skills…” Ace shook his head as he looked at her, his one deep sapphire eye and his red Al-Bhed eye strangely comforting as she looked into them. “Twilight, these are all things that I worked for, things that anypony can have given time and effort. Twilight, you could easily have all these things and more, if you set your mind to it. Since we’re on the topic, you have something that I envy as well; your friends. “I think that somewhere along the way, I must have lost my trust for most ponies. Countless times I had thought that I could trust somepony, and they misused my trust in the hopes of taking things from me. Money, my home, my spells and my magic, the artifacts I have accumulated in my travels… "Whenever a pony started to get close enough to me that these things were within their reach, they would toss me aside and try to take what wasn’t theirs, and so many times I stopped them that I just stopped trying to trust anypony. I guess I never even realized it happened until all of you opened my eyes.” He laughed softly as he spoke, “It would appear my debt to you is only increasing the longer I stay around you, Twilight.” Twilight laid a hoof on his shoulder as she whispered softly with a shake of her head. “Friends don’t have debts, remember?” Ace blushed slightly, his cheeks starting to match her own as he nodded. “I hope you’re not staying here just because you feel that you owe me anything…” Ace shook his head with a sincere smile before he leaned closer to Twilight, his muzzle just below her ear now as he speak in the slightest of whispers. “No, I stay here because I like you, Twilight.” Twilight’s blush spread all the way across her face now as Ace took her into a tender hug. “And because it makes me happy to be by your side.” Twilight returned the gesture, delighting in the feeling of it despite the warmth gathering in her face. A few moments passed before Ace pulled away, a sharp blush covering his features as well. Again putting the hoof behind his head that Twilight now knew was a tell that he was nervous or unsure of himself, he spoke softly, though uncertainly. “You, uh, should probably write that letter to Celestia. She’ll be worried if it’s too late.” Twilight’s blush faded as she realized just how late it was and that she hadn’t even begun writing her letter yet. She swiftly teleported downstairs to get started on the pre-rough draft immediately. Meanwhile, Ace sat and watched the stars for a while longer by himself. '’Because I like you.’ All this time apart, and that’s the best I could come up with?' Ace sighed before turning his gaze to the moon with reverence combined with a glare. “I do hope that your sister does not know a spell to divine the origin of a soul, for if I find out she does, then there will be a price to pay.” As if in response, a star shot across the sky before blinking out. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” Meanwhile, Twilight was working on her letter to Celestia, allowing her number one assistant Spike to take the letter as she dictated for him. “Dear Princess Celestia, This week, I met a very unique Unicorn who has taught me a number of things in so short a time. He goes by the name of Ace, and he has decided to help me with my studies for a time while he is in Ponyville. "From him, I have learned that no matter how much you want to know more about somepony, even one of your friends, you shouldn't try and force them to tell you about themselves just because it would make you feel better. Some ponies don't want to talk about their past, or even about themselves at all. I learned that these ponies will talk to you when they feel comfortable, and that trying to make them talk isn't very nice. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike repeated the last few words before finishing the letter and rolling it up and torching it in a special variation of his dragon fire that would send the letter directly to Celestia herself. Spike and Twilight were preparing to go to bed when Spike’s stomach rumbled before he belched up a similar dragon fire to the last, this time receiving a letter from the princess than sending one. Twilight hastily retrieved the note in her magic and unfurled it so that she could read it to her assistant. “Dearest Twilight, It would be my greatest pleasure to meet this new friend of yours. Should you be able, I would like for you and Ace to come by train to Canterlot Castle at your earliest convenience. Signed, Princess Celestia.” As Twilight finished reading the letter, Spike belched up a pair of train tickets for Canterlot, which Twilight took in addition to the parchment and laid the items on her desk to be dealt with tomorrow. Twilight teleported herself to the terrace to ask Ace if he would like to leave for Canterlot in the morning, but the terrace was empty. Twilight teleported to the second floor, as was greeted by Ace lying in his bed, already asleep after watching the stars. Figuring that it would be a good surprise in the morning, she and Spike went to bed as the dragon came up the stairs with a yawn.