//------------------------------// // Interlude: Celestia, Luna, anypony! THIS IS IMPORTANT. // Story: Land of Friendship and Magic // by Archmage Ansrit //------------------------------// (From the desk of Twilight Sparkle) It's the ring again! The ring is the key! I am perfectly aware that you warned us of the powers of the ring, but there is more. Another human appeared, only she wasn't human anymore; she turned into an earth pony mare upon arrival. Typhon said it was because she had nothing to protect her Morphic Resonance Field from the influence of the world - humans do not exist in their natural form in this world because the world cannot make sense of them! It's the reason so many magic spells do not work on him! The other examples either had enough power and know-how to protect themselves, or their field was 'human' nominally, yet compatible enough. This new human is called Kat Shifter, and possesses powers over gravity. Circumstances forced her to leave her home, and has been drifting through the different realities. I do not know what kind of circumstances, although it appears that Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy know more - I don't intend to pry, however, as everything was said to them in a moment of trust. Her power is great, and flare-ups seem to take form of an aura in the shape of an alicorn. Then things escalated. Typhon poked fun at her aggressive behavior, then she teased him, he teased back, she asked if he was trying to seduce her, then he said that the real question was if she was. However, both of them seem like they really would back their words with actions, and I think they unintentionally seduced each other. Typhon can turn into a unicorn after removing the ring, slightly taller than the average Ponyville stallion with - as is the case with his human form - defined musculature (although not nearly enough to explain his great physical strength). It helps explain things, and clarifies many questions I had, like how was he able to speak of so many events like he was there personally - I am aware that he can see things that have already happened, even bring guests with him, but some times he speaks like a participant, not a mere observer. He cares for her, and he seems different, somehow. Brighter? Happier? And Kat herself looked less tense; before, she was always guarded, stressed, and Typhon said that it was as if she expected somepony to snap at her. He favors his human form due to a variety of advantages, and he said that he doesn't need the magic that urgently - he can get it from the air, and the volume under his 'influence' is much larger than ever before. This explains why it's incredibly difficult to sense anything from him, as the air of Ponyville and beyond is already saturated with his presence. As part of the 'deal' for his reformation, he had to acquire a permanent address, and he had bought a house. Kat is currently staying there, and seems like she will be for the foreseeable future. I will send more letters at a more reasonable hour tomorrow. Your faithful student Twiligth Sparkle ***** (Celestia's room, Canterlot) Celestia stared at the letter, blinking. Her horn was glowing softly as she absent-mindedly worked the knitting needles for the sweater she intended to give Luna. She wouldn't be keen on manipulating magic while distracted like so, specially after such a metaphorical bomb of a revelation, but the book made knitting seem easy - she even used a sub-space pocket to hold her yarn to keep it out of the way. "Oh my." She finally said, scratching the side of her muzzle. After letting down her hoof, she found out that she couldn't move it. ***** (Hallway to Celestia's room, Canterlot) Luna trotted to her sister's chambers in a bit of a foul mood, levitating the grass bracer and the fiery rapier. She had tried everything she could think of, short of actually trying them out in a duel, and had decided to ask her sister for ideas. Opening the large, sun-emblazoned doors revealed a horrifying sight - a monster of impossible biology was attempting to devour her sister! With a battlecry, she directed her magic to thrust the rapier into the mass furthest from her sister, feeling the warmth bound in the metal of her weapon, and feeling it burst through the wound to the hideous beast from Beyond, provoking its rough material to become aflame for an instant. The other blade unfolded as she struck swiftly at the creature, the light-yet-sharp weapon being so easy to guide, it appeared that it was liberating Celestia from her bounds on its own! As she gave one last flick of the Scarlet blade, severing the last piece of the Eldritch Being from the twisted portal bored into their world, the Grass-cutter returned to its dormant state. "Foul creature! Attempting to entrap my sister?!" She bellowed, wings spread wide and eyes glowing with raw power. "Harm her with your filthy appendages?! Know thy place! Know thy shame!" "Luna... that was a sweater." Celestia sighed at the antics of her sister. "Huh?" Luna's eyes quickly faded back into her usual turquoise, and gave her sister a confused glance. "Well, sweater or no, it was winning the battle and dragging you into non-Euclidian space, dear sister. Looking at its geometries strained my eyes as well." "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Lulu. I was just using a sub-space pocket to store... hmm, but if I was under such a... yes, that could provoke a bleed-off of... never mind, Lulu, I'm grateful for your assistance." Celestia pointedly looked away, hoping her blush wasn't noticeable. "Have you been exercising magic that bends reality without paying attention to it again, Cicy?" Luna asked with a mischievous smile spreading through her face. "Never mind that, I see that you managed to get those blades to cooperate for a moment." Celestia answered with all of the grace of centuries of practice in changing the subject into something more immediately fetching. "Hmm... that much is true." Luna mumbled, inspecting the red- no, the Scarlet blade, and remembering the mesmerizing tongues of flame that seemed to dance along the edges, and the confident warmth that she could feel radiating from her grip. "It appears that that is precisely the key; cooperation." Luna nodded as she announced her discovery. "I could feel something else, too, as if a spell structure was bound within the weapon." "Oh my!" Celestia leaned closer. "Fascinating!" "And this other one appears to help guide itself." Luna regarded the Grassy sword with new eyes. "It responded quickly to my desires to free you from Yarnthulhu, the Homemade Sweater from Tartarus that you unwittingly created, dear sister." Celestia flinched; Luna would not let her live that down for decades...