The Mage's Jump

by Marvelous Cheshire


Chapter 16

THE MAGE’S JUMP
BY GENOSABER
CHAPTER 16

As I awoke, I smiled at the feeling of my senses returning to me. The most obvious ones being the feeling of soft fur pressed against my chest, mixed with the familiar light yet fragrant scent notifying me of the sleeping mare beside me.

Gods how I’ve missed this feeling,’ I carefully opened my eyes, finding Twilight’s face mere inches from my own. A small, relaxed smile on her muzzle.

You’ve been saying that almost every day lately,” Zero mused in a tone indicating he was only half paying attention.

Zero?

Hmm?

The last five years of my life have been, to put it simply, hell when it came to trying to get any sleep. Half the time I would just end up lying awake for hours on end in that oversized, empty bed. The few times I could get to sleep I’d either wake up within a few hours, crying from the memories of my wife’s death, or in the past couple years, screaming in agony from the nightmares. Compared to that, this is euphoric.

...Fair enough. Now then, your ‘marefriend’ should be waking up soon, so I’ll go ahead and leave you two alone for a while.

Right on cue, I felt Twilight shift slightly, letting out a soft moan as she was pulled from her slumber. Carefully, I leaned closer, dragging my hand from its place on her withers to her nape before bringing our lips together in a kiss.

She reacted instantly, giving another moan as she pressed herself closer. I held the embrace for several moments, relishing in the feeling of her body’s warmth, along with the joyful feeling of her love before finally pulling myself away.

“Good morning, mo ghrá (my love),” I said.

“Morning,” she yawned, before smiling at me with half-lidded eyes. “How long have you been up?”

“Just a few minutes.” I brushed a stray bit of her mane away from her eyes, before adjusting myself to see the clock behind us. “Six thirty, still about two hours before I have to go help Alex finish setting up the illusion wards,” I commented before returning to my original position. “And if I recall correctly, your parents shouldn’t be arriving until about noon.”

“Which should be around the time you get back from the theater before they get here,” Twilight added with another yawn. “Factor in about forty five minutes for breakfast before you go, and that leaves us with seventy five minutes of free time.”

“True.” I turned onto my back, moving my free hand behind my head while my other hand began lightly scratching Twilight’s ear. “Any idea how to spend that time?” I asked.

She smiled before laying her head on my chest, her horn glowing as she grabbed a book off the nightstand. I smiled and laid my head back as she opened the book and began reading from where she had left off. Setting a simple mental alarm, I closed my eyes and stuck to calmly scratching Twilight’s ear while she read.


Chalk, compact channeling staves, powdered ether crystals, book of wards, incense and oils… Likely won’t be needing those last two.’ Satisfied that I had everything I would need, I closed the pack and threw it over my shoulder before turning to Twilight over on the couch. “Fei said she’d be back from her meeting with the crusaders by the time your parents get here.” I adjusted my scarf before taking a pair of wool gloves from my coat pocket, slipping them on as I continued. “So, barring some major problem with the setup, we could all go out to eat as soon as I get off.” She nodded and smiled.

“Take care,” she said. I nodded with a smile of my own before heading out the door.

Within seconds I picked up the nauseating scent of fish. Glancing upwards, I found the source of the smell hanging on one of the library’s branches just a few feet out of my reach.

This is the… third time this has happened, correct?

So far.’ I began glancing around the area. ‘Any sign of that strange green mare that’s seems to be around whenever this happens?

Not in the immediate area. My guess is she learned from you using that ‘Evil Eye’ trick on her last time that it’s wiser to observe from a distance.

Guess so.’ I turned towards the library, judging the distance to it and the height of the branch, before running forward and using the momentum to launch myself high enough to grab the branch. ‘Now comes the hard part.’ I carefully started making my way to the fish, silently praying that the branch wouldn’t break.

Y’know, this would be a lot easier if you just used a simple ‘aero’ spell to cut the line.

Magic is not meant to be used so lightly, to do so is considered lazy. Magic is not a shortcut in life, it’s a gift that is to be handled and used with great care and years of training.’ I stopped as I got within reach of the small rope holding the fish up. ‘Those that would abuse magic to accomplish an otherwise simple task do not deserve that gift.’ I quickly pulled out a small knife I normally used for carving runes into wood or dirt.

Then what of the time you used magic to burn a handful of used bandages the day you arrived, or using magic to cut the sling after you left the hospital?” Zero asked in an odd tone.

Simple.’ I reached over and, with a single quick motion of the razor-sharp blade, severed the line near the branch, causing the fish to fall to the ground. ‘Burning the bandages was the quickest and safest way to dispose of them. As for the sling, I didn’t have my knife on me at the time, and they had made it all but impossible to remove otherwise.’ I dropped down and grabbed the rope, keeping it at arm’s length as I made my way to the nearest trash and dropped it in. ‘A bit of a waste I suppose. But I don’t have anything to hold it in, and I’ve already wasted too much time.'

I heard Zero give a low chuckle as I switched to a light jog. ‘Something you find amusing?

I was just thinking of your answers. It is rather uncommon to find a mage as young as yourself so disciplined. Your teacher must have been very wise.

She was.’ I smiled at the memories of my teacher. ‘One of the greatest of her generation. While her teaching methods were a bit… unconventional at time, and she was rather well known for being a very strict teacher. She was also very kind and caring, always making sure I was never actually harmed during training, and offering any advice she could if I was faced with a problem in life I couldn’t figure out.’ My smile turned somewhat melancholy. ‘I still miss her, and wish I knew what had happened to her to cause her disappearance.

One must not dwell on the past. But instead use the knowledge they have gained to move forward in the present.” I stumbled a bit, caught off guard by his words. “Sound familiar?

It’s one of the minor teachings of lady Shiva. Though it’s a rather uncommon one, most people that quote it don’t even know where it’s from, or mistake it for one of the teaching of Ramuh.

I had quite a bit of free time in life after becoming the first archmage, it was much simpler back then. But the point still stands, you shouldn’t spend your time dwelling on the past, for that cannot be changed. You should focus on your life now, think of the family and friends you have gained, and use the skills you have learned to push forward in life.

I couldn’t help but find myself agreeing with him. With this in mind, I picked up my pace as I neared the theater, choosing to focus on the task at hand rather than the that of the past.


(Later, Twilight)

“Hi Mom. Hi Dad,” I said as I opened the door, wrapping my forelegs around my parents. “You’re,” I glanced at the clock. “... Almost an hour early?” I looked back at them confused.

“We decided to catch an earlier train,” Mom explained. “We had nothing to do, and thought it would be better than just lounging around the house with nothing to do until we were supposed to leave.”

“Fair enough,” I said, stepping back to let them inside. “Is there anything I can get you to drink?” I asked, taking a few steps towards the kitchen.

“Tea would be nice,” Dad offered. I nodded and began trotting to the doorway.

Just as I was about to head into the kitchen to get our drinks, I heard the front door open. Turning around, I saw Fei walk in before quickly shutting the door, a somewhat annoyed look on her face, as well her ears, hair, and clothes being covered in twigs, dirt, and…

Tree sap?’ Curious, I trotted over to her, seeing that she was also shaking slightly from the cold. “Um, is everything okay?”

“Could be better,” she muttered before glancing towards my parents, giving them a nervous wave.

“Well, what happened?” I asked, gesturing to the patch of tree sap on her sleeves.

“I don’t know!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms outward. “One minute I’m sitting in the the wagon with the others, the next Scootaloo hits something and we get sent flying. After that we decided we’d all just head home and stay warm.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Was too damn cold to be outside anyway.”

“Why didn't you wear something… warmer?” I asked, noticing the only clothing she had on to protect herself from the cold was a scarf and a long sleeved shirt. ‘Actually, that’s all I’ve really seen her wear apart from those “kimonos” she had when she arrived.

“I don’t have anything warmer,” she replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Cardian winter is rarely that bad.” She let out a small growl. “And the weather hasn’t even been all that bad here either, up till today anyway…”

“I’ll bring it up with Trace later, we’ll see if Rarity would be willing to make something a bit more fitting for the current weather.” I gave her a small smile. “For now, let’s focus on getting you warmed up. Does a hot bath sound nice?”

“That sounds wonderful right now,” she said, a pleading look in her eyes as she continued to shake slightly. I gave her a pleasant smile before ushering her up the stairs. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I said, turning back to my parents. They simply smiled and nodded before turning back to Spike, continuing their conversation as I lead the shivering child upstairs.


“Ahh,” she sighed as she sunk into the water, her ears twitching joyfully. “Thank you so much for this.”

“I’m happy to help, Fei,” I said, dropping her clothes in a small tub of water to soak before turning back to her. “Is there anything else you need?”

“I’m fine. Think I’ll just stay in here for a bit, then go lie down in a nice, warm blanket until Dad comes home,” she said, sinking further into the water. I smiled once more before heading back downstairs.

“So,” Dad started as I reentered the room. “How’s the little one doing?”

“She’s fine. Much happier now that she’s not freezing cold or covered in tree sap,” I said, before noticing he was the only one in the room. “Where did mom and Spike go?”

“They decided that some snacks to go along with the tea would be nice,” he said, gesturing to the kitchen before looking at me with a curious expression. “But your mother and I were wondering something.”

I blinked before taking a seat on couch. “And what would that be?”

“Well, you and Trace have been together for a few months now, and Fei is his daughter, right?” I nodded, a vague idea of what he was getting at forming in my mind. “Well your mother and I were concerned about what your relationship with her is. We know you're happy with Trace, and he seems like a fine young gentlecolt, but we’re about what would happen if things didn’t work out in the future.” He glanced up to the door leading to the bedroom. “If things went south, it would hurt everyone involved. We don’t want to see you or Trace in that situation, nor do we want to see Spike and Fei caught up in the aftermath of it.”

I bit back a small spark of annoyance, managing to keep a calm expression as I spoke. “I understand your concern, and I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind as well.” I took a deep breath before speaking. “I talked to Trace about it the once, he said ‘you can never really plan for a relationship failing, as things will almost always change between the time you made the plan and when it actually happens. All you can really do is put effort in keep both yourself and your significant other happy, and if the relations does come to an end, do your best to make sure no one is too hurt by the separation’.” I sighed and shrugged. “And I have to agree, all we can really do is try to keep both of us happy, and if we break up, do what we can to not cause the other too much suffering.” I gave a small, somewhat sad smile. “I hope that never comes to pass, though. I haven’t been this happy since I moved to Ponyville and I know Trace is recovering from… something that happened to him several years ago.” ‘Might be best not to bring up Laura to them yet, no telling how they’d react, and I know Trace is still a bit uncomfortable talking about it.

He smiled and gave a quick nod. “That’s good to hear, and your mother and I hope it stays-” he was cut off by the sound of screaming from the kitchen. Casting a quick glance, we both jumped off the couch and galloped towards the doorway.

looking inside, we found Mom having stumbled back from the open fridge, staring at it in shock. Spike on the other hand was simply standing beside the fridge with a claw pressed to his face.

“Dear? Is everything alright?” Dad asked in a confused tone as he trotted up to her, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

She pointed a hoof forward. “I-in the fridge,” she said nervously. Confused, I turned and looked to see what had caused my mother’s sudden panic. ‘Doesn’t look like there’s anything bad in here. Milk, eggs, some vegetables, meat, and-

Oh. Right...

Turning back to my parents, I gave a sheepish chuckle. “Heh, guess I probably should have mentioned Trace and Fei are omnivores...”

Dad sighed but gave a slight smile. “That would have likely saved us any trouble.”

“Well, it’s not like it’s ever actually come up before,” I offered. They both thought about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance. “Anyway, I think I’ll help Spike finish getting the snacks, you two go and relax,” I said, giving them a small smile.

They both nodded and made their way out as I began helping Spike finish setting everything up.

“So,” I started as Spike and I took a seat at the center table. “We still have time before Trace is supposed to get back, is there anything you want to talk about?”

“Well, you never did talk about how you and Trace met,” Spike said. “I mean, we got a summary of what happened from him the day you got back, but there’s still some parts that are a bit vague.”

“I’m actually interested in that myself. To be honest,” Mom added. “I mean, travelling to another reality, it’s only ever heard of in magic fiction stories and the occasional ramblings of lunatics. To think of it actually happening… ” She trailed off, at a loss for words.

I gave a small smile. “Before I met Alex, I didn’t think such a thing could happen, but now…” I shook my head. “Things just keep getting crazier since then. First he shows up, changes the lives of several ponies in town. Then Matt shows up, and while he hasn’t been as influential, he’s still affected a few ponies here.” My expression drops a bit. “Then I get a strange package in the mail. I guess that would be a good place to start.” I took a deep breath before closing my eyes as I tried to recall everything that happened. “It all started about five months ago….”


(Trace)

“Now then,” I said as I finished placing the final ward before turning to the unicorn stallion standing a few feet away. “Do you recall the instructions properly, or shall we go over them one last time?”

“I think I’ve got it,” he replied, pulling out an iron rod with several colorful gems embedded in it, each one glowing with a faint hint of magic. “All I have to do is put a bit of magic into the crystal the matches the color of the ward needed for the scene, and it’ll trigger the effect you’ve put in them until I stop, right?”

I nodded. “That’s right. And,” I glanced over at Alex a few meters away, where he had been watching me with slight caution since I had started. “I’ve made sure to double check each ward to ensure they are absolutely safe.”

I started walking over as I noticed him breathing a sigh, grabbing my coat from the rack next to him. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but I thought we already discussed that I’m not a bad guy,” I said with a hint of annoyance. I put up a hand as he tried to speak. “Alex, I know your reason for not trusting me as mage. But at the same time you watching me like a hawk while I’m working is, in some way, an insult to my practice. I’ve studied magic seals and enchanting in my free since I was thirteen, same age my magical abilities began to develop. I take great pride in my work, and the fact that illusions and defensives wards are my specialty makes this job a bit more important to me.”

He let out another sigh. “I… apologize. But while I’m still admittedly a little cautious about trusting you, it’s hard to ignore a lifetime of bad experiences, but what I’m even more worried about is something going wrong during the play,” he explained. “The Hearth’s Warming play is a major tradition in Equestria, and if anything goes wrong, there’s no telling how badly it’ll affect everyone involved.” He shrugged. “It’s nothing personal Trace, I’m just concerned about anything happening that could cause problems for this theater, those who depend on this place for their daily bread, and anyone else involved in this play.” He looked me in the eye with a light smile, “And that definitely includes you.”

I mulled it over for a moment, before relenting. “I suppose you're right,” I sighed. “I’m just letting my pride get the better of me. But as I’ve said, I made sure each seal is stable.” I grabbed my pack and began packing things up.

“You’re welcome to stay and watch the rehearsal,” he offered. “Get a chance to see how well your seals work.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m supposed to spend time with Twilight and her parents before the play.” I gave a questioning look. “I assume the little agreement we had earlier still stands?”

He smiled. “As I said before, if there’s at least one empty box, it’s yours, otherwise you’ll have to simply pay for the extra seats. Other than that, yes, you’ll get a five percent discount for helping set up.”

I nodded once before throwing my pack over my shoulder. “Thank you Alex. I’ll see you later.” He gave a similar farewell as I exited the theater, giving a relaxed sigh as a cold breeze hit me.

Thankfully, the trip back home was uneventful. Reaching the door, I stopped as I heard multiple voices inside. ‘Guess they got here a little bit early.’ Putting a on a small smile, I opened the door to find Twilight, her parents, and Spike seated at the center table.

“Hello Trace. We were just talking about you,” Velvet said, giving a small smile.

I raised an eyebrow as I made my way over to the couch. “Oh? Should I be worried?” I asked, glancing at Twilight as I dropped my pack on the couch.

She gave a light chuckle. “I was simply telling them how we met.”

“A yes, the nine insane days that would end up changing the lives of several people, a pony, and a kitsune.” I dropped down into the open seat beside her. “So, what day where we on?”

“Three,” Twilight answered. “Your meeting with the council, and my time alone with Arcana.”

Velvet smiled once more. “Your sister sounds like a wonderful young…”

“Lady,” I stated.

“Lady,” she amended. “It’s hard to believe you would have raised her all on your own. And at a rather young age if I’m not mistaken?”

“Aye,” I nodded solemnly. “I was seventeen when she was born, with our father having fallen in battle against a cult of Chaos mages and our mother dying in childbirth, I was the only family in the area that could care for her. Though I had some help from a few friends of the family. Primarily lady Cecilia, who looked after her when I would have to go out on work for the Order.” My mood brightened as a thought crossed my mind. “Though, I did manage to prove those narrow minded morons that believed someone such as myself was not fit to raise a child, even one of my own blood.”

Night Light gave a curious expression. “What do you mean?”

I raised a hand and snapped my fingers, earning surprised expressions from both of them as my hand was coated in flames. “Black mages such as myself are masters of evocation, the art of using our magic to harness the elements and use it for mainly… destructive purposes.” I closed my hand, extinguishing the fire. “Up until a couple centuries ago mankind’s fear of us lead them to act… violently… whenever a person was revealed to practice such magic. Even now however, plenty of people are a bit nervous about us, and a rather sizable group of them argued that I, as a black mage, would not be able to raise her properly. A few even outright stated they believed I would “corrupt” the child and turn her to the path of black magic.” I gave a smug smile. “Not only did she choose to be a white mage, she’s a model citizen. Wouldn’t dream of hurting anyone unless they committed some horrid crime or something.”

“That’s good to hear,” Velvet said, offering a sad smile. “You must miss her greatly.”

I nodded. “Aye. While I don’t regret my choice to come here, I still wish I could see her again.” We drifted off into an uneasy silence for a moment, before I sighed and stood up. “But that is out of my control. I should focus more on the now than the past.” I looked at each of them. “I’ll prepare something a bit more filling than light snacks and help fight the cold. Twilight, I’m assuming Fei’s already home?”

“Yes, but there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” she said. I nodded and motioned her to follow me as I head into the kitchen.

As we entered I grabbed a pot and placed it in the sink. “I assume this has something to do with the weather?” I asked, turning the faucet on and letting the pot slowly fill with water.

She nodded. “When she came back earlier she was practically freezing, and when I asked her she said she didn’t have anything better to wear in winter because Cardia isn’t normally as bad.”

I sighed as I grabbed a knife. “I had a feeling that would happen. Fei hasn’t spent much time outside of Cornelia since she moved there about four years ago, and the region the city is in rarely ever gets that cold,” I explained as I began chopping up carrots. “If I had known it would get this bad I’d have made sure to ask Rarity if she’d be willing to make something for her to wear. As it stands I’ll have to simply ask her tomorrow at the party.”

Twilight smirked. “I’m sure Rarity would be happy to do so. She’s probably got a few ideas for clothes already planned out. She told me a while back that she's been dying to get her hooves on a female human ever since Alex showed up.”

I chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised.” I stopped for a moment and turned to Twilight. “Anyway, why don't you go back and spend some more time with your folks, I’m sure they’d like to know the rest of the story. Though I’d appreciate it if you could go wake Fei up first.”

She nodded. “Sure thing,” she replied before turning and trotting out of the room. Once she was gone I returned to my task, humming a simple tune while I worked.


(later)

“Are you sure this looks alright?” Twilight asked as she inspected herself in the mirror, looking over the rather simple gown she was wearing. “It seems a little… casual.”

“You look fine love,” I replied, turning to her as I adjusted my tie. “As for casual, I’ll agree the gown is simple in design, but it looks wonderful either way.” I grabbed the strip of cloth and began tying my hair back. “Besides, is it really that necessary for you to get dressed up for something like the theater?”

“It’s not just that, it’s our first real date.” She grabbed the brush with her magic and began running it through her mane. “And how can you say that with what you’re wearing?” She gestured at me with a hoof.

I glanced down at my waistcoat before rolling my eyes. “Yes, but I dress like this almost every day. But what I mean, Twilight, is that where you go and what you wear honestly isn’t that important. A date isn’t so much about the location or the clothing you're wearing, but rather, it’s about spending time with the one you care about in an area you can both be at ease in.” I shrugged. “Some people prefer going to fancy restaurants, personally I prefer a nice picnic or stroll through the woods. Somewhere that I can simply slow down and take in the scenery.”

“You make a pretty good point,” she sighed, setting the brush down and trotting over to the bed, taking a seat beside me. “I should be focussing on simply having a good time, not worrying about what I’m wearing.”

“Exactly,” I agreed, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before standing. “Now then, I suggest we head downstairs before the little ones grow any more impatient.” She giggled and hopped down to walk with me as we exited the room.

“It’s about time!” Fei exclaimed as she stopped pacing beside Twilight Velvet, having switched back into her fox form. “Do you two have any idea how long we’ve been waiting for you get ready?”

“Just under an hour,” Twilight answered immediately.

“Fifty minutes, to be precise,” Spike added with a thin smile.

“Some of us prefer to take our time when we’re getting ready to go out,” I said, absentmindedly checking my watch before slipping it back into my pocket. “But on a different matter, did you drink coffee or something? You’re not normally this energetic this late in the evening.”

She looked hesitant for a moment, before answering. “I may have had a slice of cake from the fridge right after you and Twilight went upstairs.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Cake?” She nodded. “As in, the cake I bought yesterday from Sugarcube Corner? the one covered in a rather generous layer of frosting?” She nodded once more, a slight guilty look on her features. “Hold on a moment,” I sighed before heading back upstairs, returning a moment later with a vial of dark pink liquid and a shot glass.

“Drink,” I commanded, pouring a bit of the potion into the glass. She did so, coughing a bit at the bitter taste of the potion. “Better?” I asked after a moment.

She nodded. “A bit. I don’t feel as hyper as before,” she said as she hopped onto Velvet’s back.

“What is that?” Night Light asked, staring at the vial questioningly.

“A simple calming potion used on Gaia. Primarily given to people that are suffering from uncontrolled bursts of energy.” I replaced the cork on the vial before walking over to the coatrack the door, dropping the potion and shot glass into my hat. “Normally, it’s recommend that the subject take a full vial, but considering Fei’s size, a small shot of it should be enough to cancel out the energy from the sugar intake without knocking her out.”

` “Are you sure it’s safe?” Velvet asked.

“Yes. I’ve given it to her once or twice in the past. Worse case scenario, she falls asleep part-way through the play.” I grabbed my coat off the rack. “Speaking of, thank you for offering to watch her tonight. ”

“It’s nothing,” she said, waving her hoof dismissively. “You two deserve to be able to spend a peaceful night together, and we we’re already going to be keeping an eye on Spike for the night anyways.”

“Still, thank you,” I said once more, offering her a kind smile. She returned the gesture before turning back to her husband as Twilight trotted over beside me. “Now if everyone’s ready, let’s not waste another minute.” With that, I pushed the door open and made my way outside, followed shortly by Twilight and her parents.

The walk to the theater was peaceful, the calm silence of the evening broken only by the handful of ponies that were still making their way to see the Hearth’s Warming play.

“Hello Director’s Cut,” I said to the young stallion. “How was the rehearsal?”

The young stallion smiled and gave a short nod. “Good evening Mr. Reinhart. The rehearsal went wonderfully, and the seals you set up worked perfectly.”

This time is was my turn to smile. “That’s good to hear, I hope the actual play goes just as well,” I said as I reached into my pocket for the two bit bags I had on hand. “So, what’s the status on the arrangement I set up with Alex?”

He looked down at his clipboard for a moment, flipping through the papers as he muttered to himself. “You’re in luck, there’s a couple boxes still open, so you can take one of those, just pay for two seats and we’ll redirect any other ponies to the other seats unless we run out of space. But it looks like we’ve about hit our limit, so it’s unlikely.” I nodded and handed him the bags of coin, taking a pair of tickets in return.

“This should also cover the cost of Spike and Fei,” I said as I handed him another, slightly smaller bag, gesturing to the children in question. “If there’s any bits left over, take it off the cost of Night Light and Twilight Velvet’s tickets.”

“There’s no need for that,” Velvet argued, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “We have more than enough to pay for our own tickets.”

“Regardless, I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart,” I countered, giving her an honest smile. “Whether you need it or not is not important, it’s the fact I want to help pay for your ticket, as a sign of thanks.”

She met my gaze nervously, staring at me for a moment before sighing. “I guess it would be rude of me not to accept such a kind offer,” she said, giving a small, almost reluctant smile. I watched silently as she paid for her and Night Light’s tickets, the overall cost being little over half the original price.

“Must have added a little too much to the bag,” I answered as she turned to me in shock. Glancing to the side, I saw both Twilight and her father giving me knowing, somewhat amused looks. ‘Shouldn’t be surprised. A trained soldier and a scholar should have no trouble telling when someone is pulling a trick like this.’ Once they had received their tickets, Twilight and I followed them in before splitting off and heading up the stairs to the box seats.

“So,” Twilight started as we walked down the hallway to our seats. “Mind telling me why you tricked my mother into accepting a gift like that?”


“It’s part of an incredibly old Cardian tradition,” I answered calmly. “Normally only practiced among the more prosperous families nowadays. When a couple enter a relationship, it’s customary of the male to give a form of payment to the woman’s parents, often without them asking for it. This can take the form of various gifts, donating money to any businesses or charities they might control, or just straight up giving them the money.” I shrugged. “It usually goes on until either the parents or the woman decided he’s given a proper amount, though with the few less prosperous families it’ll go on until the day of the couple’s wedding.” Twilight stumbled a bit at that, staring at me in shock. “Something wrong?”

“It’s just… I didn’t expect you to bring something like that up so casually,” she replied.

I gave another shrug. “I was simply explaining how this works,” I explained. “Marriage is a bit far off for us. I’m not against the idea, but I think we should give it time, see how this relation works out in the long run, okay?” She nodded. “Anyway, the original idea behind the custom was that the man was more or less “buying” his lover. Thankfully, this idea has long since been replaced with a number of different ideas depending on the household. The Reinharts as a way of building a friendly relationship with the other family, and often continue giving occasional payments even after the marriage, as a way of helping support the family even if they don’t actually require it.”

“My mom would have probably prefered you actually explain that earlier. She might have actually accepted the idea more willingly if she knew your motivation behind it,” Twilight said as we entered our box.

“True,” I agreed as I sat down, setting my coat to the side. “But I honestly just wanted to have a bit of fun with her. I’ll make sure to explain it tomorrow at the party.”

Twilight’s expression grew hesitant for a moment as she sat down. “Did, did you do this with Laura’s family?” she asked nervously.

I couldn’t help but grimace. ‘Should’ve expected this, she can’t help but be curious’. “Not exactly,” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “She didn’t have the best relationship with her mother after we got together. Let’s just say she wasn’t exactly supportive of humans and elves breeding. I did however help her older brother get a decent job for the merchant’s guild in Cardia transporting rare and valuable goods all over the world.” I shifted uncomfortably before moving an arm around her. “But that isn’t important. All that matters right now is that we enjoy the night together.” I offered her a reassuring smile.

She sighed and nodded, leaning into my embrace. “Sorry for bringing it up. I let my curiosity get the better of me.”

Silently, I moved my hand to her chin, giving a slight push to guide her into looking me directly in the eyes. “Twilight, don’t apologize for simply asking a question. You were simply curious, a trait I’ve come to love about you.” I paused, leaning over and giving her a small kiss before pulling back. “One of many, of course.”

She gave small smile before pulling herself towards me and wrapping her forelegs around in an almost bone-crushing hug. Despite the pain, I smiled and returned the embrace, relishing in both the warmth of her fur and slight pain caused by her love. We held each other for a few moments before finally separating as the area darkened. Curious, I turned my attention to the stage just as a young pegasus mare dressed in storyteller’s garb moved into the remaining light. ‘Guess the play’s about to begin’.

I leaned back as the mare began telling the audience of the time before the three tribes joined together, Twilight wrapping a foreleg around me as she watched the storyteller calmy. After a few moments, the mare stepped to the side and the curtain opened, showing the a group of earth ponies looking mournfully over an empty field.

Well, let’s see how this goes’.


As time went on, I paid only mild interest in the play, instead simply enjoying the comfort of having Twilight by my side. So far, the few seals that had been used proved effective, though we still had yet to see the ones I had really put effort into. After a while, I moved my hand to Twilight’s head and began scratching her ears absentmindedly as the actors moved in the cave.

Twilight gave a relaxed sigh of content, leaning into me as the actors began arguing with one another as the magical chill in the air began to slowly intensify. I smirked as, on cue, a faint blue ring appeared beneath each leader while ice began forming around there hooves before crawling up their legs.

Well now, this is an interesting turn of events.” I glanced to my right to find Zero sitting on the railing dressed in traditional winter clothes, looking down at the audience.

I thought we agreed you wouldn’t bother me while I was with my marefriend today?’ I asked with mild annoyance. Truthfully, I was just happy that Twilight couldn’t see or hear him, not telling how she’d react to his sudden appearance.

That was the original plan,” he said before pointing into the crowd. Curious, I followed his hand to a pair of oddly familiar ponies sitting together near the far wall of the theater.

“Twilight,” I whispered, earning her attention. “Is that who I think it is?” I pointed her towards the couple.

She stared at them for several moments, before blinking. “It looks like, Rarity and… Doctor Emerald?” She said in surprise, only barely managing to keep her voice down.

“It seems so,” I replied, staring at the ponies with mild interest. “And judging by how they’re acting, it’s not just coincidence they’re sitting together.”

She looked at me in shock. “You, you don’t think they’re on a date, do you?”

“That’s what it appears to be,” I leaned back and turned my attention to Twilight. “Though it begs the question, if they’re together, why wouldn’t anyone know of it till now?”

“Maybe they just got together in the past few days,” Twilight offered. “Or, they could be trying to keep more or less hidden for now. Though I wouldn’t put it past Rarity to have gone out of her way to get Emerald to come here with her tonight.” I nodded, glancing at the windigo circling the stage. “Either way, I think we should keep this to ourselves for now, in case they really are keeping it secret for now.”

I nodded once more in agreement. “Rarity managed to keep our relationship a secret when you told her, it would only be right to do the same, even if they don’t ask us,” I said, before spotting a number of pink runes appear on the stage. “Let's see just how well this works.” Twilight turned her attention to the stage as the the flaming heart appeared above the unfrozen ponies, illuminating the entire theater and replacing the chill with a calm, relaxing warmth.

Perfect’.


“That went rather well,” I commented as we exited the theater, stepping aside to let others leave while we waited for Twilight’s parents. “Better than I expected, actually.”

“You didn’t expect your seals to work as well as they did?” Twilight asked.

“No, I expected those to work stupendously,” I said, adjusting my coat. “I’m surprised by how well the actors and stagehands did with so little time to practice.”

“It was a rather interesting addition to the play,” Night Light commented as he and Velvet trotted out. “It normally takes a lot of effort from several unicorns to pull something like that off.”

“As it would normally be with mages on Gaia, but I’ve studied runic magic for some time now and have become rather skilled in the use of seals such as the ones used in the play,” I replied.

“Runic magic?” Velvet echoed, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s what you could call a “lesser” magic on Gaia. It’s not as widely practiced by magic users there, as it usually requires more time to prepare than more common magic,” I answered. “I took the time to study it while not working, and once I became archmage, I decided to add my own findings to the tomes that the Order has in its possession. I hoped that future practitioners may find uses for it.”

Twilight started to speak before being cut off by a yawn from Fei as she jumped off Velvet’s back and into one of the larger pockets on my coat. “Guess it is getting a little late,” she chuckled.

Night Light nodded in agreement. “We should be heading back to our hotel room for the night,” he said, wrapping a foreleg around Twilight for a moment. “Night Twi, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

As soon he stepped away, Velvet pulled Twilight into a hug of her own. While the two embraced, Spike slipped off Velvet’s back before and climbing onto Twilight’s, letting out a small yawn of his own.

“Good night Mom. Good night Dad. I love you,” Twilight said as she stepped away from her mother.

“We love you too,” Velvet replied, before turning to me. “Good night Trace, it was nice seeing you again.”

I gave a slight bow. “Likewise, Mrs. Velvet. I wish you both safe passage on this night, and hope to see you at the party tomorrow.” She gave an odd look at my phrasing, before simply nodding.

“We’ll be there,” she replied with a smile before turning and trotting off, her husband following closely behind.

“So then,” I said after a few moments of silence. “What did you think of the play?”

Twilight remained silent for a moment, before answering. “The effects were definitely an interesting touch, but the play as a whole wasn’t anything special.” She looked up at me and smiled. “Though being able to watch it with you made it perfect.”


I matched her smile with one of my own. “My thoughts exactly,” I said, before turning my attention to the star-filled sky. “This night has been perfect.”

So then why can’t I shake this sense of impending dread’?