Operation - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Ow!” Nova stepped back and sat on his haunches, rubbing his sore chest with his free hoof. “They keep getting through!” he said, glaring at the tennis ball as it bounced away across the cool stone floor. Then he let out a sigh, wrapping the ball in telekinetic field and tossing it back into the launcher’s hopper.
He wasn’t quite sure where the castle staff had found a tennis ball launcher so quickly at his request, but it had worked perfectly. He’d set it up on the far end of the room, and when he’d been ready to try his hoof at the Crescent Shield spell, he’d given the lever a sharp pull with his magic and then readied himself on the far end of the room.
That had been six balls ago. Somehow, for whatever reason he just couldn’t get the Crescent Shield to work right. The visible slash of energy formed just like it was supposed to, rippling into being as he poured his magic into it, but it didn’t work properly. The colors were off, just to start. Assuming that the book he was attempting to follow instructions from was accurate with it’s images, the Crescent Slash was supposed to be a pale bluish-white. Instead, what he had been getting was the color of his own magic.
Even worse, it had yet to even slow a single one of the balls that had passed through it, much less deflect them the way a shield should. And while a tennis ball wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world to get hit by, when your chest was covered in glass cuts and stitches, they tended to really, really sting.
Nova looked down at the open tome next to him. “I followed the steps,” he mused, his hoof trailing over the pages. “If it's going wrong, it's going wrong here.” He ran his hoof over the lines, silently reading the text underneath the image.
At this point your magic shall manifest to create the crescent, and infused by LY shall be formed in smooth shapes, overlapping in accordance with the— Nova stopped reading and hopped his eyes back a few lines. —infused by LY— LY. The same two letters that filled the top right corner of every page of the spells in this part of the book. He flipped through the pages with his magic, noting that in the last few minutes that it had switched from its pale yellow to a pale blue. The moon was up now.
He checked each of the corners as the flipped past. There were six different identifiers in total. MG, LY, HT, LT, KN, and GN. He paused on one of the random GN spells, one that purported to “link” two ponies together, allowing them to share magic reserves, health, and even injuries. Sure enough, buried within the six pages of detailed spellwork that the spell required were numerous references to using GN in the spell, although he noticed that LY and MG also made shorter appearances as well.
Nova sighed and flipped back to the Crescent Shield. He’d been over the book from cover to cover twice before, never once finding a reference to what the six symbols stood for. He’d been hoping that putting the spell into practice would have made their meaning clear, but the only thing he’d acquired from that angle was a sharp stinging sensation in his chest where the tennis balls had scraped against his cuts.
“Gah!” he shoved the tome away across the stone floor, giving voice to his frustrations. There had to be something he was missing, something in the form, something in the shape. He pulled the lever down again, lighting his horn and bracing himself. The launcher made a soft popping noise, the tennis ball arcing across the room. Nova gathered his magic as quickly as he could—this was supposed to be a snap-defensive spell according to the text—and focused it on the air in front of him. The slash of crescent light sprang into being, looking almost like an intangible mist, but thicker, more vibrant. It grew, filling the air in front of him, blocking his view—and the tennis ball sailed right through, hitting him in the nose.
The crescent slash vanished as he gave a soft yelp, dropping to his haunches and rubbing his tender nose with one hoof. He glared at the small ball as it bounced off across the room, entertaining notions of wrapping it his magic and launching it out of the room. Maybe into the sky. See if he could hit the moon with it.
But instead he wrapped in his magic and tossed it back into the launcher. An angry thief was a caught thief. He’d learned that lesson very early on. Be sarcastic, be witty, be a rogue—but don’t be angry. Angry ponies did foolish things. Angry thieves got caught.
He stood back up, reviewing the spell steps in his mind. Then he pulled the lever, casting the Crescent Shield and tweaking it slightly. This time the tennis ball slapped into his chest. He pulled the lever again. The ball hit him in the shoulder. He pulled it a third time, then a fourth, and then a fifth. He pulled the lever again and again, twisting, tweaking, spinning the spell, trying everything he could think of. The only time it got even close to the reflection described in the book was when out of sheer frustration he cast an ordinary shield barrier, the ball bouncing off of it with a shimmering thump.
Finally, the launcher empty and his chest burning from the impacts, Nova slumped his shoulders with an annoyed huff. Over a dozen tennis balls lay scattered around the room, some of them still rolling slightly. Nova gave a frustrated growl and kicked one of the closer tennis balls with his hoof, sending it skidding around the room.
“You need to use more loyalty.” Nova sat up straight at the soft yet stern voice. He hadn’t even heard the door open.
“And just what’s that supposed to me—” the words died on his tongue as he turned. Standing in the doorway, wings outspread, was the Princess of the Night herself, Luna. “I—uh—Princess Luna,” he said, with a nod of his head. “Sorry if I can’t bow, but I’m a little—” he gestured at his wounded leg, “—at a loss at the moment.”
Luna looked down at him for a moment, her expression stern but also, he felt, slightly amused. “It seems that Captain Song was not exaggerating your sharp tongue,” the Princess said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her.
Nova rolled his eyes. “The captain mentioned that huh?” he said. “Figures.” The Princess's glare became slightly sterner, and for a moment Nova wondered if there was a limit to how far he should be pushing his luck. “My apologies,” he said, deciding to play it safe. “I’ve never exactly been a ‘well-mannered’ pony, and this is the first time I’ve ever actually spoken with one of you.”
“So you’ve seen us before?” Princess Luna asked, idly tapping one of the tennis balls with her hoof.
“Well, not you,” Nova said, trying to backpedal out of the question he’d unintentionally inspired. “I’ve seen your sister though, at a distance.” He gave Princess Luna his best unbothered look of innocence. I doubt she’d take well to finding out that I snooped through the Royal Treasury once or twice.
“Hmm, very well then,” Princess Luna said, turning and looking down at the tome where Nova had left it on the floor. “So, how long have you been trying to perform the Crescent Shield?”
“Only for the last few hours,” he said, trying to keep his annoyance at the spell off his face. “The darn thing just won’t work.”
“Well of course not, it is as I said, you need more loyalty.” the Princess said, lifting the book in a blue glow and floating it over towards him. “See?” she asked, tapping the LY he’d been staring at earlier.
“Wait? Loyalty? That’s what that stands for?” Nova asked. “But that doesn’t make any sense. And how do you know that anyway?”
“Simple,” Princess Luna said, pulling the book back and flipping through its pages. “I wrote it.”
“What?” His eyes widened at the Princesses revelation. “You mean that—?”
“Yes,” Princess Luna said. “This book was one of several that I wrote many, many years ago. It was originally part of a set.”
“But,” Nova said. “These are all combat spells. Why would one of the Princesses be creating a bunch of combat spells?”
Princess Luna gave him another stern look. “Are we not responsible for the protection of the ponies under our rule? The world was once not so safe as it is now, Nova Beam. You of all ponies should know that there is still much danger in it. Otherwise why would you be attempting to learn such a spell yourself?”
Nova thought for a moment. “Touché,” he finally admitted. The Princesses brow furrowed.
“Touché?” she asked. “What is the meaning of this word?”
“It means you’ve made a good point and I concede it,” Nova said.
“Ah, I see. Touché. Well,” Princess Luna said, passing the tome back to Nova. “As I said, you need to put more loyalty into your spell in order for it to function, like so!” Her horn flared with magic and a perfect crescent slash arced through the air in front of her, a pale bluish-white just as the book had shown. For a brief instant the slash hung in the air, faintly transparent, then it faded almost as quickly as it had appeared, the shimmering folds of magic sliding together and vanishing.
“Could you do it again, please?” Nova asked, lighting his horn and closing his eyes, feeling the magic of the room around him. Princess Luna complied, the crescent apparition springing into existence in front of her. Nova could feel the weaves of magic, the energy that made up the spell, but there was something different about it from what he had done. The weaves, the direction of the flows, they were all the same as what he’d been trying variants of for the last few hours.
The magic though, felt different. He wasn’t sure if it was just that as an immortal Princess Luna’s magic was simply unique, or if there was some unknown magic at work, but he knew he’d never cast magic with an energy signature like that. Magic was, well, he’d always thought of it as sedate. Something about this magic felt … energetic. Almost fierce.
He opened his eyes. “What was that?” he asked. “That didn’t feel like any magic I’m familiar with.”
“That is because it is infused with loyalty,” Princess Luna said. “Loyalty is what gives the Crescent Shield its power. Without it, it will never work.”
“Ok,” Nova said, holding up one hoof in confusion. “You keep saying ‘loyalty’ like it's a thing. It's an idea. How can it be part of the magic?”
Luna drew back, one eyebrow raised. “Are you not familiar with higher magical theory?”
“Higher what?” Nova asked, shaking his head. “Princess, you’ll have to excuse me, but I’m not even familiar with magical theory. I grew up on the streets, an orphan. Most of what I know ...” He gestured at the book sitting on the floor between them. “I’m self taught. Books, trial and error,” he shrugged. “You name a way of learning it yourself, I did it.”
Luna blinked in surprise. “Our apologies, then,” she said. “We did not realize that—”
Nova shook his head, cutting her off. “No, don’t apologize for my life. I made my choices.”
“Very well then,” Princess Luna said, folding her wings along her back and sitting down. “Do you still intend to master this spell?”
Nova looked at the tennis balls that had been scattered around the room, conscious of the slow burn on his chest. “I think at this point if I don’t come back with something to show for my breaking my bed rest orders, I’m a comatose pony. So yes, Princess, I will.”
If Princess Luna reacted to his admission that he was technically AWOL, she hid it well. ‘Very well,” she said, standing. “Then I shall teach you.”
“You’d do that?”
“Am I not the Princess of the Night?” Luna asked. “Is it not my duty to see to my subjects?” Her voice softened as her face took on a softer tone. “I must admit as well that it warms my heart to see someone else making use of the spells I spent so long creating.” She tilted her head down, staring Nova in the eyes. “So then,” she said. “Let us begin. What do you know of emotional magic?”
“Emotional magic?” Nova repeated, thinking back on all the various, scattered lessons he’d learned over the years. “Um … not much aside from what I’ve read. I know that you’re supposed to keep your mind clear when manipulating magic because your emotions can influence the magic and end up giving a spell unpredictable results ...” he let his voice trail off, and Luna nodded. “And that’s it,” he admitted with a shrug. “Keep your emotions steady and your mind clear or you can wind up with unexpected results.”
“I understand you’ve had that experience yourself,” Luna said, and Nova grimaced as the memory of the Guard he’d nearly killed bubbled to the surface. “But we will speak of that later,” she said, turning her head towards the tome and then back towards him, the motion sending her ethereal blue mane rippling across the room behind her.
“For now,” she said, folding her wings against her sides, “I think it is time to widen your education. What you said was correct, to a point. It is true that emotions affect magic, which is why when young unicorns are taught to use their magic we take such care to get them to understand what can happen if they tint their magic with fear, sadness, or even laughter.”
“However,” the Princess continued, “the use of emotions to fuel magic is an integral part of higher level magics, if dangerous.”
“Why is it dangerous?” Nova asked.
“Because emotions are powerful things,” Luna explained. “For instance, you must be familiar with the Elements of Harmony.”
“Sure,” Nova said with a nod. “They were all over in the news after you came back. What are they ...” He paused as he thought back on what he’d seen in the papers, the articles rushing back to him. “Let’s see … magic, generosity, honesty, loyalty—” He straightened in surprise. “Hey, wait a minute. Those are the same as the ones in the book aren’t they!”
“Yes, they are,” Luna said, nodding with a pleased smile on her face. “When I created these spells, I was one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. You see, simply put each of the Elements draws on the emotions of the bearer in addition to its own magic. This is one of the reasons that the Elements can only be born by certain ponies, as they must embody the emotion needed by the Element.”
“So loyalty and generosity are emotions? Or honesty?” Nova asked. “I thought that they were ideals.”
Luna shook her head. “Can you not feel loyalty for a friend? Or the feeling that generosity brings? Ideals they are, but also emotions. And it is those emotions, combined with magic, that can amplify a spell far beyond what was originally intended.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Nova said, flipping through the pages of the spellbook. So these spells that need ‘MG,’ that just means magic, right?”
“Yes,” Luna said with a nod. “They require no emotional connection at all, but large magical energies to function.”
“Huh,” Nova rubbed his free hoof across his still burning chest, thinking over the information he’d been given. “So when the changelings attacked Canterlot, they were feeding off of emotional magic then?”
“In a sense, yes,” Luna said. “Which is why a changeling cannot feed from a pony for a long period of time. As they feed upon their love, they drain the pony of his magic. Eventually, it will kill them.”
“What about other emotions, like fear or sadness?” Nova asked. “Can those be used to amplify magic as well?”
“I—they can,” Luna admitted, looking surprisingly nervous. “But know that my sister and I do not approve of such use. Fear, sadness, hatred, jealousy, anger, and even other darker emotions can be used to change magic just as love, joy, laughter, or kindness can. However, could you imagine a situation in which magic fueled by hatred or anger would do any good?” The Princess paused, waiting. Nova shook his head.
“A cautionary tale.” Luna said, her eyes downcast. “My sister and I once knew a good pony, a unicorn, powerful with magic and skilled. But something happened, and he turned to a study of how fear and hatred could change his magic. He became ...” the Princess paused, and Nova saw a small shudder run through her body. “He became something horrible. He used his knowledge of fear and hatred to create vile magic, enslave a people, and feed off their despair to grow only more powerful and insane. Constant exposure to fear and hatred drove him mad. In the end, it took both my sister and myself combining our powers to defeat him.”
Nova gaped in shock. A single unicorn, powerful enough that both of the Princesses had stood against him? “What happened to him?” he asked.
Luna shook her head. “His story is … incomplete. Perhaps you may hear the end of it someday. But regardless, I give you the tale as a warning. He was not the first to use negative emotions for gain. Hatred, anger, fear, spells that feed off of these things can only produce more. That unicorn destroyed the happiness of thousands of ponies. Emotions are not bad things, but when used inappropriately they can cause harm on an untold level.”
“So young magic users are encouraged to keep their emotions under control when using magic, and they learn to use it properly,” Nova said, looking to Luna for confirmation.
“Yes, although many unicorns will often use emotions with their magic without realizing it. For example,” A small globe of light appeared, floating above Luna’s head. “A simple light spell is easy enough, but when most unicorns accomplish it for the first time, they feel accomplishment, and when their joy mixes with the spell—” the globe flickered out and reappeared, this time much brighter than before, “—the spell itself is charged. So while we tell young colts and fillies to temper their emotions while learning their magic, truly we actually encourage them to use their own positive emotions in magic. Most of them realize this years later, of course. But by then, they understand the reasoning behind it.” The Princess paused for a moment. “Do you now understand what I meant when I said you needed to use more loyalty?”
Nova nodded, pausing for a second mid-nod, but then finishing. “Yeah, it makes sense, but, uh,” he grinned sheepishly. “How do I do that?”
Luna smiled. “The act is quite simple. When you are gathering your magic, try to think of something or someone that would inspire the emotion within you. In this case,” she said, glancing at the ball launcher, “something that you would be quite loyal to. Bolster that feeling inside yourself, focus emotion that comes with it. Then will those feelings into the magic itself.” She closed her eyes, horn glowing a faint blue. “For example,” she said, a small swath of glowing blue-white magic appearing in the air between them. “Here is what my magic looks like when it is plain magic, but if I turn my thoughts to those who I am loyal to and push those feelings into my magic—” the magic began to glow brighter, its color changing. “—it changes.” The magic winked out.
“Alright,” Nova said, closing his eyes and looking inward. Summoning the magic was simple, he didn’t even need to open his eyes to know that he’d created a small bit of magic like the one the Princess had floating in the air. It wasn’t anything that would do anything, it was just simple, undirected energy. Now to add the loyalty to it. He looked deep inside his mind, searching for something that would bring forth the emotions.
The question was, what? He couldn’t ever recall being specifically loyal to anyone. He’d always worked alone, trusted no one. For a moment he contemplated the idea that his refusal to sell out any of his old buyers was loyalty, but quickly rejected it. No, that wasn’t loyalty, he thought, it was mutual respect for the job. He searched hard through his memories. Was I ever truly loyal to anyone? He felt his ears droop. The only one I’ve ever been loyal to before is myself.
He focused on the feeling of that loyalty, summoning it forth from within. He was loyal. He felt something in his magic shift, a subtle change. He opened his eyes to see that his magic had taken on a slight tinge of color.
“Well,” Luna said, staring down at the small cloud of magic. “It’s certainly a start. Now, repeat that motion, but this time cast the Crescent Shield.” Her horn lit up and the scattered tennis balls began to float into the launcher. “Are you ready?”
Nova let go of the magic, the cloud vanishing as his horn went out. “Ready,” he said, bracing himself and trying to summon forth the emotion to mix with his magic. It wasn’t easy. He almost felt as if he’d been asked to make himself laugh and was trying accomplish the task by tickling himself.
Princess Luna pulled the lever, and with a muted pop of air one of the tennis balls launched itself across the room at him. He focused his magic, the now familiar crescent taking shape in the air in front of him. This time however, it was slightly transparent, the colors different. He could see the tennis ball arcing through the air, striking the shield and—passing right through it. Nova tensed, waiting for the impact of yet another tennis ball across his chest, only to blink in surprise as the ball sailed past him, bouncing off the back wall with a snap.
“Well,” Princess Luna said as he released his hold on his magic. “Not exactly a full success, but much better than your prior attempts. The intent was there,” she said with a tilt of her head. “But you needed to feel more loyal than that.” She pulled the lever back again, and again Nova threw up the shield only to watch the ball pass through, if on a radically different course.
Luna shook her head as the shield faded. “What are you trying to feel loyal to?”
“Myself,” Nova said, his ears drooping a bit as he said the words out loud. That really does sound pathetic, he thought. You can’t be loyal to anyone but you?
Luna shook her head. “That won’t work, it never has. Surely there is someone that you feel loyal to? Perhaps Captain Song?”
“Not really, at least, not yet,” Nova admitted. “He’s technically my warden, although he doesn’t act like it. That and I—” He paused for a moment. I can tell her anything, right? She’s the Princess.
“I don’t trust easy,” he said, looking down at the ground. There was a sudden weight on his shoulder, and I he looked up to see the Princess's hoof resting there.
“Nova Beam,” Luna said, her voice soft as she looked down at him. “If there is one thing I have learned, it is that failing to trust anypony will only lead you down a path of loneliness that you will regret.” Her face was no longer stern, a soft, almost sad expression in its place. “I speak from experience. Open your heart to those around you and let them in, or you will one day find that it is the only thing you wish for.”
“I—” Nova stammered. His throat felt swollen and hot, emotions long buried bubbling to the surface. “I don’t know.” He turned his head, looking at the mark on his flank. “Four years ago—”
“I know,” Luna said quietly. “I read the report.” Her hoof touched his cheek and pulled his gaze back up at her. “And you have shown trust in Captain Song. You trusted him enough to tell him about your fears, and he in turn was loyal enough to you to express concern to me. Do not fear,” she said as she saw the panicked expression on his face. “Steel never told me what happened. He simply expressed concern. He may be your captain, but he is also trying to be a friend.” Her hoof left his shoulder as she pulled back.
“But I nearly—” Luna covered his lips with a hoof and shook her head.
“I know, little pony,” she said, dropping her hoof. “You nearly killed a member of the Night Guard. Not intentionally, but you did, and the guilt has followed you all this time.”
Nova shook his head. “It’s worse than that,” he said, turning back to look at his flank. “I got this cutie mark at the same time.” He turned back to Luna, his throat burning, tears threatening to spring from his eyes. “I spent most of my life wondering what my talent was going to be, watching as everypony around me had theirs until I was the only blank flank I knew. Then I get this—” he said, gesturing back at his flank, “—as I nearly kill somepony.”
Tears were pushing out of his eyes now. He couldn’t stop them, and for once he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d cried. They began to run down his cheeks, hot and sticky against his face as memories of the night bubbled up.
“Oh, Nova,” Luna said, wrapping her wings around him and pulling him against her chest as his sobs began in earnest. “You have held this burden for far too long, haven’t you?” He didn’t respond. He couldn’t. All he could do was sit there, her wings holding him against her shoulder as years of pent up anguish made their way out of his body.
He wasn’t quite sure how long he sat there with Luna’s wings wrapped around him, sobbing into her chest. All he could feel was the hurt in his chest, the guilt that had been gnawing at him for years coming to a head, tears pouring from his body.
“I’m sorry,” he said at last as the his sobs began to subside. “I’m sorry, it’s just—”
“Nova,” Luna asked, her wings loosening slightly, “is that what you think your cutie mark is for? Almost killing somepony?”
“What else could it be?” Nova asked, not even looking up as the tears dripped from his eyes, running down his muzzle and into Luna’s coat. His voice felt strained, worn raw from his sobs. “I almost killed him.”
“Trying to do what?” Princess Luna asked, pulling back and gently putting a hoof under his chin, raising his head until he was looking at her through his tear-stained eyes. “From what I read, you were not trying to harm him, were you? Several of the Night Guard testified to that fact.”
“Well ...” Nova admitted, his voice wavering. “No, I wasn’t. I was trying to keep the building from coming down.”
“Why?” Princess Luna asked. “The Guard felt that you could have escaped even with the building collapsing.”
Nova shook his head. “Because—because they could have been hurt.”
“Exactly, Nova,” Princess Luna said, dropping her hoof. “Did you ever read the reports that came out in the news afterwards?”
Nova shook his head again, swallowing the fading lump in his throat. “No, I left Canterlot the next morning.”
“Well, I did,” Luna said, stepping back and drawing up. “I found what the news reported. Were you aware that there were other ponies in that building?”
Nova’s eyes widened in shock, a fresh wave of panic moving through his system. “There—no, I wasn’t! That building was condemned, nopony was supposed to be in it.”
Luna nodded. “That it was Nova, but yet you were in it. And so,” she said, closing her eyes and pausing for a moment, “were a small trio of runaway orphans who were sleeping one floor below you when the building began to collapse. If not for your act of bravery in creating the ice pillar which kept the building from collapsing, they would have surely perished.”
Nova felt his jaw go slack as his front legs threatened to give out underneath him. He stared up at the Princess, his eyes wide. “As to your cutie mark,” Luna continued, “it is very similar to the ancient seals that my sister and I use as our personal royal seals. Do you know what they stand for?” He shook his head.
“When my sister and I first were offered the position of rulers in Equestria,” Luna said, giving him a soft smile, “those symbols had meaning. They do not represent my sister and I as many ponies today believe. Instead, they represent our commitment to protect the ponies of this realm.”
“So you see Nova,” the Princess said, bending towards him and placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Your special talent isn’t causing harm to those around you. It’s protecting them. You kept that building from collapsing when you didn’t have to because you didn’t want any of those other ponies to get hurt. You were the one who leapt from a moving train last night into the heart of Canterlot, knowing you would face severe injury for your efforts. You were the one who inspired the ponies in that dance hall to flee, and you were the one who faced that golem, alone and injured, so that they could escape.”
Princess Luna stepped back, drawing herself up to her full height and spreading her wings wide. “You, Nova Beam, are no thief. Nor are you a coward or a danger.” Her voice was rising now, growing louder as she pointed a hoof at him. “What you are, Nova, is a hero.” Her voice lowered, going soft once more. “You just never knew it.”
There was silence in the room as Nova stared at her, still blinking away stray tears. Me? A hero? He didn’t feel very heroic. Heroes didn’t break into ponies' homes and steal things did they? Well, he thought, there was that one legend. He glanced at his flank.
Could that really be what it means? The Princess was smiling at him, a soft, expectant smile. And he found, to his surprise, that he was smiling back. Tears were still flowing from his eyes, but he was smiling back.
Maybe, he thought as he jumped forward, wrapping his one good foreleg around the Princess in a tight hug of thanks. Maybe I can be more than a thief. For some reason, the silent admission made him feel better than anything else.
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Great work. Lots of feels.
:)
You know, this site really needs a Luna emoticon.
(applause)
One of the more well written Luna sequences I've seen in a good long while.
“What you are, Nova, is a hero.”
One of my new favorite sentences from fanfiction PERIOD
That was nice. Way to add depth to nova's back story.
MG, LY, HT, LT, KN, GN.
I've got nothing. Infused by LY? Apparently there are six ele- Oh. ok.
Wait, can these actually be measured?
Fear and hatred? Cryyyyyyystaaaaaals.
Emotion magic is more powerful than calm calculating magic? Are we talking about magic or the Force?
And with this bit Nova can finally move forward and be a magical powerhouse. He just needs friends to boost any emotional magics. Very touching with him and Lulu.
Manly tears!
Wait, that's not a very manly picture. Oh well.
Yes, he is pressed against HIS shoulder whole crying. Just pointing it out.
it's, It's
tale
spacing
ponies'
Nice hinting at Sombra. And I'm glad that Nova is gaining a greater understanding of himself.
Well, it's an interesting chapter, but I certainly woudn't say it's anywhere near being one of the best
Re-reading this, and this chapter is definitely one of my favorites too. (Site needs "encouraging Luna" emoticon or something, srsly.)
Easily one of the best chapters in the story so far. The whole Luna part was heartwarming, and adds to the reason why she's my favorite princess.
I'm loving this story, and it bums me out knowing it's almost over already. Then again, there's always the side stories to read too
i thought so!
which legend?
yep, i can see why this is one of ur favorites, really pulled on the feels.
4838232
Probably Robin Hood or something.
2939814
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png?wrap=true i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq260/spacewings/EmoteLunaWet_zps2a650793.png fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/001/b/5/clapping_pony_icon___princess_luna_by_taritoons-d5prurt.gif
Yeah, even with scripts, there still aren't much.
What it seems like the elements should enhance magic-wise:
Friendship: Large-scale protection and purifying magic.
Loyalty: Non-lethal battle magic. Directed defense, kinetic blasts, conjured weapons and armor.
Honesty: Dispel Magic Effects, Discern Lies, Locate Secrets.
Generosity: Power augmentation and group-casting.
Laughter: Restore stamina, physical buffs, protection from fear.
Kindness: Healing and nature magic.
Thoughts?
it's going wrong, it's going wrong
Princess's
Touché (each time)
mysterious italic t
its
its
Didn't say this last chapter, but I like the disguise the golem had.
6578753
Laughter also gets divination and teleportation and storage access in case of emergencies.
This is my favourite chapter too.
4082427
This is a Universe where Friendship is literally Magic, so yes emotional magic likely is stronger.
*sniff*
I sad nao...
Gah! The feels!
Emotional G A I N S
Awwww oh my god I'm not crying you are!
Seriously though, this chapter was just so good. I'm not usually one to get emotional at books or movies or whatever but this just got me right in the feels.