//------------------------------// // Dark Magic // Story: I'm a Lich and I know it! // by Dream Seeker //------------------------------// Winter smiled in excitement as she followed Sombra. “What will we be learning? What first?” she asked rapidly. Sombra just chuckled. “Well, let’s just start off with what you know. You can show me what spells you can cast when we get to the training grounds.” “The training grounds? What are those?” Winter asked excitedly. She paused, before answering her own question. “I guess they train there. How many ponies will be there?” Sombra smirked. “Oh, I’m guessing only one or two. On the other hoof, there will probably be a dozen windigoes, and maybe half as many Changelings. Not to mention all the other creatures…” Winter did a facehoof. “Oh, right. I guess I should start using everybody instead of everypony.” Sombra nodded. “Yes, some might find it offensive, but even though that’s a rare few it’s still polite to avoid speciesism.” “Will I know anyp- anybody there?” Winter asked. Sombra tilted his head from side to side. “Well, not yet, at least not this early. Bugze will come to practice later, but… we might want to leave about then.” “Why?” Winter asked innocently. Sombra shuddered. “Let’s just say that Bugze seems to have a talent for collateral damage that rivals Grandbuggy’s and leave it at that… Oh, look, we’re here!” The training grounds were basically just a large stadium with patches of different terrains. There was a sandy patch resembling a desert, a flat grassy patch, and any other terrain you could think of. There was even a miniature lake and a small mountain with a cave in it! Winter looked around in wonder. “Woah! Where do we start?” Winter asked in wonder. “Let’s go to the tundra. It’ll help prevent your body from rotting, and I haven’t showed you a spell to prevent it yet.” “Ok,” Winter moved to the tundra. “Should I show you my spells now?” “Sure.” Winter took the staff out of the pocket dimension, cast a spell to create a golf ball-sized piece of ice and levitated it around a bit before dropping it. Next, she raised a dead pony from the ground where it had apparently been just laying around. Here, she paused. “Why is there a corpse in the tundra of the training grounds?” she asked, a little afraid of the answer. Sombra rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, they want to be able to accommodate everybody's talents, so they have various gemstones in the ground, dead bodies, and some even more… unexpected features. Don’t worry about it, the bodies are ethically sourced.” Winter sighed in relief. “Few. I’m glad that it’s normal, and ethically sourced at that.” “Usually.” Sombra muttered under his breath. “What was that?” Winter cocked her head. “Oh! Uh, nothing.” Sombra said, a little too quickly. “Carry on!” Winter gave him one last, suspicious glance before returning to showing off. She teleported herself on top of the zombie pony, who was a pegasus. The dead, or rather undead, pegasus began flapping its wings, raising Winter into the sky. There, she teleported behind Sombra before letting the pegasus zombie fall back to the ground without her. “Impressive.” Sombra said. “I know you’re behind me, but that’s only because I can sense your staff and phylactery, as well as the necromantic magic holding your body up and your soul in place. An ordinary magic user would be fooled.” Winter pouted when she heard she had been discovered before teleporting back in front of Sombra. “What can you teach me?” she asked happily. Sombra smiled. “Step one- let’s prevent your corpse from rotting any further. Understand that this will not prevent your body from being injured, but it’s more of a bug repellant for the little bugs that eat dead bodies.” Winter shuddered. “Don’t remind me, it always feels weird knowing that there are bugs eating me all the time. Won’t the bug repellant hurt Changelings?” Sombra scowled. “Changelings are not bugs. In fact, calling a Changeling a bug is a grave insult… With the exception of Bugze, of course, or Grandbuggy, or… I guess they use everybuggy too, but don’t suggest that they are real bugs. I have no idea why they started using everybuggy.” “Sorry,” Winter whispered. “Can you teach me the spell now?” “Of course.” Sombra replied. “Let’s get started!” Sombra and Winter spent a considerable amount of time practicing several spells, before Winter’s wings began to hurt. “My wings! They’re hurting!” Winter said excitedly. Sombra raised an eyebrow. “How is that good?” “They haven’t hurt since I died! Maybe they’re coming back to life!” “Sorry to crush your enthusiasm, but that’s probably just your magic pool getting low.” Sombra said flatly. “You are, without a doubt, dead. No heartbeat, I can hear.” “Aww,” Winter said, disappointed. “Wait. Will my magic pool stay low? Will I ever be able to cast spells again?” she asked anxiously. Sombra chuckled. “It’ll be back by tomorrow, don’t worry. Now, Bugze is coming soon anyway, why don’t we leave?” Right on cue, Bugze entered the training grounds. “Hello!” he said cheerfully. “Who do I get to spar with today?” Around him, everybody inched backwards. One group began pushing an unwilling, and unlucky, Windigo forward, chanting “Sac-ra-fice! Sac-ra-fice!” “Is this a challenger?” Bugze asked, grinning. “Falco, PUNCH!” he yelled as he launched himself forward, green flames surrounding his hoof. The crowd surrounding the unlucky Windigo forward scattered, and the Windigo gulped and closed his eyes, hoping that Bugze missed. The flaming hoof passed within an inch of his face, slamming into the miniature mountain instead. Pieces of rock began falling in a miniature avalanche. In addition, the fire from the Falco Punch had somehow hit a tree, causing it to catch fire as well. Bugze’s hoof was still stuck entirely inside rock, and he yanked repeatedly on it, muttering curses under his breath. Sombra winced. “That is a very good example of why most choose to leave when Bugze comes in.” Winter winced as Bugze’s attempts to pull his hoof out of the rocks dislodged another wave of boulders, several of which landed on Bugze. “Yeah… Shouldn’t we help him out?” Sombra waved a hoof. “Not the first time it’s happened, he’ll be alright in a few minutes. Then he’ll try something else, with just as disastrous luck. He’d be really good, if ‘Lady Luck’ as he puts it didn’t keep getting in the way.” “Hello, hello.” a voice said from the entrance. “News here, the Grandbuggy wants to talk to you Sombra! Everybody else, we’ve got a visitor from the Crystal Empire coming tomorrow!” Everybody immediately turned around and stared in shock at the Changeling making the announcement, before the crowd burst into a cacophony of noises. “A visitor?” Winter asked Sombra, confused. “I thought that you had to be an outcast to come to Calypsion.” Sombra grimaced. “That was correct, up until now. I believe we have our first tourist. Now, I have to talk to the Grandbuggy. I’m sure he’ll put these rumors to rest. You can get home safely?” Winter nodded confidently, before waving goodbye. “Will you take me to training tomorrow?” “Of course.” Sombra nodded. “Now, off to bed! Remember to keep the spell that protects you from decomposing on!” “I will!” Winter said, leaving for home.