//------------------------------//
// To Canterlot 
// Story: Shadow of the Sun 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 1: To Canterlot

Arkenstone felt his hoof come down on something that broke beneath it with a dry snap.  It might have felt like a twig, except it was too thin and broad.  Another step brought another round of snapping noises.  The stallion frowned.  This is not what he'd expected to find.  He'd come expecting an army's assembling grounds.  What he'd found was little more than a graveyard.
Days of following the trail had led him deep into the badlands.  It hadn't been easy.  The changelings' departure from Canterlot had been through the skies, leaving no trail for Arkenstone, bound to the ground as he was, to follow.  Instead, he had been forced to search for the much older trail, the one the changelings had taken into Equestria the first place.  Only after spending much time searching along the southern border had he found it.
The badlands certainly lived up to their name.  The air was dry and choked with dust that the howling winds swirled around in unpredictable patterns.  The sun, when it wasn't obscured by the airborne debris, beat down on the ground mercilessly.  Said ground was as desiccated as the air above it, giving way a little before his hoof with each step, making forward progress long and hard.  Even with his extensive training and constant wandering, Arkenstone found his legs burning with the exertion before long.  When night came, it was cold and bleak, with a chill that seeped in even through his trusted traveling cloak.
And still, Arkenstone pressed on.  His mission required that he follow the trail to its conclusion, or rather its origin.
Then the sand had given way to much more solid ground.  The rock felt coarse and porous, possibly igneous in nature.  The scent of the changelings grew stronger with each passing mile.
Finally, Arkenstone found himself standing at the mouth of a vast cavern.  The scent of changelings was almost overpowering to his nose now.  He could tell that they'd made their home in the cooler depths of the cave network.  His ears picked up the faint buzz echoing out from the depths.  It was strange.  He'd expected the sounds of the assembled hive to be much more plentiful and ominous.  Instead they sounded faint and weak.
Frowning, the stallion pressed onward into the depths.



"I've decided," said Twilight, "I'm going to Canterlot."
"That was rather quick," noted Arkenstone, who had joined her for breakfast, in spite of having already moved out of the library, "I know I told you to think it over after Pinkie's party, but I didn't mean that you had to decide right after her party."
It was indeed the morning after Pinkie's grand town-wide party to celebrate the end to the drought that had been plaguing Ponyville for the past several months.  Now that things had settled in Cloudsdale, the weather schedule was back on track.  In fact, the first rainclouds from the Weather Factory would be arriving later that day, with the first storms scheduled to begin that afternoon.
"I thought about it," said Twilight, "But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that putting it off would just make it harder for me to come to a decision.  And whatever other problems I may have, Luna is still our best lead for learning about the Eyes of Nightmare.  I owe it to Dawn to do what I can to learn the truth about his condition and discredit the Cult Solar if they're as active as I think they are.  Spitfire's right about that much."
This brought an irate sigh from the stallion.  "So Spitfire put you up to this..."
Twilight cocked an eyebrow at him, confused, "That's right.  Why does that matter...wait!"  She smacked a hoof against her forehead.  "She's one of you isn't she."
"One of what?" asked Spike, coming through the kitchen door after he finished washing the dishes.
"One of the Knights," replied Twilight, "It all makes sense now.  That's why Spitfire was so insightful when we were talking at the spa."
Arkenstone nodded, smirking.  "She told me that she was interested in Dawn as a potential successor to her position."
"What about the Wonderbolts?" asked Twilight, "Does that mean she wants Dawn to take over as Captain someday."
"Unlikely," replied Arkenstone, "The Wonderbolts have always been and probably always will be Spitfire's.  Most likely a successor to that position will be chosen from within their own ranks when she decides to retire.  As to what will happen to them after that, well..."  Arkenstone shrugged, "It's mostly up to her."
"Does Rainbow know?" wondered Twilight, "About Spitfire being a Knight?"
"I doubt it.  Spitfire likes to keep that little tidbit of information away from potential members to keep it from influencing their actions."
Twilight frowned.  "So she probably wants me to not tell Rainbow about it then."
Again, Arkenstone merely shrugged.  "I can't speak for her.  It's not as though she has given you any specific instructions."
That brought a sigh out of Twilight.  "I can figure this out later," she said, "But right now, I need to pack for Canterlot."
"So what's the plan?" asked Spike.
"I need you to look after the library while I'm away," said Twilight, "Arkenstone's coming with me to Canterlot, so you'll probably need to look after his teahouse too."
"That won't be necessary," interjected the stallion, "I haven't officially opened yet, so there's no need to worry about the clientele.  I'll just make sure that everything is locked up securely.  The stasis spells you put on my stock should hold for another month, so we don't have to worry about anything going bad."
"We'll stay with my parents," continued Twilight, opening her saddlebags and levitating a few necessities inside, "Staying in my room at the Palace will draw too much attention."
"It's just as well," commented Arkenstone, "The nobles will most likely notice your arrival the moment you get off the train, but their influence is concentrated in the Palace, where most of their affairs are conducted."
"Well let's head out," said Twilight, settling her saddlebags across her back, "The train leaves in half an hour."



Rainbow Dash frowned as she flew towards the quarry.  On this, the second day of her month-long vacation, she had been looking forward to an extended nap under the open sky, cuddled up against her new coltfriend.  She'd quickly learned to appreciate the Mayor's decision to give her some time off.  Raindrops was already showing that she had what it took to keep the Weather Team in line and hadn't yet stopped to ask for Rainbow's help with any problems.  The storm scheduled for later that afternoon would be the ultimate test of Raindrops' aptitude as Rainbow's replacement weather manager.
However, Rainbow and Soarin' had just snuggled up together when she caught the crack of thunder in the distance.  While her initial plan had been to just leave things for Raindrops to sort out, the sound of multiple thunderclaps quickly forced her to change her mind.  Rainbow had to admit that part of her concern came from the nagging feeling of disquiet caused by the knowledge that there were still a round dozen artilleryheads out there, somewhere, possibly still under the control of Meadowlark's tribalist goons, even though Meadowlark herself was now enjoying her stay in Cloudsdale's prison.
So now, she and Soarin' swooped low over the quarry grounds, their ears directing them towards the sound of thunder.  As they approached, their eyes also picked up the flashes of lightning, along with something strange.  The flashes were coming from the ground and there were no clouds in the sky.
Rainbow was about to swoop in and investigate more closely when she heard her name shouted up from below.  Looking down, her eyes picked up the flash of orange and fuchsia of her small friend and semi-little-sister.
"Scootaloo," she shouted as she descended, Soarin' following along in her wake, "What are you doing here?"
"Practicing," said the filly simply, gesturing to the area around her.  Looking around, Rainbow saw several grooves worn in the earth, dust swept into odd patterns.  The area around Scootaloo was devoid of the loose rocks and even small boulders that normally littered the quarry grounds.  Rainbow realized that powerful winds had swept them aside.
"Dawn was teaching me some wing techniques earlier and having me go over them one by one.  After that, he told me to go through the First Form while using my magic."  Scootaloo rotated her wings in their sockets with a groan.  "This is tough.  But after coaching me the first couple of times, he told me to just keep at it for a long as I could and then went off to do his own thing."
"Where?" asked Rainbow.  Wordlessly, Scootaloo pointed to the area close by, hidden by a ridge of rock, where crackling lightning bolts continued to issue into the sky.
"He told me to be very careful if I need to talk to him about something," said Scootaloo, frowning at the display, "He said to not get closer than the top of that ridge and wait until he's between forms and then to shout as loud as I can before trying to get in closer."
"Why?" asked Soarin'.
"Dawn said he just figured out how to use lightning," replied Scootaloo, "But he said he isn't very good at it yet, so he isn't sure that he can practice around me without zapping me accidentally."
Soarin' turned to regard the ridge as another barrage of bolts ripped through the space beyond it.  "That sounds pretty wise.  He needs to practice, but he doesn't want anypony to get hurt.  That must be why he's practicing out here."
The three of them fluttered up to the top of the ridge, where they looked down to see Dawn as he moved his wings in striking motions, often lashing out with the outermost primary of a wing and sending a bolt of lightning ripping through the air to strike a distant point with an eruption of sparks.  Arcs of electricity rippled across his wings and back, eddying almost like water in sequence with his graceful motions.  However, it was obvious that the colt was not fully in control of it yet.  Smaller bolts occasionally arced out in random directions completely unrelated to the one in which Dawn had been moving.  At one point, a single covert broke off, ignited and vanished into ash.
Both Soarin' and Rainbow stared, awestruck at the sight of a pegasus doing something that their whole race had once aspired to, but had ultimately deemed as impossible.  However, the one most surprised was Scootaloo, as she gaped unashamedly at the spectacle before them.
"No way!" she exclaimed, "That's...!"
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," said Rainbow.
"No!  That's not it!" protested the filly, causing the two adult pegasi to turn to her in confusion, "The way he's moving...That's the First Form!"
"What do you mean?" asked Soarin' as he turned to look back at Dawn's practice.
"That's the really basic form I was working on when you showed up," explained Scootaloo, "Dawn said it's the most basic set of techniques in the Gale King.  But he's using it to practice lightning?"
Soarin' tapped his chin thoughtfully as he watched Dawn finish his set, the colt settling back into his starting position and letting out a long breath as his wings relaxed.  "Why don't we ask him about it.  Hey Dawn!"
Dawn's eyes drifted up to Soarin'.  At the sight of his observers, Dawn closed his wings and relaxed his body entirely before nodding at them, signaling that it was safe to approach.  The other three pegasi spread their wings and drifted down to land in front of the ebony colt.
"What was that all about?" asked Scootaloo, "Why would you use the First Form to practice lightning?"
To her surprise, Dawn smiled.  "Because the first form is not merely the most basic form, it is also the basis for the techniques of the Gale King as a whole.  In the end, the different ways we use magic only require minor differences in technique.  For example..."  Dawn went back into his starting position before going into the first form again.  While the sequence of motions were the same, there were subtle differences in how Dawn moved his wings.  Where before, they had been straight-on strikes meant to move a mass of air and send it hammering towards its target, they wings instead moved in sharp, slashing motions, the feathers moving like the edge of a blade.  Scootaloo realized that this was the technique that Dawn used to create the blades of wind that were his deadliest weapons.
"Do you see now?" asked the colt as he finished, "While the way the wings are held and used is subtly different, at the most basic level, the techniques are the same.  This is the Gale King's greatest attribute."
"Greatest attribute?" asked Soarin'.
Dawn nodded.  "What truly makes it stand out beyond the level destructive force it is capable of marshaling is the fact that, beyond a certain extent, the student does not require the Master's guidance to continue to progress.  Once the five forms have been learned, continual practice leads to refinement, which gives birth to new techniques.  That was how I was able to progress as far as I have even though my Master passed away over a year ago."
"You mean all of that was self-taught?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking at the charred ground around them.
"Somewhat," replied Dawn, "I must admit that I was not able to grasp the secrets of lightning without some outside assistance.  But otherwise, much of what I have done, I did on my own."  He glanced at Soarin' and Rainbow.  "Was there anything else?"
Rainbow grinned sheepishly.  "Um...no," she admitted, scratching the back of her head, "We came to check out what was going on because we could hear the racket you were making all the way back in Ponyville."
"I see..." said Dawn, his tone pensive, "I am sorry to have disturbed you.  I will see about finding someplace more...isolated to continue practicing."
"You don't have to," protested Rainbow, "I mean, we could hear it, but it still sounded pretty far away.  And we were up in the air, where there's nothing to block the sound.  I don't think anyone else in town noticed at all."
"If you say so," said Dawn, "I'm ashamed I didn't think of this earlier, but you may want to warn your friends on the weather team.  I wouldn't want to hurt somepony accidentally if they were just coming to investigate."
"Will do!" agreed Rainbow, grinning.
"Back to our nap Dashie?" asked Soarin', giving her a coy grin.
"Not yet," she said, before turning to Scootaloo, "Hey squirt, you mind if I watch you go through your form?"
Scootaloo's eyes went wide before she turned to look at Dawn, who nodded slightly.  "You really want to watch me?" she asked.
"Sure thing squirt.  It sounds like you've been working really hard on this.  Are you okay with me watching?"
Scootaloo nodded so eagerly that her head became an orange and purple blur.  "You bet!"
Dawn stepped back and allowed Scootaloo to take up her stance where he had been.  Then he motioned Rainbow and Soarin' to move back up to the top of the ridge.  There they waited as Scootaloo took a deep breath to settle her nerves.  Then, she began to work her way through the techniques of the form.
Rainbow watched the filly's moves intently.  It was clear that Scootaloo had been practicing hard.  her movements were crisp and sharp, her wings moving with the same assuredness that Rainbow felt herself whenever she went through a stunt that she'd practiced over and over again until she was absolutely certain she had gotten it just right.  As somepony who put a great deal into her own training, Rainbow could appreciate just how much Scootaloo was showing the fruits of hers.
And yet, something seemed off.  While Scootaloo's movements were sharp and well-executed.  They seemed somewhat...mechanical, as she went through them one at a time.  It was a far cry from the more natural flow of Dawn's movements on the few occasions Rainbow had been able to see the colt go through his forms.
Once Scootaloo finished and the winds she'd stirred up began to die down, Dawn motioned for Rainbow and Soarin' to wait before fluttering down to land in front of her.  Scootaloo looked up into his eyes, her expression nervous and uncertain.
She was caught completely off-guard when Dawn stepped in and extended a wing to wrap around the back of her head, pulling towards his own.  Slowly, Dawn brought their heads together until the two of them rested forehead to forehead.  The position made Scootaloo's cheeks explode in a vibrant scarlet color.
"I want you to try something," said Dawn, his voice so soft that she could barely hear it, "Before you start again, I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind.  Remember the thoughtless state I taught you."
"Yeah."  Scootaloo nodded as well as she could with her forehead pressed up against Dawn.
"Do not think about me being here.  Don't think about Rainbow Dash or Soarin'.  Close your eyes and wipe everything clear.  Move with yourself as just yourself.  Let the form flow without thinking about it."  He leaned his head back slightly to look more directly into her eyes.  "Do you understand?"
"I...think so," said Scootaloo.
Dawn released her and fluttered back to the ridge.  Once the breeze from his passing had faded, Scootaloo took a deep breath and spread her wings.  She let everything fade from her mind, just as she did when she was practicing without Dawn's supervision.  Letting out her breath, she went into motion.
Rainbow's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as Scootaloo practically glided through the movements of the form, her body flowing naturally from one technique to the next.  Occasionally, she skipped where she was supposed to step, which only seemed to make her movements seem more natural.  It was perfect efficiency and beautiful precision.  Even the winds her wings stirred up around her seemed to move more smoothly in accord with her motions, the entire form looking not so much like a sequence of separate techniques, but a single fluid motion from beginning to end.
"What do you think?" asked Dawn as Scootaloo's practice came to a close.
For a second, Rainbow didn't respond.  Once she got her voice back, she chose to ignore Dawn and instead swoop down on Scootaloo as the filly relaxed her wings.  As Scootaloo looked up, she was suddenly swept up into a tight hug by her idol.
"That was amazing Scoots!" exclaimed Rainbow, tears flowing from her eyes, "You were incredible."
"I was?" asked Scootaloo.
"I have to admit, that was pretty amazing to watch," agreed Soarin' as he and Dawn also descended.
A blush spread across Scootaloo's cheeks at being praised by a Wonderbolt, the second-in-command and Rainbow Dash's coltfriend no less.  "Th-thanks!"
Dawn said nothing, but the small smile on his face spoke volumes of his approval, which actually made Scootaloo's heart flutter even more than Rainbow's words.  A shiver ran down her spine and she was suddenly possessed by the need to go somewhere where the colt wasn't and cool herself off.
"Uh...I think I'm gonna go practice some more," she said, slipping out of Rainbow's embrace, "I'll talk to you later Rainbow Dash."  With a beat of her wings, she darted off over the ridge and down the other side.
Dawn blinked in confusion for a moment.  "I'd have said that was enough for today," he mused, "But I don't mind her dedication."  He completely missed the amused smirk that passed between Rainbow and Soarin'.
However, the two adult pegasi decided to leave off teasing the colt for the time being.  "It's pretty amazing that she could move like that," said Soarin', thinking over Scootaloo's performance.
"She's gained an understanding of the First Form much more quickly than I did," said Dawn, "If I had to guess, I'd say that her talent for this is greater than mine."
"Really?" asked Rainbow, a little shocked to hear the colt speaking like that.
"Yes.  She doesn't seem to be aware of it consciously, but she instinctively grasps the fundamental elements of the Gale King and is able to adapt them to a form that better serves her."  Dawn directed his gaze to the ridge, where the sounds of wind from Scootaloo's practice could be heard.  "It's clear that it's something that she enjoys.  She carries out her practice quite faithfully, even when I'm not around.  And whenever I come by to watch her on those occasions, she's not treating it as a chore, but rather something that she wants to do for herself.  Her drive to improve and develop shows her dedication."
"Huh?"  Rainbow looked upwards pensively.  "I think we finally might be on to something with the squirt's special talent."
She was distracted by a yawn from Soarin'.  "Well anyway," said the Wonderbolt, smiling at Rainbow, "We've confirmed that nothing's wrong out here.  And we got to see something pretty cool on top of that.  You still up for that nap Rainbow?"
"You know it," replied the mare eagerly, "Come on, I hear that cloud calling my name."
The two of them took to the air and were gone.  Dawn watched them go before shrugging to himself and returning to his own practice.



"Thanks for seeing us off Rarity," said Twilight, leaning out the window to look at her friend.
"Do be careful dear," said the alabaster unicorn, smiling at Twilight, "I've been hearing all sorts of rumors from Canterlot lately."  She turned her attention to the stallion sitting across the compartment from Twilight.  "I hope you'll do your utmost to keep her safe."
"Of course," replied Arkenstone, not even turning his head in Rarity's direction, though his ear had swiveled to face her.
Twilight turned her attention to Spike.  "Take care of the library, remember make sure you keep the records up to date."
"I know Twilight," groaned Spike, "This isn't the first time you've left me here you know."
Twilight winced openly at Spike's words, remembering the number of times she and her friends had left him behind while they'd rushed off to do something or another.  It was another of her oversights where Spike was concerned.  She briefly wondered if he resented her for always leaving him behind.
If he did, the little dragon didn't show it, waving cheerfully as the train's whistle blew and the locomotive began to pull away from the platform.  Twilight waved as Spike and Rarity slowly drifted out of view.  "Take care!"
As the train picked up speed, Twilight pulled herself back into the compartment and closed the window.  She turned to face Arkenstone, yawning and settling into her seat as she did so.  Even though his eyes remained closed, Twilight had learned to notice when the stallion was fixing his attention on her.  She was beginning to be able to read the subtle cues in his body language, particularly the way his ears or his nose pointed towards the object of his interest, particularly since he wasn't capable of looking at it.
"How bad do you think It's going to be?" she asked.
Arkenstone responded with a slight shrug.  "In all likelihood, since you decided to leave so abruptly, I doubt the nobles will be in a position to take advantage of your arrival.  Any attempts they make are more likely to be spur of the moment."
That wasn't exactly comforting in Twilight's mind.  A spur of the moment action was more likely to be recklessly ill-considered, which increased the chance that it might actually dissolve into outright violence.  If there was one thing that she feared more than the fact that she might become ensnared in the Canterlot nobility's web of political intrigue, it was the idea that she would have to put those more dangerous spells she had been learning to use.
"Is there anything we can do?" she asked.
"There isn't a whole lot.  You've already learned many of the spells from those books I got for you.  However, being able to use them under duress will be another matter.  I'll be with you the whole time on this trip, so we shouldn't have to worry about that."  He rested his chin on an idle hoof.  "However, once we return, I think it will be time to begin training you in earnest."
"Haven't you been doing that already?" Twilight deadpanned.
"That was merely the classroom book-learning.  What comes next is the practicum," replied Arkenstone, "We will simply simulate a stressful situation and work on you being able to cast under those circumstances."
"That's it?"  Twilight blinked for a moment, "I've already done that sort of thing, haven't I?"  She remembered the battle in Canterlot, when she'd accounted for a good number of changelings on her own.  She'd faced down the like of Discord and Nightmare Moon.  Was there really anything she had to worry about?
Arkenstone sighed.  "I'm not sure you quite understand.  This isn't the same as changelings.  I'd even say to go as far as to say that not even your encounter with Nightmare Moon compares to the experience of facing a fellow pony seeking to do you harm."
"I don't understand," replied Twilight.
The stallion across from her looked decidedly unhappy at the prospect.  "It's difficult to put into words.  The best thing would be to have you experience it for yourself.  That is what I was planning to do, but I still don't feel like I should."
"Why not?" asked Twilight.
For a moment, Arkenstone was silent.  When he spoke again, it was hesitantly.  "I don't want you to be afraid of me Twilight.  But I might have to make you to in order to demonstrate the problem."
Twilight blinked for a moment.  She'd known that Arkenstone was distant and hard to understand at times.  But she'd never felt afraid of him.  If anything, having him nearby was a source of strength for her, particularly with the knowledge of what lay in the future.  The machinations of the nobility and the lurking threat of the Cult Solar seemed so much farther away when Arkenstone was with her.
She leaned forward and touched Arkenstone's forehoof with her own.  "I won't ever be afraid of you," she said softly, "I might be afraid of something that you do or something that you've done, but I'll never be afraid of you yourself.  So please, show me what you're talking about."
With another sight Arkenstone slowly nodded.  "As you wish.  Make yourself comfortable on your seat.  This will work best if you aren't in a position where you could accidentally hurt yourself."
"Alright."  Twilight did as she was told and laid carefully across the seat.  "I'm ready."
No words issued forth from the stallion's mouth.  Instead, his eyes opened the barest fraction.  They were white and featureless.  Twilight remembered them being a soft brown and wondered what had happened to them.  However, that moment of idle curiosity was fleeting as, in the next instant, she forgot how to breathe.
An intense weight crushed down on her, feeling as though the atmosphere in the tiny compartment had multiplied in density.  Her lungs felt as though they'd been packed with solid rock.  Her muscles locked tight, making any motion impossible.  She wanted to move.  She wanted to scream, she wanted to bolt from that compartment.  She wanted to toss herself out the window rather stay and face the utterly terrifying thing in front of her.  And yet, she couldn't budge an inch.  Her mind screamed at her to run, but deeper down, pure instinct kept her locked in place.  Move and you're dead.  So much as twitch and you're dead.
The details of the train compartment faded away before her eyes, the entirety of her vision occupied by the stallion in front of her, who seemed to loom larger with each passing second, in spite of the fact he hadn't done anything.  Twilight's throat worked fiercely, trying desperately to work around the sheer terror blocking it.  But the most she managed was a strangled whimper.
And then it was gone.  The fear released its grip around Twilight's heart and she felt it hammering into motion again.  Her muscles relaxed and she immediately drew a gasp of air into her lungs.  She laid there, panting and feeling as though she'd just run several miles.  Everything else, her reason for going to Canterlot, the events of the past few days, seemed to evaporate as she tried desperately to reassemble the shattered vestiges of her self-control.  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized just how utterly terrified she had been.
Twilight flinched as a gentle hoof descended on her shoulders and traced down her spine a short distance before running back up, a gentle motion that slowly eased Twilight down out of her panic.  She turned her head and found herself looking at Arkenstone's face, his eyes once again closed as he gently rubbed her back.
Without thinking, Twilight threw herself at him and buried her face against his shoulder.  Arkenstone's arms wrapped around her and the stallion held her tight as he slowly began to rock her back and forth.  "I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I should have known better than to try that with you.  You weren't ready."
"No I wasn't," Twilight admitted, pressing her head against him, "But I asked for it and you did what I asked.  You didn't do anything wrong Arky.  I'm still not afraid of you."  She felt a tremor run through the stallion's body before his hold on her tightened ever so slightly.
"Thank you," he said softly.  The two of them remained huddled together, drawing strength and comfort from their shared proximity for some time.



"So what you've been having me study," inquired Twilight softly, "Is it anything like that unicorn martial art I've heard about?"  It had taken a while for her to feel comfortable talking to Arkenstone again, having been shaken by her earlier experience.  Even then, she was still a little too nervous to discuss what he had done earlier, so Twilight went with a different topic to start.
"No," replied the beige stallion, "For a unicorn, the martial arts are a completely different matter from the battle magic you've been studying."
"How so?"
"To begin with, once you reach a certain level of competency within the martial arts, you lose the need to consciously direct your actions," explained Arkenstone, "Instead, reading the situation, your opponent, and acting accordingly comes about as something closer to an act of instinct."
"Why?"
"Thinking about what you are going to do next slows action, it also divides your attention from what is going on around you, which can make you vulnerable.  Therefore, to obtain mastery and to survive on the most dangerous battlefields, it becomes necessary to develop the means to bypass conscious thought and take needed action without hesitation or delay."
"What does this have to do with battle magic being different?"
Arkenstone frowned at her.  "What do you need to do in order to cast a spell?"
"That's simple, you need to form the mental image of what you want to perform, construct a spell matrix, shape mana..."  Twilight's voice trailed off as she realized what she was explaining.  "...Oh."
"Correct.  In the normal course of things, a unicorn can only cast her spells through conscious action.  With practice, particularly for a mage as skilled as you, those mental steps can be executed quite quickly, oftentimes even in less than a second, depending on the spell.  But ultimately, casting a spell requires, by its very nature, conscious action on your part.  Therefore, in the normal course of things it is impossible for a spell to be cast through anything but conscious action."
Now it was Twilight's turn to frown in confusion.  "So, in other words, it's impossible for unicorn magic to be used in a martial art?"
"Normally, yes," replied Arkenstone simply.
"Then what about the Still Way Princess Celestia told me about?"
A smirk spread across Arkenstone's face.  "That is not an exception, because the way unicorn magic is used in the Still Way is fundamentally different from how you, and virtually every other unicorn, for that matter, learned to use magic."
"So it's like the way the Gale King is for pegasi, in that, to learn it, you would have to spend time and effort unlearning the usual way in order to learn the methods compatible with that style?"  Twilight thought back to Dawn's explanation when he had started teaching Scootaloo.
"In the basic sense, yes," answered Arkenstone, "However, the Still Way is even more drastically removed from how unicorns normally use their magic than the Gale King is for pegasi."
Twilight unrolled a sheet of parchment and took up a quill.  "Can you explain further?"
"Of course.  While the Still Way is outside my purview as an earth pony, I still studied it, because even an abstract understanding of other styles can help inform your own.  Many of the techniques I use were modified from concepts that originated from the Still Way that I applied to earth pony magic."
"Really?" asked Twilight.
"Yes.  That is often how new styles of martial arts come into being.  A student of a particular art looks to other martial arts for inspiration in modifying her technique, or even going to areas outside the martial arts for that inspiration.  This gives rise to the formation of new principles and techniques, which in turn give rise to new styles of martial arts.
"Between the Three Pillars, it has always been explained to me like this; Growth for earth ponies, Body for pegasi, Nothing for unicorns."
"What does that mean?"
Arkenstone stood up and settled into a simple, relaxed stance in the center of the compartment, his legs held evenly apart, only slightly bend, his head angled downwards.  His expression went completely blank.  Then he took a deep breath.
Initially, Twilight wondered what he was doing, but then she felt as though the space around her was changing drastically.  All of a sudden, she heard faint creaks throughout the wood of the train car, as though it were under some sort of pressure.  Then, she was grasped by the sensation of standing on a downward slope, with gravity threatening to tug her straight into Arkenstone.  It was as though gravity itself had shifted and now the stallion stood at the very center of gravity's pull, drawing everything towards him.  Then Arkenstone released his breath and the feeling vanished.
"Wha-what was that?" exclaimed Twilight, stunned.
"That was Growth," explained Arkenstone, "For earth ponies, we do not simply increase our power by constantly exercising it.  Rather, for us, power must be cultivated, much in the same way farmers cultivate their fields.  It is built up and laid down in layer upon layer.  The greater the time and focus upon this cultivation, the firmer and stronger that power becomes.
"Body for pegasi refers to the fact that pegasus magic is exercised through motion.  I'm sure that you've witnessed Dawn do as much with the Gale King."
Twilight nodded.  "But what do you mean Nothing for unicorns?"
"Nothing refers to a certain concept in martial arts," explained Arkenstone, "It is called Void in some schools, Mu or Wu in others.  It is considered by many to be the ultimate degree of mastery.  The Self fades to become but a facet of the All.  The subjective and objective are as one and one is supremely immersed in the moment, allowing one to perceive their situation with absolute clarity, to act as though one has thought a hundred moves ahead and yet have not truly thought at all.  An example of this in practice would be how Dawn Lightwing had to at least touch upon the foundation of this concept to reach a state of mind where he can wield lightning without doing grievous harm to himself."
"Oh I see," said Twilight, thinking back to Dawn's retelling of his fight in Cloudsdale.
"This is considered the highest peak a martial artist can aspire to.  However, for the Still Way, it is practically an entry-level requirement."
"Why?"
"Because what the Still Way teaches flies in the face of how unicorn magic fundamentally works," replied Arkenstone, "Magic flows forth from the horn, which is joined to the brain.  It is channeled out into the world and shaped from your thoughts.  Unicorn magic is born from and shaped by intellect.  To bring it out in any other form requires either great emotional stress, or release from the constraints of the Self."
Great emotional stress...?  Twilight's mind flashed back to the outburst that had first brought her to Princess Celestia's attention as a filly, as well as her "rage shift," as it had been called at the time, when she had been overcome by frustration as her inability to understand Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense.
Arkenstone continued.  "To practice the Still Way is to abandon using magic as a conscious exercise.  You must return all knowledge and all skills to the beginning and draw upon your magic in its purest state.  What practitioners of the Still Way use cannot be called spells in the normal sense.  Rather, they merge with their magic and become akin to a living embodiment of their own magic; shapeless and without form, yet wielded with drive and purpose, a spell in pony form if you will."
"That sounds...difficult," Twilight admitted.  Arkenstone had been right.  Everything he said about the Still Way completely contradicted everything she had ever been taught about magic.
"Indeed, it's beyond even Celestia herself," said Arkenstone, "Very few ponies learn and master the Still Way.  At times, entire generations will pass before somepony arises to learn the style once more."
"Entire generations?  But how can that happen?  Doesn't somepony have to teach the style?"
Arkenstone leaned his head up against the window.  "Be it the Gale King, the Mountain Root, or the Still Way, there are safeguards built into each style to ensure that it can continue to flourish, even if a master should pass away before her students can proceed.  By its very nature, the Still Way does not have a concrete form.  Once one achieves the essence of Nothing, the Still Way is characterized by that pony's magic.  The next pony who learns the style will prove to have created something completely different from that.  As such, the fundamental knowledge needed to set one's hoof onto the Still Way can be recorded into scrolls and records, where anypony can read them."
Twilight grimaced.  It wasn't often she felt wary about the propagation of knowledge.  But if the Still Way was as formidable as Princess Celestia had suggested..."Is that safe?  If anypony can access that knowledge, then how can you be sure that it can be used for good."
"Technically, we can't," replied Arkenstone nonchalantly, "However, just because anypony can read the method does not mean they can apply it.  Attaining the level of consciousness to learn and master the Still Way is not something an ordinary pony can do, and certainly not one so ill disciplined that they would fall prey to their baser motivations.  Overcoming such foibles is a key to obtaining Nothing.  If a pony manages to reach such a state and is still doing ill, then they are driven by something other than mere impulse."
"Oh."  Twilight gazed out her window.  The scenery whipping past outside contrasted sharply with the seeming stillness of their train compartment, which only hummed and rattled as the train made its way along the tracks.
Her attention was drawn back to Arkenstone as he yawned.  "In any case, we have some time until we reach Canterlot.  Why don't we rest for a while."
Twilight nodded.  Deep down, she still felt rattled about her experience earlier.  Relaxing after such a stressful situation had only exacerbated her fatigue.  Once the stallion across from her pointed it out, Twilight had to admit that lying down felt like a very good idea.  She stretched out across her couch with a yawn and slowly let her eyes settle close.  Before long, the sounds of the train lulled her into a gentle sleep.