//------------------------------//
// The Element of Balance 
// Story: The Continued Adventures of Tyro 
// by RainbowsAreMagic 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5: The Element of Balance

For years, Twilight had lived among the social elite of Canterlot. If there one thing Twilight had learned from her interactions with those people, it was how to spot a lie. So while Tyro spoke confidently to his new friends, she saw right through his deception. He was hiding something. It was probably something she wasn't going to like, and therefore it was probably something that she needed to know about. And so she took action.

"You're hiding something, I can tell. What aren't you telling us, Tyro? Don't you trust us as your friends?"

Tyro sighed. Ignoring her question, he walked up the stairs, returning with the ancient book from the archives. Twilight hadn't gotten around to sending it back yet, but she didn't know Tyro had it. He set the book down on a table, flipping it open to a random page. On the left was text in ancient Equestrian, while on the right lay the mysterious language from the sealed chamber.

"Twilight, this book isn't exactly what I thought it was. It isn't a guide to reading those chamber walls. It's a guide to the language itself. More importantly, Twilight, I've been able to read it ever since I received the Element of Balance. There's something important about this, and about the magic I hold. I don't think it works like the Elements of Harmony. When we were at the archives last week—remember, when Spike ate that strange gem and was acting all weird—I found a number of books in the same language as this one. They seem to focus on how to use Balance magic, and it acts different from the magic you've been teaching me. Follow me, and I'll show you." Tyro stood, walking through the door leading outside.

"While a spell to seal away Primus is beyond my ability at the moment, I've been practicing some much simpler spells, and I think I've just about mastered this one."

Turning, he faced her, then pointed at a pile of rocks with a hoof. "See the rocks there? Throw them at me, with your magic." His horn glowed with red, magical energy, and a translucent black sphere formed around him.

Twilight was dubious. This was very strange, even for Tyro, but he seemed confident, so she went along with it. Lifting the small pile of stones into the air, she sent them flying towards her friend. Where the rocks contacted the sphere, it flared, the rocks bouncing off to hit the ground. Tyro first dropped the spell, and then to his knees. "A shield spell. It stops physical objects, though not magic. The trouble with this kind of magic, according to both the book and my own experience, is that it's very exhausting."

"This is amazing, Tyro! Can you show me how to do these spells, too?"

"Sure," he replied, "but you'd sleep for a week if you ever tried to use one, so I wouldn't recommend it. The only reason I can use them like this is my connection to the Element of Balance." 

At Twilight's disappointed look, Tyro felt a bit of sympathy. "I remember watching you use magic when we first met. I saw that, and I envied you for your magic. I know how you feel. 

"And Twilight? My new magic may be strong, but it's only useful in maybe a handful of situations. In the magic we use every day, I will never even approach your ability. So it's really not as amazing as it looks. Now, let's go inside, it's cold out here."

Twilight's expression cleared as her friend followed her into the library, and she seemed to regain her composure. His attempt to make her feel better seemed to have worked.

"Twilight, I'm going to need your help. That spell I showed you out there is all fine and wonderful, but it's a simple spell. The spell that had been keeping Primus sealed away... was not. It was a ritual spell, and not a simple one at that. I'll need your help designing our own seal to contain Primus. This won't be easy, but we can't afford to fail."

In a flash, Twilight's expression went from thoughtful to analytical. "We'll need to test the componants somehow before we cast the whole thing..."

Tyro smiled. With Twilight at his side, there was no way he could fail.