The rest of the train ride was spent talking amongst ourselves. We actually had a visitor, a little colt by the name of Greener Side. He asked if Wade and I were 'minnow-tows'. We of course told him we were minotaurs, and eventually sent him on his way, after a short discussion on privacy. Little guy managed to get a 'princesses autograph' out of Twilight.
When we reached the platform at Canterlot, both me and Wade transformed into our designated disguises. Wade, however, transformed into a pony that was awfully familiar, yet noticeably different. I forced myself to recall whatever I could remember regarding the show and its side characters. Thankfully, I managed to recall where I had seen that particular form. it was a cross between Fluttershy and a bat.
"What?" he asked, seeing my questioning gaze.
"Just thinking to myself. How did you manage to acquire that transformation? Since you said you arrived after the main show, there should be no way to acquire the DNA needed to transform into Flutterbat. She was reverted back to normal after her little fiasco one night in the apple orchard."
My gaze wandered over the city street, my heart stopping for a brief moment. The buildings were on fire and ice protruded from the roads. If I listened close enough I swear I could hear the cries of the soldiers that I carelessly brushed aside.
I blinked, and the horrors vanished from my sight. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. I haven’t had a flashback like that since the time I took my first life. I need to get a hold of myself, I’m growing sloppy.
"Well, I guess I kinda cheated," Wade started, stepping off the train. Rarity commandeered a cart from somewhere, placing all of her bags in a neat pile on top of it. "I mixed DNA from Fluttershy and Ferdinando here," he took the moment to find him inside Fluttershy's hair, giving him a quick scratch, "They did that in the books, at least once. One of the main characters mixed the DNA from all the other main characters, three boys and two girls, all human. Ended up giving him a weirdly feminine male morph. I had Ferdinando hanging from my sleeve, and Fluttershy right in front of me. So I decided to experiment, and it actually worked."
That's interesting, I wonder what the cap would be for the amount of mixed DNA’s in a single morph? Could he even mix forms he already has? "have you attempted to combine the forms you already have access to? I don't know much about the show you're referring to, but it sounds as if it holds a database within the cube. Is there any way to access the database and 'play' with the DNA strands?"
"Technically, the 'database' is in me. All the different strands of DNA swimming around inside my body, waiting for me to call on it and activate it with a morph." We took a slight detour around a blocked street, heading down 'Trot and Mane'. "The cube is, according to the book series, and all the vague information it gave, a container for nanites. It controls them and allows for the morphs through z-space, but the DNA is firmly beneath my skin."
"I guess I've never really tried, though… the magical variant I managed to get does do screwy things sometimes." He bumped into an old mare while talking and quickly apologized before we continued on our way. "In the books there's a two hour time limit rule. I don't have that. The nanites are supposed to be completely technological, but they appear to run off of magic, my magic."
So, yet another who is experiencing differences in regards to the cannon material. "Well, perhaps the device mutated to compensate for the differences of this universe. There are differences to my abilities as well when compared to the game. For example, when a tome runs out of uses in the games, they brake. Kinda stupid if you think of a book breaking just because you finish reading it, eh?"
"Yeah, game mechanics don't always translate well," he admitted, "but it's not that the device mutated, The Merchant made it how it is. He told me he messed with it right before he sent me here... hmmm, " he hummed to himself, " I can do partial morphs, but I've never tried to mix and match with what I already have... do you think I should?" he asked me.
I merely shrugged indifferently. "It’s your call. I'm here to teach you about magic in general. You'd know more about the limits of your device than I. If you think you can make a breakthrough, then go for it."
"Hmm."
We walked on in silence for a time, Twilight guiding us through the crowded streets. We stopped at one point, Spike pointing at a shop, telling us it was 'Donut Joe's'.
"The more I think on it, a pony named Joe is rather odd, wouldn't you say?" Wade asked me.
I laughed. "Perhaps, but still, its like a breath of fresh air to hear a common human name." I looked up towards Canterlot Castle, watching the grandeur castle growing larger with every step. "How many more detours are we going to take? I'm anxious to start studying."
"We should get there in about ten minutes," Twilight responded, looking back at Rarity. "Are… you coming with us? I will admit, I'm unsure as to your staying arrangements-"
"Don't worry Twilight," Rarity interrupted, "I was invited to stay at the palace by Celestia herself, in apologies for the problems with my supplies. So basically I'm heading the same way you are~"
"Well that's convenient," Wade muttered.
We kept on going, finally stopping in front of a large gate, policed by two guard ponies with their signature Roman Legion armor.
"Halt!" one of them declared, moving forward to meet us.
Twilight didn't say anything, instead shoving a letter from her bags in front of the stallion's face. His eyes flicked from right to left several times, until he let out a gruff blast of air from his nostrils. Rarity took this opportunity to show him her letter as well, much to his surprise.
"Everything appears to be in order, have a nice day, madams."
I rolled my eyes as I entered the castle. I examined the stained glass windows as my mind wandered. "I don't understand one thing,” I began, “this Equestria seems to be much more advanced than my own. Why in the world haven't you revolutionized metallurgy. steel, hell even iron, is so much stronger than gold."
"Gold is a much more readily available resource," Twilight explained, "I mean, we use it for our main currency, so you can probably tell how common it is just from that alone. The point is, gold can be just as strong and even lighter than steel due to its magically compatible qualities. And steel, iron? Do you have any idea how laborious a process it is to refine those metals? Why, it would be more cost effective to simply buy it, and even that's not a straight bet. Only the diamond dogs have the forges large enough for mass production of iron or steel, and they never mine those metals in enough quantity for it to be worth it to them."
I stared at Twilight incredulously. I wasn’t the only one as I caught a similar expression from Wade. Even if gold was readily available, even if iron and steel is expensive, wouldn’t it be worth it if it meant better protection? Something told me that if I visited neighboring countries, their military would be equipped with better gear.
"What about aluminium?" Wade asked.
"Aluminum? Are you joking?" Twilight scoffed, "a single ounce of aluminum is worth about seventy bits, the price it would take to refine THAT isn't worth it in any way, shape, size or form!" she ended with a great big guffaw. "Aluminum… what next?"
You have got to be shitting me. They know about all these advanced materials and yet they refuse to use them!? So they are hard to come by, they have fucking magic! Get some unicorns and earth pony teams together to do some mining. Not your special talent? I’d hate for your special talent to be moving rubble from point A to point B. Not only would they benefit from the gained minerals, but it could open up job opportunities to poorer ponies.
"Titanium?” I pushed, “that can be useful. Or, you know, go straight for God damn Uranium if you're able to. With magic, you should be able to negate the negative effects and it can be considered a rather green and powerful source of fuel." I stopped for a moment to shake my head. "Why am I discussing metals now. We have more important matters at hand. Where's the throne room? I need to speak to Luna regarding the status of the training hall and the supplies she offered me."
Of course..." Twilight leaned over to Wade, and whispered in his ear none too quietly. "What's Uranium?"
"No matter!" She exclaimed, ignoring her own question. "This way to the grand hall, Celestia is no doubt having day court as we spea- Princess Luna!"
I turned my head to see Luna walking down the hallway towards us. At the sight of Twilight, a small smile crept its way onto her face.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" she declared, "May the light shine upon thy day. We trust thy ride was uneventful?"
"It was quite pleasant, Princess Luna. And might we thank you for your generous hospitality," Twilight replied.
Luna looked us over, her brightened smile darkening slightly. Strange, what’s she hiding… "Ah, hail to thee, Lady Rarity..." She turned her gaze to me, and a sheen of light crossed her horn and her eyes. A spell of some kind, something passive no doubt. The combination of both her eyes and horn may suggest she’s looking at me with a third eye. A pair of magical glasses of sorts. Her smile suddenly returned full force as her horn died out, and she exclaimed very loudly, "Sir Robin! Well met! We had for a second believed you absent, to be honest."
A large amount of ponies were milling about the halls, most of them turning towards us at her greeting. I could feel my frustration building as numerous sets of eyes fell upon me. It didn’t help that Luna greeted me as a male when, quite clearly, I am not at the moment.
"Ah, tis not a private locale, we're afraid. If thou would be so willing to follow?" she gestured with a wing.
I forced out a chuckle and followed closely behind Luna, ignoring the curious stares I was receiving. I trotted up until I was walking by her side. "I want to thank you Luna, for your exceptional response time. I must say, when you offered to house me at Canterlot, I never expected to receive a letter the following morning. Not only that, but you even offered to supply me any necessities needed to teach Wade and secured a private area to practice the magic safely. You have my gratitude, Luna."
My ears twitched in annoyance as the surrounding ponies, mostly nobles, continued to stare at me in mixed confusion and curiosity. If I had it my way I would threaten them all to remind them of their own business. As it was, I didn’t want to look bad in front of our host. I instead motioned for Luna to lean in close, which she did after a small period of confusion. I whispered into her ear, "While I can understand the need for formality in public, Luna, know that right now I am not a 'Sir'. Twilight gave me a female form which, while awkward at first, will work better to hide my identity. Should you continue to feel the need to attach titles to my name, please use feminine suffixes. I assure you I will not be offended, as the point of which is to remain inconspicuous."
"Ah, tis true," Luna said, taking a step and gesturing down the hall, "We promised thee privacy. If you would follow, we would bring you the the private halls which we have closed off for thee," Luna leaned over myself now, and I swear I heard a couple hushed gasps. It was only then that I realized just how close I had gotten to Luna. My face tinged red with embarrassment as I reprimanded myself for feeling as such in front of those who mean nothing to me. My frustration only grew when my tail flicked in annoyance against my will. "We hath had a myriad of supplies allocated, every possible item which thee could possibly want for thy studies."
Luna led us past the assembled nobles, who whispered as we went by. They eventually petered out as we made our way through the halls, finally passing a couple of guards standing at attention in the middle of an intersection. We continued on down the restricted area as Luna gestured with a wing at a row of rooms we were passing on our left.
"Here's the bedrooms, I'm sorry they're not as luxurious as your previous accommodations Lady Rarity, but I was under the impression you would want to be near your friends. Also, this seemed like an easier place to get your supplies delivered for the duration of your visit."
Rarity looked in one of the rooms, trotting over to the next, and then the next. She finally returned to the first, "It is… acceptable. I thank you for this, its much more than I could possible ask for. Now if you will excuse me," she said, shoving her cart of bags through the first door, "I have to go and negotiate the release of my delivery. They said all it will take is a signature, but I just know it's going to be a literal pile of them. Just, five hundred different pages, and always, 'just one more signature, Ms. Rarity', " she mocked in a low tone of voice. She let out a low sigh, and gave a short bow to Luna, and a nod to the rest of us.
I bid farewell to Rarity with a curt nod of my own before turning back to Luna. "Any room you have to supply me with is more than acceptable. I've had less than pleasant living conditions in the past, so I'm rather appreciative I get a room at all. Now, is there anything that must be signed before I'm allowed to take control of the private halls?"
"Everything has been taken care of, my sister and I actually seized this wing from my nephew on charges of gross negligence several moons ago. It has thoroughly been cleaned since then, so don't worry about that. I have closed off this area, so unless you find yourself back at the guards we have posted, you should be able to walk around freely. If you would follow me once more, I'll direct you to the training hall I… we have set up for you," she ended with a blush.
I raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on the change of tone. Why was she acting so nervous? Regardless, I can finally shed this disguise, something I did with great relief. Once I had returned to my original form, I cleared my throat and spoke in a calm voice. "Again, I must thank you Luna. You've really helped me here and I know Wade appreciates it as well." I ended with a small glare in his direction, waiting for an input from him. If there’s one thing I’ve learned its that you give thanks to those who help you. No reason to burn a bridge once it has been built.
“Yes!” Wade yelped, “Thank you so much! If not for you we would have ended up spending the entire week cramped up in the castle.”
“You are very much welcome,” She said with a slight nod.
I chuckled as I continued to follow Luna. "Do you think you could supply me with empty tomes?"
Luna brightened at the question, and answered in a happy tone, "I was able to allocate a large number of blank books, as well as materials for transmuting any you might need should you use them up."
My grin only widened. Not only would I be able to show Wade how to write, but I could stock up on some myself. "Excellent! I didn't bring every spell book, so I'll need to write my own at some point. Are we going to see the room now?"
"Yes, right this way," she said, heading further off down the corridor. In no time at all we found ourselves in a large room, easily the size of a football field. There was a mountain of books right by the entrance, all neatly piled up into a pyramid. Looking around, there were a bunch of different mannequins, and circles on the floor. More than I could count.
I’ll admit, I was overjoyed to see the training room. If only I had something like this available to me from the start! I rushed over to the pile of books and immediately started sorting through them, inspecting them for any faults. I found none. "This is incredible! I wish I had this when I was learning!"
I turned towards Wade, no doubt my excitement showing. "Get ready Wade, we have a lot to go over. I'm thinking we can pull 12 hours or more of studying a day. Not only that I need to test you at the end of the week..." I trailed off as I considered my options. I could give him a written test I suppose. Maybe a formal battle against myself, having him stay standing for a minimal amount of time.
"So, uh..." Wade trailed off, turning to Luna. "You ah… met Robin in his dream or something?"
"Indeed," she replied, giving him a wide smile as I continued to look over the different dummies in the room. "I met him last night within the twilit shades of his dreams. We had a pleasant chat, were you aware you do not dream?" she suddenly asked, shoving her muzzle into his face.
"Uh… yeah, I've been told something like that." He backed away a couple steps. "Is that bad?"
"Incredibly so!" She was in his face again. "If one does not have dreams, then their body dies! Of course, this is odd in itself, seeing as you haven't dreamed for over a month without any ill effects..."
I coughed, getting the attention of both Wade and Luna. "I actually have a few theories to why this is. It's very possible that such restrictions are not placed upon us humans. This would most likely be due to the fact that we originate from a planet, possibly universe, devoid of magic. Most humans can't use magic, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Another possibility is the device he carries tampers with his DNA dramatically enough that he doesn't require sleep." I directed my attention towards Wade, "Tell me Wade, when you wake up, do you always feel like you got a perfect night's rest?"
"Depends on how much sleep I get," He replied. "I can operate pretty normally off of four hours of sleep, but I can't do that more than twice a week. If I can get a full nights sleep I wake up pretty good, but every other night Twilight wakes me up with her… snoring… " he trailed off, trying to hide from the irate lavender Alicorn.
"Tis naught to be embarrassed of, Princess Twilight. A combination of earth pony and pegasus makes for some powerful lungs. Tis only natural for the... for the... pffffffff-" Luna tried to choke off her laughter, to little effect.
Twilight was red faced and trying to avoid visual contact with any of us. "It's… not that bad..."
"Its pretty bad, Twi," Spike said.
"Spike!"
"What? I sleep in your room Twi, and the castle walls trap sound, they make it echo all around like an earthquake. I personally always found it to be soothing..."
"ALWAYS?" Twilight seethed.
"Well, yeah. Before you became an Alicorn, it was quieter. I like it better now though."
"Does it remind thy instincts of the tumultuous rumbling in the gut of a dragon?"
"WHAT?"
Oh this is just too good.
"Well… yes? I guess?" Spike replied, trying to avoid Twilight's gaze.
"Aha! Tis only natural. A young dragon will always find comfort in loud sounds. Twilight, you should not be embarrassed, but grateful you have such a natural acuity to comforting your charge!"
"Can we please change the subject?" Twilight asked, her face brighter than Big Mac’s.
My mouth was quivering at the corners as I tried to contain my own amusement. I let out a strained cough and complied with Twilight's wish. "So, we've seen the training hall, which is marvelous by the way. Tell me Luna, is it strong enough to possibly contain large explosions? My magic can be volatile and while I understand the wing is closed off, I don't want any new holes in the walls."
"Ah, you doubt our spellwork?" Luna asked, charging magic to her horn in a great cone of midnight tinged azure. She turned from us, facing the room instead as she continued to increase the magic going to her horn. Soon it went past the normal unicorn charging, lighting up into a veritable pyramid of magical energy above her.
I began to grow nervous for a number of reasons. For one, she had summoned up enough magical power to easily blast a decent sized hole in the wall. But what really made me nervous was the fact that she wasn’t straining herself. She was stronger than the Luna I knew. I think I’m still stronger than her, but I'm not so sure. I Celestia and Luna teamed up on me though...
Luna suddenly took all the charged magic back inside her horn, and focused it like a laser at the far wall. It went from corner to corner, twice, drawing a smiley face at the end. She turned and gave us a grin as the room exploded... and stopped. It was certainly a titanic blast of air and fire that had been released, but along with the sound it simply ceased after a single second. The copious amounts of sigils that littered the floor, walls and ceiling were glowing. They eventually dimmed, becoming nothing more than drawings once more.
"You see?" Luna asked, holding a triumphant head high. "Mine sister and I prepared the room specifically to counter even one of our temper tantrums," she gave me a wink, "More my sister than one of mine, mind you."
"Alicorns have temper tantrums?" Wade asked.
"More like mini breakdowns," Spike countered, much to Twilight's chagrin.
I nodded after a few moments, still going over the information in my head as I motioned Wade over. "The room is better than I could've hoped for. Let's start practicing magic right away. Turn back into your human form though."
He complied, returning to his original body. He unclasped the cloak from around his neck, folding it up and tossing it outside of the door.
"Okay, so what first?" he asked.
"I am also curious as to how your training would start. You said I could sit in and watch, as long as I don't interrupt, right?"
"Ooh, ooh! Us as well! I mean… me? I? Luna too!" Luna bellowed out.
I rolled my eyes and reached into my bag, withdrawing Flux. "Very well, you may all stay and watch, but do please be quiet. If you have any questions, either wait until after I'm finished with Wade or there's a pause in my teachings." I handed Wade the book and instructed for him to open it. "In order to use my magic you require a bond with the words. You don't need to read it aloud, but you need to read enough. You'll feel a sense of… connection with the tome. That's when you know you're ready to start using the magic."
I watched as Wade skimmed through the book, his eyes crossing in confusion.
"Whats it say?" Twilight asked, being immediately shushed by both myself and Luna.
"Well… the integral coefficient added to the ballast..." he trailed off, reading it under his breath. "Collect matter to dense point… thrust with vitality... imagine… sledding on black snow… door to the..." he finished reading, looking up at Twilight. "Well that didn't make a whole lot of-"
That’s when I saw understanding cross his eyes. I cheered internally as Wade finally began to understand how this worked. "I take it back, that makes perfect sense, Flux!" he declared, forming a small ball of darkness in the palm of his hand.
I nodded approvingly. "Well done, seems you figured it out. now, keep your concentration. try to force the energy outwards towards the training dummy. Imagine pushing against it, encouraging it to flow from its static position."
He followed my instructions, and the ball moved. It shot out like a slingshot and slammed into the side of the fake ponies head, causing a decent sized explosion which shattered most of the dummy to pieces. The chunks flew away... only to be stopped in midair twitching, as the sigils in the floor beneath them glowed with an azure light they slowly floated back to where they came from, remaking the dummy without a scratch.
"Well, that's convenient," Wade muttered.
"Truly a great first effort, huzzah!" Luna cheered. "But twas not strong enough to make the fireworks or the music start... better luck next time."
Fireworks and music? What was this, a training hall or a carnival?
I nodded. "Good work, that was indeed a great first usage of the spell. Now, summon another ball, but try to draw more magic from the tome. Imagine taking the magic like a stream, continually adding the flow until it becomes a torrent. Your goal is to create a larger sphere this time."
Wade focused on the book, "Flux," he stated more steadily this time. The same ball of inky black darkness appeared in his hand. I watched as he pulled more magic from the book, pushing it into the ball. It grew at least twice its size in less than a second, hovering about a foot over his hand. A few seconds later and it became the size of a beach ball.
He threw it at the same dummy as before, exalting in the explosion that occurred. Same as before, the dummy repaired itself, but a peculiar sound played afterwards. *Bwaaa, bwaaaaaa*. Reminded me of the sound effect that’s made when someone does something idiotic.
Wade threw a questioning glance at Luna. "What? I said you hadn't done enough for the music, I just didn't tell you there was different grades. By the way, that was still only a 'W'. I will not intrude on Robins teachings by attempting to advise you, but I will wish you good luck." She gave a short laugh, "Also, if you get up past a 'G', the fireworks and light shows will activate." She gave a nod to myself, "If you want to turn the 'achievement incentives' off, just place your hoof… sorry, your hand on the circle beside the door," she pointed at a bland yellow circle beside the door, placed at hoof height for a pony. "If you want to turn them back on, just do the same thing."
I glanced over my shoulder at the door, seeing the indicated sigil. For a moment I wondered if Luna was mocking me, considering I myself am technically a video game character. I shook my head to rid myself of the though, she couldn’t possibly have known. "The achievements are fine on or off. The magic isn't always used for combat. It has other uses too." I looked over the training dummy. "How much power is required for each level of sound?"
"Depends on the grade, but until you get up to 'F' its just twice the amount from the previous one. At that point, it becomes quadruple the amount per level."
"Wait, how come it didn't make any sound when you did it?" Wade asked her, "Yours was way more impressive than mine, and-"
"The spell is only attached to the dummies," she interrupted. "We didn't want the music to go off with any errant spell that managed to trip it. Also, I hate to inform you, but the dummy you chose is made of glass."
"No it isn't, it’s made of wood," Wade argued, pointing at the glorified manikin.
"Incorrect. If you would read the words on the side," she pointed at the dummy indicating the words, which to me, appeared as gibberish, "It even says the composition is glass. Basically, it is a… level one target. If you wish for more of a challenge, attack one of the ones against the back wall," she suggested, pointing off down the row of dummies, to one at the end.
"Level one?" Wade whined, "Way to make me feel inadequate. Well I did just start out..."
I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked over the targets. "It's a great setup and one perfect for Wade. I may be able to increase my knowledge while here as well. There are more than a few alterations I've been meaning to try, and this is the perfect chance to do so." I took out Arcwind, giving it a quick once over before I tucked it under my arm.
I returned my attention to the dummy, looking it over for any weak points. I was still unfamiliar with pony anatomy and twice now it has hindered me. When I return home I would need to do some in depth research on the subject. "Luna, do you think we could have a dummy in the shape of a human? I think it would be useful for Wade if he were to practice on bipedal enemies, and humans are fairly generic compared to most."
"Of course, unfortunately we don't have any of humans, but there is a configuration for," Luna took a second to let out a low cough, clearing her throat. She suddenly called out, "Minotaur!"
All of the dummies suddenly glowed, flowing in their spots like melting wax. In only a few second, each and every single one of them stood up on two legs. Jutting from a waist that seemed too small to hold them up, were a large, humanoid chest. Out of each chest flowed two long, huge arms. On top of their tree trunk necks, perched a head of a bull, flat and featureless.
"Minotaurs," Wade muttered, "They look… menacing."
I hummed thoughtfully as I looked the body over, "That should work easily enough." He turned towards me, "I'm not only teaching you how to use magic, I'm teaching you to fight. I'll show you the weak points on the species I'm familiar with, most being bipedal creatures." I focused on the dummy Wade had practiced on and I narrowed my eyes in concentration.
I’ve been wanting to try this move for some time now, but since little has been trying to kill me, I haven’t gotten the chance. Now, however, I could attempt it without hurting anyone.
An unseen wind began to flow through the room, gathering strength with each passing second. I let it flow freely, but concentrating it to an area which surrounded the mannequin. I raised my finger and pointed it at the dummy, centering it upon its chest. Soon I began to make fast motions with my digit, moving left, right, up, down.
I smirked as parts of the dummy began to fall, perfect cuts made wherever I motioned my finger. Within moments the dummy was but a stick, the rest of it lying upon the ground in piles. I lowered my finger, the wind dying out as I canceled the flow of magic.
*Beedle de doop!~* sounded from the ceiling.
"Huzzah, an L for finesse, as well as magical strength!" Luna called out. "A perfect use of Paralda’s cutting breeze."
So I’m not the first to think of such an attack? Shame.
"Paral… what?" Twilight asked.
"Paralda, a Roc from back when Starswirl still walked the lands. She was an expert in in the language of the wind, and helped keep peace along with her brothers and sister. I can personally attest that she was able to split a grain of sand in half, and then in half again. The advancements she contributed to wind magic are undeniable, you should know this as a student of magic, Princess Twilight," she chastised.
"I wanna do that. Can I do that? That was awesome!" Wade called out.
I chuckled. "One day, yes, but not now. What you saw requires immense concentration and a deep understanding of Wind magic. I specialize in Wind magic myself, and it took me three to four years to master it and its needed concentration. Of course, I branched out into all four elements of the magic at the time. If you want to focus on Dark magic, then it will take much longer for you to do what I just did."
He took a moment to think on my words. "I want to focus on dark based magic, but I don't want to ignore the others. If I focused on darkness… no, that wouldn't work…"
"Robin, please teach me all of the magics," Wade requested, standing up straight. "I realize that it would take longer than specifically specializing in one field, but I've seen the proof of it for myself."
I stared him down for a few moments before breaking into a smile. Good, he was starting to learn. "A wise decision. It's better to be well rounded and be adept to multiple situations rather than a few. If you practice 12 hours a day every day for three to five months, you should be able to perform the higher level spells. In order to master the control of the spells... well, that can take longer."
Time for a demonstration, something else I’ve been wanting to try out for some time as well.
I swapped out Arcwind for Arcthunder. I repeated the process of reading it before cradling it under my arm. I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves, blocking out all other distractions. Instead of shooting the magic out of me, I let it build inside myself. Before long my efforts were rewarded. Electricity raced across my body, my outline glowing a faint yellow. I had created a natural armor with pure skill and magic alone. I could feel my body heat up from the friction, but it wasn’t painful in anyway. So long as I kept focus, I could easily hold this technique.
Now, time for something else.
I walked over to the dummy and placed my hand on the head. I forced all of the electricity within me into the head in the span of seconds. A few moments later and the head exploded into multiple fragments.
*Wha da da daaa, wooooooomp* came the sad tone from above us.
"Ah, only a 'P'. Still, an admirable display."
I shrugged, more than a little annoyed with the sounds now. "The point isn't power, it's control. If you aren't able to control the magic, then you have no place monitoring its power. That's what you did recently, Wade. The first Flux ball you created was normal for such a spell. The second, however, used up more magic from the tome. If you can master control, you could completely overwhelm all your opponents. Take, for example, my recent demonstration. If I were to completely drain all of the magic from the tome, I could multiply the power inconceivably. Of course, you do run the risk of damaging your own body."
"Okay," He responded, "Can I try a different tome, would you rather I continue with Flux for now?"
"Sure, you can try a different tome. What would you like to try next: Wind, Fire or Thunder?"
He looked at the dummy I had previously blown the head off of. He chewed his lip as he considered the options.
"Can I try the wind spell first?" he asked, holding the tome Flux out to me.
I nodded and took Flux, returning it to the bag. I then took out Wind and handed it to him. "This tome is simply called Wind," I began, "It's the lowest level of wind magic and the starter tome into the field. Wind magic is considered the weakest of the 4 elements, but it's fast and precise. Also, if you become adept in the field, you will eventually be able to learn how to use Ice magic."
"Coool," he said, taking the book in his left hand as he flipped it open.
"Wind," he said as he focused and stretched out his hand. Soon, small wisps of visible wind began to surround his hand. Like a pitcher at a ballgame, he threw the ball of wind at the mannequin.
It collided with the dummy, and did nothing more than score a long gouge down the middle of it. Even that was swiftly erased, the dummy returning to the state it was in previously.
"Did… I do something wrong?" he asked, looking from his hand, to the book, back to the dummy. "That did almost nothing..."
I smiled knowingly. There was much more to this magic than meet the eye. Time for another lesson. "Each magic has it's own feels and desires. Dark magic is powerful and wishes to conquer all who oppose it. Wind magic, however, is free and light. It's like laughter, ever present, but just out of reach. You have to let the wind flow around you and outwards. Instead of forcefully throwing it at the target, try to gracefully 'cut' the target. Direct the wind with your own body. Dance with the wind."
I understand that this isn’t how magic necessarily works. The first time I came to this conclusion I refused to believe it. Only after several tests did I realize the true nature. This magic was alive in some ways, an extension of the world around us. The spells will still work regardless, but it’s true potential will remain locked. Still, it annoys me to no end that my explanation is... cheesy...
Wade considered my words before summoning another ball of wind. He threw it, and it split the dummy in half. It almost fell apart, before repairing itself with a *snap*.
"Still not good enough?" He asked, preparing to make it bigger. "Wind!" He called out holding his hand above him, slowly spinning it in a circle. Soon enough he had a whirlpool of wind humming around his outstretched fingers, growing larger with each bit of magic he forced into it. The results were similar, only requiring the dummy one more second to repair itself.
"Wind!" Still no improvement.
"WIND!" He pumped so much into it that the wind began to grow restless, while it was strong enough to give him a sound strike, it only cut off the right arm. It didn't even reach the floor before it flew back up and reattached itself.
"Dammit, this is frustrating," Wade said, shaking in anger. "Why is it harder to control than Flux? Oh gee Wade, its almost like it's wind or something," He snarked to himself. "I'm not getting worse, am I?" he asked, looking down at the Wind tome. "Hmph."
He then tucked the tome under his armpit, placing his fingertips together. "Wind," he called, willing the air into a ball.
What happened next left me stunned.
"Flux," he said.
I watched with wide eyes as the dark magic flowed into the blades of wind. The green hue it was previously giving off turned a sinister dark purple as the two spells mixed together. Wade continued to pump more magic into the combined… anomaly, letting it grow into a decent sized ball of dark wind. Once he seemed satisfied he threw it at the dummy.
For a few seconds nothing happened, but then the ball exploded, several blades of wind slicing the dummy into six different sections. They each clattered on the ground, and a short trumpet blast sounded from the ceiling before it repaired itself.
"Ohoho, a level 'R', great hybrid implementation acolyte Wade!" Luna called out, throwing a hoof in the air.
I watched the spectacle in silence, staring at the dummy for a long time. I could feel my eyelid starting to twitch uncontrollably as my brain pieced together exactly what had happened. I turned to Wade. Strange, he looked nervous for some reason.
"Wade... What the hell did you just do?"
"Um," he started, "Combined Wind and Flux? I just figured since Flux was so easy to aim, if might make it easier to aim Wind if I added to it. Wasn't really expecting the 'multiple air blades' thing at the end, but I prefer to think of that as a welcome plus."
I could feel my anger starting to grow alongside my irritation. In fact, I was feeling so many different emotions at the moment, I had a hard time deciding which one I should go for. My fingers were curled into fists and I could feel an aneurysm forming on my forehead. I spoke through clenched teeth, "Wade... you can't combine Wind and Flux. The magic doesn't work like that. It's only one or the other."
"Whats the problem?" Wade asked, holding his left hand up. "Wind," He declared, forming the gust of wind around his left hand. "Flux," he stated, forming the ball of darkness in his right hand. "And then I just," he forced the two magics to combine, forming the same ball as before, "shove them together." He tried to make the ball even bigger than before, to compare it to the beach ball sized Flux, but he lost control and it just dissipated with a loud blast of air. "Well, something like that."
The moment I saw both Flux and Wind being used together again I felt something snap within me. Literally. I think I heard some glass breaking accompanied with muffled screaming. It was such a nice sound, maybe I should stab my enemies more often with glass. Oh, best go for the eyes though, I bet that would hurt the most.
I was taken out of my day dreaming when I noticed everyone's worried expressions. I don’t know why they were worried, this was great! In fact, it was hilarious!
I suddenly started to laugh, "Heh... haha... HAHAHA, that's fucking amazing! I mean, it's not like you're breaking several rules of magic in the process or anything!" My voice cracked towards the end.
"Rules?" Wade asked. Luna and Twilight looked confused as well. "I mean, I get that you need the tomes to learn the spell, and they make it hella easier to cast the spell, but you don't need the tome in your hand to use it, obviously."
I noticed the confusion on their faces mixed with their slight terror. I… I almost lost myself there for a moment, didn’t I? I slowly calmed down, but I was far from happy with this revelation. "Yes... rules. Let me start from the beginning. You need the tomes in order to learn the spells, yes. Once you excel far enough in a specific field, the old language needed to write the tomes should be ingrained into your mind, permanently. However, Wade, you do need the tome close by in order to use it. It needs to remain on your person. If I read the tome, bonded myself to the magic, and then threw the book to the other side of the room, I wouldn't be able to cast spells. You need the tome in order to cast this magic. Not only that, but you're only allowed to use one spell per tome, which means you can only ever have access to one spell at a time. Not only did you completely ignore this, but you went so far as to combine two different spells, which, may I remind you, shouldn't be possible in the first place!" I threw my arms into the air, "Congratulations Wade, you just gave several magical laws the middle finger."
"Oh," he simply said, scratching the bridge of his nose. "Is that a bad thing? Is there actually a magic law tribunal or something that will jump down my throat for this? Or are you just saying I shouldn't be able to do this?" He placed the Wind tome outside the door and walked all the way across the room.
"Wind," he said, concentrating on the spell. It lept to his fingertips, but noticeably far weaker than when he held the book. He threw it at the dummy nearest to him, but it didn't even leave a scratch.
"Okay, so apparently I also don't have to abide by the distance thingy you were talking about. It is a LOT harder, though," he said, shaking out his hand.
I sighed and massaged my temples, trying to alleviate the headache that was rising. "It's not a bad thing, Wade, you just shouldn't be able to perform such a feat. In all honesty, I'm just upset that you have such an ability. It's one of my greatest weaknesses and I've long given up finding a way around it."
I grew somber at the thought. I had spent months trying to find away around my debilitation, but nothing I did worked. "It's just a slap in the face, ya know? I could become so much stronger, reach new heights in the field of magic, my magic. But no, instead, that potential is given to my newest apprentice."
I cast my eyes downward, feeling the sting of defeat once more after so long. But… was this truly a bad thing? Yes, Wade did something that shouldn't have been possible, but the fact of the matter is he did it. If I pushed him to train harder than ever before I may just be able to make a breakthrough on this dilemma. I looked over Wade from head to toe. I’ll admit, it would be a stretch, but I may just be able to get some answers. My lips quivered and a smirk found its way onto my face. "No... I can't reach such heights... but you can. Get ready Wade, because if you thought training under me was going to be hard before, then it just got worse. I am going to teach you as much as I can in the short time I'm here; everything from magic, to swordplay, to battle tactics and strategy. Together we are going to unlock the potential you seem to hold."
I rushed over to my bag and started unpacking all the books within. Tome after tome was removed until there were almost 15 in all. I bent down and began sorting through them, categorizing them by tree. "The ability to combine the magic from Fire Emblem... an astounding ability. The combinations you could create seem impossible, and yet are now probable. Tornadoes of pure fire, dark winds, electrical storms... so many possibilities."
Satisfied that I had everything I needed, I looked at Luna and Twilight. "I need to ask you two to leave. This is a huge development in magic and I want all of my concentration focused upon Wade. I know you want to observe, but please, perhaps later in the week. Right now we have a lot of work to get done, and in such a short amount of time."
"Awww," Luna whined, surprisingly being led away by Twilight. I would have expected it to be the other way. Perhaps Twilight heard the urgency in my voice. Spike brought up the rear of their little caravan, waving at us goodbye. "Later Sir Robin, Acolyte Wade!" Luna called out, being pushed out of sight.
"Alright then," Wade said, looking down at the tomes I had pulled out, "What first?"
"First, I am going to teach you the other two basic tomes. That way, you at least have the knowledge ingrained into you. After that we can start to branch off in different directions."
"Okay," he replied, "So there’s Flux and Wind, what are the other tomes?"
"The other two starter tomes are fire and thunder," I responded, "Which one do you want to focus on next?"
Wade walked back to the doorway to retrieve Wind before returning to me and handing it back. "I guess I'd like to go straight to Thunder, if that's alright with you."
I took Wind and swapped it out for Thunder. "Alright then. The electrical branch of magic is powerful, but not very accurate. If you’re looking to overwhelm your opponent with pure power, than Thunder based magic is the path to take."
"Okay, so I just point and fire?" he asked, reading from the Tome. "Thunder," he held out his right hand. Instead of creating a ball, or a gust of wind like the last two Tomes, it just pooled in his hand. He made the shape of a gun with his fingers. The lightning flashed out, missing the dummy he had been pointing at but splashing against the chest of the one directly behind it. Unlike the one before, this one didn't shatter apart. The lightning drilled a hole through it, lightly splashing against the one behind it.
"So… Thunder is less accurate? Cause I swear I was pointing right at the one up front," he reasoned.
I nodded. "It is less accurate, but it packs a punch. Now, as far as game logic goes, thunder magic has a high chance of critical hits. Of course, as used in real life, this doesn't exist. I find that its power is increased while its accuracy is decreased. Its the second fastest magic, just behind wind. Its better to use Thunder magic when you’re fighting up close. There are some ranged lightning attacks though. Thoron is known for that, and my personal favorite of Thunder magic. Imagine the hole you just made, but five times larger... at minimum."
"Wait wait wait a second. Why does Thunder make lightning? Shouldn't it just make a loud sound?" he asked, pointing at the dummy he had tried to hit. "I mean, I'm not complaining about the effect, and the idea of it making a huge hole does sound amazingly awesome."
I deadpanned at him. "Its a video game naming system, must I say any more? And keep in mind, when you use these tomes and the magic they hold, it pools in your body. The more magic you use, the more strain you place on yourself.”
Granted, I can hold large amounts of magic within me due to my... 'biology', but an individual like Wade might... well, explode.
"More energy equals more danger to myself, got it." he held the tome of Thunder tightly in his hand, and faced the dummy once more. "Thunder," The magic lashed out and grazed the neck of the dummy, avoiding everything else before it petered out. He tried again, but something… odd happened. The bolt of lightning left his fingers, but it vanished before it could even make contact. I watched as Wade tried yet again, this time failing to summon any magic at all. The tome can’t be empty, it hasn't even been used yet!
Wade turned towards me as the tome Thunder fell from his fingers. "I think… something's wrong."
And with that, Wade began to fall.