The Shadow of the First Star

by moguera

Life is Like an Onion Bun

Chapter 4: Life is Like an Onion Bun

This chapter is where things start picking up. Thank you to everyone who's been waiting patiently for this.

Twilight let out a yawn as she descended the stairs from her room. Within her room, Spike remained in his basket, still sleeping. Looking down, she saw Oceanus still resting on her couch, but awake. At present he was reading a scroll that she could recognize as having come from Luna by the look of the seal on the back of it.

"I see you don't waste time when it comes to asking questions," observed Oceanus wryly without glancing up from the parchment, "You must have fired off a letter to Princess Celestia first thing after we parted last night."

Twilight blushed slightly. "Well, yes. Is that what that letter you have is about?"

Oceanus nodded before looking up at her for the first time. As he did so, the scroll snapped shut. "My Princess is a bit cross with me as apparently this is the first time she's heard of the Archmage as well."

"Huh?" Twilight was utterly flummoxed by that revelation.

Oceanus burst out laughing. "That was my reaction as well. In fact, I'm guessing that that was the root of the problem. At some point, we all assumed that she knew about the Archmage already, or that somepony had already told her about him and we all failed to tell her. A rather awkward mistake, I suppose."

His remarks drew a short laugh from Twilight as she made her way to the kitchen. "I'll make some breakfast."

"And what about your dragon?"

"Let's let him sleep a little longer," suggested Twilight, "After all the work he put into last night's dinner, he's earned a bit of a lie-in."

"I suppose that makes sense. Still, we should get him up soon if he plans to learn magic from me. I'm here on borrowed time as it is and there's no telling when my next assignment will come in. We need to make use of every minute I have."

"Don't worry," reassured Twilight, "Spike will wake up once he smells food. There's no way he'd ever miss a meal." Even as she started moving ingredients and pans around with her magic, a loud burp ripped through the stillness of the early morning. "Or Princess Celestia could send a reply to my letter. That would work too."

On cue, Spike wandered out of his room and came down the stairs, blinking groggily at the two Unicorns standing in the kitchen, a scroll clutched I his claws. "Message for you, Twilight," he said between stifled yawns.

Twilight nodded and used her magic to pluck the scroll away from the dragon's grasp. Unrolling it in front of her, she took a moment to read it even as pots and pans, shrouded by the glimmer of her magic assembled themselves. Even with out her watching it, breakfast was preparing itself in fine order.

"Impressive," remarked Oceanus, prompting another blush from Twilight at his praise.

"That's a new one she came up with a couple of months ago," explained Spike, having regained some of his lucidity, "If I'm not around to feed her, she'll get so caught up in her studies she'll forget to feed herself. It's really neat that the spell does all the work without her having to pay attention."

"If that's the case, then I assume you must have different spells depending on what you want to cook," ventured Oceanus.

"Yeah," groused Spike, "And it took her forever to get them right."

"Spike!" protested Twilight, "It did not."

"Maybe not from your perspective, but you weren't the one who had to eat the results," muttered Spike petulantly as he crossed his arms and glared at the lavender Unicorn, "I swear that Apple Bloom could have done better."

"It was an experiment and I wanted an unbiased assessment."

"And you would have gotten one if you hadn't glued my jaws shut with that gunk you claimed was food."

"But at least I ironed out the kinks in the spell," said Twilight by way of apology, it works just fine now." To illustrate her point, a batch of oat pancakes was currently in the process of being assembled and cooked. From the smell of things, there had been no slip-ups on Twilight's part just yet.

Spike, his memories of her previous efforts clearly colored by his crossness at being so rudely awakened merely chose to take his seat at the kitchen table and tried his best to remain awake as he waited. At length, Twilight finished reading her scroll and rolled it up before turning to regard Oceanus.

"I'm a little shocked," she admitted, "I thought you might have been exaggerating, but it looks like you were telling the truth. A lot of what the Princess told me fits in with what you told me. In fact, it even seems as though she's afraid of this Archmage."

Oceanus shrugged. "That's rather understandable. The Archmage is a difficult pony to get a handle on in terms of his personality, but his unique magic is downright alien in nature. Even though I traveled to the Far East in order to study under the Lung Dragons, I couldn't fully comprehend the nature of his magic when he demonstrated it for me."

Twilight nodded. "I think I'd like to meet him one day, but not just yet."

"Perhaps you will. I can't tell you what that will be like."

A trio of plates flew to the table, each one bearing a stack of the fragrant pancakes and accompanied by jars of syrup and preserves as well as a stick of butter. The three settled down to eat. As they did, Twilight looked inquisitively at Oceanus. "By the way, what did you tell Pinkie last night?"

"I gave her some advice on some things that might make Far Treader's stay in the hospital more pleasant...oh, and a recipe."

"A recipe?"

---

"Pinkie dear, are you alright?" asked Mrs. Cake as she stepped into the kitchen of the Sugarcube Corner.

"Yuppers!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she moved removed a batch of fragrant smelling rolls from the oven.

Mrs. Cake sniffed the air and frowned. The smell was divine, but completely different from what was normally baked in this kitchen. The rolls had a wonderful, savory smell, which was even more confusing as Pinkie was the one who was baking them and Mrs. Cake could not readily remember the last time that Pinkie Pie had baked something that didn't use copious amounts of sugar, which the Pink Pony seemed to thrive on in defiance of all known logic.

"May I ask what the occasion is?" asked the older mare.

"Oh, it's no big deal. I'm just making these as a gift for somepony," replied Pinkie as she placed the fresh rolls in a box for easy transport.

Mrs. Cake frowned, but nodded all the same. "Alright dear, have a good time."

"Okie dokey lokie!" Pinkie sped out the door in a pink blur, leaving a baffled baker behind her.

"She made a gift for somepony," said Mrs. Cake in a bemused voice, "And it isn't cupcakes..."

---

"Alright, show me your fire," instructed Oceanus.

Spike nodded and took a deep breath. With a loud rushing noise, he unleashed a stream of green flame that stretched over twice his length. Having finished breakfast, Spike, Oceanus and Twilight stood in a clearing a short distance in the Whitetail Woods outside Ponyville. Unlike the nearby Everfree Forest, the Whitetail Woods were completely under pony management and devoid of fearsome predators and other hazards...aside from the occasional beehive.

Oceanus frowned in concentration as he carefully examined the flame that Spike had produced. "I was right about the magical nature of his hatching having altered him. His fire is certainly distinct."

"He can already send and receive scrolls from Princess Celestia," Twilight pointed out.

"Can he send and receive objects from other sources?"

Twilight frowned and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I don't know, we've never thought to try that."

"I can," Spike confirmed, "Princess Celestia was the one who taught me that trick and how to target it. Because I'm used to sending the scrolls to her, it's become automatic for me, so sometimes I end up sending her stuff by accident, like when Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash pranked me and gave me the hiccups. I accidentally buried her in scrolls that time."

"Oh," inquired Twilight, raising an eyebrow, "Is that what happened to my astronomy book?"

Spike shifted on his feet as he averted his eyes. "That was different. I sneezed."

"Hmm." Oceanus mulled over this information carefully.

"Is this important?" asked Twilight.

"It could be. In which case, the characteristics of his flame are governed by his breath control, hence why hiccups produced the spell while the sneeze made ordinary, albeit green, flames. If we go by this, then the nature of his flames will change according to how he breathes them. If that's the case, then if we can get him to learn the right kind of breath control, Lung magic should be within his reach."

"Really!" Spike was practically dancing in his excitement.

"I believe so. Let's begin." Oceanus stepped away from Twilight and stood directly in front of Spike. "Lung Dragons are different from other breeds of dragon. Naturally there are additional breeds and each has it's own unique quality. For example, your breed, the Fire Dragons breathe fire, as their name suggests. The Sky Dragons of the north breath wind and thunder and the Song Dragons of the south use musical tones to produce different effects. Then there are the Lindworms of the southwestern swamps that breathe poison gas."

"What about the Lung Dragons?" asked Spike, leaning forward eagerly.

"The Lung Dragons breathe mist.". Oceanus inhaled deeply before breathing out. His breath puffed and condensed in the air as though it were in the middle of winter. However, instead of quickly dissipating, the moisture continued to build until it became a substantial cloud of silvery fog that hung between him and Spike. The mist roiled and strange lights glittered within it.

Meanwhile, Twilight had pulled out a scroll and was taking notes at a furious pace.

Spike looked slightly disappointed. "That actually seems kind of lame."

"Make sure you withhold your judgment until the lesson is complete," replied Oceanus as he suppressed a chuckle, "The mist is merely a conduit for the Lung Dragon's magic. Depending on how it is applied, it has almost unmatched versatility."

The hovering cloud suddenly came to life. It's volume expanded explosively, like a kettle boiling over. The roiling mass of fog swirled around the three of them like it had a mind of its own, expanding until it covered the entire clearing. Then the cloud lifted overhead and released a torrent of rain, completely soaking the two Unicorns and dragon, drawing a shriek from Twilight as she desperately and futilely tried to cover her parchment to keep it from getting wet. Before she could even begin to voice her displeasure, the cloud dropped and rolled down over them, leaving all three completely dry and Twilight's note-taking sheet unscathed as though it had been never touched by moisture. The mist pooled on the ground, forming a silvery carpet that didn't rise past the ponies' fetlocks.

"As you can see, Lung magic is primarily associated with the water domain. In their own lands, the Lung Dragons are revered in much the same way that the Princesses are here in Equestria. Some use their magic to bless the land with rain and ensure bountiful harvests. Others rule the rivers and control the waters that inundate the flood plains that are also used for farming.

"Properly used, a Lung Dragon's magic can spur the growth..." the grass at their feet suddenly shot up over the Unicorns' heads, "...or purge the land of life." The grass turned brown and wilted, ultimately turning to dust that drifted away on the wind. The ground the three of them now stood on was dusty and desiccated.

Twilight stared in horror at the dry, lifeless ground beneath her hooves. However, as she watched, the mist sank back into the ground and soaked it through. Before her eyes, new grass grew where the old grass had been until it was the same height it had originally been.

Spike watched the entire demonstration with wide eyes. "That is so awesome!" he exclaimed.

Oceanus smiled and nodded. "There are actually many things that a Lung Dragon can do with his mist. But first, we must see if you can produce it. Now...take a deep breath..."

---

"While your injuries are recovering, you don't seem to be getting much rest," remarked the doctor as he examined Far Treader.

"I am having some trouble sleeping," Far admitted. This was an understatement. There were dark rings under his eyes, indicating that he had not gotten more than a few moments of sleep in the two nights he had stayed in the hospital. All in all, he looked (and felt) miserable.

"Perhaps some sleep aids then," suggested the doctor.

"No drugs!" snapped the gray Earth Pony stallion. Realizing that the doctor had been taken aback by his vehemence, his expression softened. "Sorry. I've just had bad experiences with them in the past."

The doctor nodded. After all, this patient had refused any form of anesthesia or painkiller when they had been stitching him up, not even a local. In spite of that, he hadn't even flinched when they had been closing the lacerations across his body.

"Please don't worry about me doctor," said Far quietly, "I can manage like this until I'm recovered enough to move on my own."

"I'm not entirely certain that I believe you," said the doctor in a hesitant tone, "But I will give you some more time. If I don't see any improvement I may have to take matters into my own hooves, whether you like it or not." He turned and left the room.

Far Treader groaned and sagged down onto his bed. "Go to the hospital, they said. Get your injuries treated right. Take some time off. What a joke." He was grateful that he at least had the room to himself so that no pony was around to hear him complaining.

He was roused from his session of self-pity by the sound of approaching hoofsteps, somepony...no, two someponies were approaching his room. Looking up, he saw Nurse Readheart come trotting into the room while the other pony waited outside.

"Mr. Treader," said the nurse with her usual polite smile, "You have a visitor."

That gave the gray stallion pause. He wondered if Oceanus had come and had some news for him. Instead, a pink face surrounded by a curly pink mane thrust itself into the doorway. "Hi there!" chirped Pinkie Pie as she grinned cheerfully at him.

Far's eyes widened. He briefly remembered how he had only barely talked the energetic pink pony out of throwing him a horrifically noisy party. She brimmed with so much energy that she could barely contain it. The Ranger found himself quite distressed at the prospect of spending any time with her.

"I know that you've been having a hard time dear," said the nurse sympathetically, oblivious to her patient's distress, "And Pinkie asked to visit you. She's very good at cheering up other ponies when they're having a hard time. Oh I just know you'll be feeling so much better." Turning around, she left the room before Far Treader had a chance to protest.

Sighing in despair, Far watched as Pinkie trotted through the door, balancing a white, cardboard box on her hindquarters. "What do you want?"

"Well, I thought that since today is such a beautiful day, I should take you outside!" Turning around, Pinkie pulled a wheelchair from outside the room and rolled it over to Far's bedside.

Suppressing agonized groan, the stallion almost glared at Pinkie. "If it's all the same, I would rather stay here."

"Aww, don't be such a Frowny McFrownypants!" protested Pinkie with an expression of exaggerated sadness. In an instant, she switched to an enticing grin as she hopped, bouncing the box off of her hindquarters and into her hooves. "Come with me and I'll let you have some of these," she cajoled, opening the box.

Far's eyes widened to their limits as his nose was flooded with the magnificent bouquet of freshly baked onion dumplings. "Wh-where did you g-get those?" he stammered, his resolve beginning to fail at the scent of his absolute favorite treat.

"Silly! I baked them myself, of course! Don't they smell delicious? And they'll taste soooooo much better if we enjoy them out in the hospital garden!". Pinkie beamed so brightly at him that he was tempted to reach for a pair of sunglasses.

How does she know about those? Far's mind was racing. A life spent in the farthest reaches of Equestria, sustaining myself off the fruits of the land, eating things that most ponies would never dream of; foregoing every luxury imaginable and being perfectly happy with it and somehow, this pony of all ponies manages to uncover my one true vice...it's not possible unless...Oceanus, that traitor! Even as his mind blazed furiously, expressing its rage at his turncoat comrade, Far's mouth watered at the smell of those wonderful rolls. And these aren't just any onion dumplings. She somehow got those onions I love that only grow wild in certain parts of the Everfree Forest. He's told her everything! Dear Luna, I'm doomed!

Far's head sagged as he finally gave in. "You win."

"Yay! Let's get you into this chair."

A few minutes' time saw the pair out in the garden as Pinkie slowly pushed Far Treader along the path until she spied her destination. She wheeled him over to a bench that sat facing a small flowerbed. "Here we go. Isn't this a great place for a snack?"

Resigned to his fate, Far allowed himself to be helped up onto the bench, laying across its length. Pinkie meanwhile, sat on the ground next to it and placed the box of fragrant baked goods on the small open section of bench between the two of them and opened it. "Alrighty! Dig in!"

Far Treader blinked in surprise and stared at the pink pony. She smiled back at him, but this was different from her usual smile. There was something almost relaxed and serene in her expression. Wondering at what she planned next, he nonetheless reached into the box and withdrew one of the treats and bit down on it. The gray pony nearly passed out as the favors exploded in his mouth. Chewing slowly, he savored the taste of wild onions carefully caramelized before they were packed into the dough and baked. There was no question, she had gotten this recipe from Oceanus. To his surprise, he found himself grateful for the treat. Even as he munched on the dumplings, he listened to the sounds of birds and insects in the air around him. He even appreciated the sight of the flowerbed and the rest of the gardens, even though they were a far cry from the wilds that he was acclimated to.

The only thing that bothered Far in the slightest was Pinkie's silence. He had only been acquainted with her briefly, but his first impression was that of a pony with boundless energy. And yet, she seemed merely content to sit silently beside him. She wasn't even watching him anymore, but was gazing silently out across the flowerbed, a faraway look in her eyes. Is she reigning her impulses in...for my sake? Far had to admit that that was the only feasible answer, which moved him considerably.

Having ingested several of the onion dumplings from the box, Far settled back on the bench with a full stomach. His eyelids were growing heaver as his sleeplessness from the previous two nights caught up with him and he allowed himself to relax in the tranquil atmosphere of the outdoors. Pinkie, realizing that Far was no longer eating, looked over and saw that the stallion had fallen asleep, his head resting on his legs as he relaxed on the bench. Realizing that Far was content, she allowed an uncharacteristically calm yet genuine smile spread across her face.

---

"Ugh," groaned Spike as he sagged in his seat at the kitchen table. Twilight also sat, reviewing her notes from the morning practice session while another of her spells prepared lunch by itself in the background. Oceanus also sat at the table, sipping from a glass of water occasionally.

Spike's throat felt raw after his lesson. He had spent all morning trying to produce the mist that Oceanus had been talking about. While he had managed to produce quite a wide variety of flames, the fog that he needed to create still eluded him. Oceanus had been right there along with him, suggesting different kinds of breath control and discarding each one as they failed. However, he had assured Spike that they were closing in on a solution. By the end of the lesson, Spike had been able to produce a cloud of faint, vaporous flame that vaguely resembled the mist that Oceanus could create, but was still flame. At that point, it was decided that they would adjourn for lunch so that Spike could relax his throat after producing more fire over a short period of time than he had ever had to before in his life.

"We are very close," remarked the Unicorn stallion, "I believe that if we refine that last breath you produced, we will have the desired result."

"I don't know," Spike hemmed and hawed, "Maybe you were right yesterday when you said that I wouldn't be able to do this."

"No," replied Oceanus, "I am more certain than ever now. The magical nature of your hatching has effected the qualities that defined your magic. I would dare say that Lung magic might not be the only form of dragon magic available to you. From what I can tell, your horizons are broad and you have almost unlimited potential."

"Isn't that great Spike?" said Twilight without looking up.

"Yeah, fantastic," he croaked, "What are you doing anyway Twilight? You haven't stopped reading those notes since we came back."

"I'm trying to create a training manual. We don't know when Ocean will be asked to leave us to do something or other, so I've been taking notes to try and put something together that we can use to keep up your instruction while he's gone."

"That is wise of you," said Oceanus, "And even if I am away, I still have methods of sending letters to you, so I will be able to provide you additional information when time allows even if I am not actually here."

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Twilight, clapping her hooves together as she set down the parchment. "Thank you so much for this, Ocean."

The Ranger bobbed his head in silent acknowledgement of her praise. He then turned his gaze to Spike. "I suspect we may be able to get you producing mist by this afternoon. At that point, we can go into the particulars of how it is used."

---

Big Macintosh groaned as he pulled with all his might. A low rumbled signified that the stump, roots and all, had come free from the ground. Taking a moment to gather himself, Macintosh looked around. It was the second day after that monster had run loose and he and Applejack were still working to clear away the debris left behind by the epic battle. The remains of broken apple trees had to be pulled away, branches, trunks, stumps and all. On top of that, they also had to clear away the remains of the barn that had been wrecked in the fight.

Getting his wind back, Macintosh dragged the stump over to the pile of ruined trees. While the trees could no longer produce apples, little Apple Bloom had suggested that they actually chop up the trees and sell the wood, which was useful for cooking applications, like smoking. The filly's elder siblings were quite impressed with her logic and decided to follow along with the plan.

While Applejack and Big Macintosh did all the heavy lifting, Apple Bloom sorted through the remains of the barn, looking for anything that could be salvaged from the collapsed structure. It was hard work as the three of them toiled away under the midday sun. They had only stopped briefly for lunch and were now back at it.

Apple Bloom sighed as she overturned another pile of planks, searching for salvage. "This is gonna take forever," she groaned.

"Ain't nothin' that can be done 'bout that Bloom," replied Applejack as she dragged another chunk of tree over to the pile, "It'll be done when we get done. Yer just gonna have to stick with it for now."

Big Mac's ears twitched at the sound of multiple approaching feet. Looking up, he smiled as he saw a familiar yellow and pink shape coming over a nearby hill. While Fluttershy wouldn't be much good for heavy labor, he still thought her presence would make the remainder of the day more bearable. Then his eyes widened when he saw that the Pegasus wasn't alone.

Fluttershy was actually being followed by a pair of massive brown bears, who plodded along behind her at an easy pace as she fluttered over the ground towards the Apple siblings. "Well now Miss Fluttershy, Ah'm a mite surprised at the company ya're keepin'," said the red stallion.

"Oh, we'll, um," stammered Fluttershy as she looked away from his gaze, "I knew that you three had a lot of work that needed to be done, so I asked two of my biggest and strongest animal friends if they would be willing to help you with all that work...um, if that's alright with you."

Big Macintosh glanced over at his sister, who was smiling and shaking her head in disbelief. "Just when Ah think Ah've seen it all, ya surprise me again."

"Oh! If that's a problem, I can just ask them to go back home," said Fluttershy quickly.

"No no, we'd love the help. Do yer friends mind bein' paid in apples? Ah don't reckon they'll have much use for bits." Applejack grinned at her quiet friend.

"Uh well, actually..." Fluttershy stared down at her hoof. "Actually, they told me that your grandmother's cooking always smells ever so wonderful and they were wondering if they could have some of that...if that's alright with you."

Applejack barked out a laugh before turning and calling for her youngest sister. "Bloom! Run on back to the house and tell Granny Smith to start bakin' up a storm. We're gonna need a whole lotta pies."

"Okay sis!" shouted Apple Bloom, gleeful for an excuse to escape the constant labor.

"And after that, make sure ya get yer hide back here and get on with that sortin'! Don't be dilly-dallying ya hear!" Applejack suppressed an amused chuckle as a barely audible sound of protest floated back to her from rapidly dwindling filly.

Turning back, she grinned eagerly at her brother and the newly hired help. "Well, let's get back to work. These trees ain't gonna pull themselves."

---

Carefully exhaling, Spike produced a glittering green cloud that looked nothing like his usual flame. For one thing, it didn't dissipate into the wind, but hung before him. The strangest thing was that he could feel it, as though the cloud was an extension of himself. He stared at it with eyes wide. Did this mean he had succeeded?

Seeing his unspoken question, Oceanus grinned. "There's an easy way to find out." Without the slightest hesitation, he thrust his foreleg into the cloud, prompting a gasp from Twilight. Before either Twilight or Spike could say a word, the stallion pulled his leg back out unscathed. "Success!"

"Don't scare me like that!" shouted Twilight, prompting a sheepish expression of apology from the other Unicorn.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

"So now what?" asked Spike, looking at the cloud uncertainly.

"Now, you practice until we're absolutely certain that you can produce your mist at will," replied Oceanus, eliciting a groan from Spike.

It took another hour of tedious repetition before the Ranger was satisfied in Spike's ability to create the mist at will. By the time he was finished, Spike felt as though he as about to keel over from the strain. Producing fire on its own had worn out his throat, but the mist was magical and drained his strength like a bout of strenuous exercise. He had always wondered how Twilight managed to avoid getting chubby in spite of all the time she spent lying around, reading. Perhaps the magic she used regularly burned up excess calories without her needing a fitness session.

Puffing and groaning, Spike tottered and fell onto his rump. He cast a pleading glance at his tormentor, who appeared to be deep in thought before nodding. "That looks good. So now that we're sure that you can produce your mist at will, now comes the part where you learn what to do with it."

Spike felt his energy nearly return at that announcement...nearly. In spite of his excitement, he still didn't think he had anything left for further practice. He realized that Oceanus was gazing down at him.

"Well, it looks like you hit your limit today," he observed, "So I will give you a demonstration for now and we can work on the practical later. As you continue to practice, your magical reserves will build up strength. Because you're using the same energy you would use for physical functions for magic, you could say that this could be considered a kind of endurance training."

Spike gulped nervously. If being able to use magic meant that he had to increase his endurance, then he had an idea of what was coming. However, Oceanus did not go further into the topic, but instead snorted out a cloud of his own mist.

"The first step in using Lung magic, just as in any other form of magic is in establishing your territory." The mist spread out to fill the entire forest clearing.

Twilight blinked in surprise. "Territory? What are you talking about?"

Oceanus gaped at her. "Do you mean that you don't know about establishing a spell field?" At Twilight's blank glance, Oceanus closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead at the base of his horn. "Honestly, what has Princess Celestia been teaching you?"

"Hey!" Even if it was someone she now considered a friend, Twilight did not feel very open about someone disparaging her mentor in front of her.

Oceanus stared at her. "Establishing a spell field is one of the most basic operations in magic. Both my original master and the Archmage have said that a battle between mages is a battle for territory."

"Battle? Princess Celestia never taught me about battle magic. Neither did any of the other teachers at her school."

That made Oceanus pause. "That makes some sense then. But even if its primary function is for battle, spell fields have all sorts of uses."

"How so?"

"Well, for purposes of demonstration, try casting a spell here." Oceanus tilted his head to indicate the clearing around them.

Twilight looked around and spotted a nearby rock. She opted for a typical levitation spell and frowned in concentration as her horn began to glow. Something felt off. A simple levitation spell for a small object should have been foal's play for her, but for some reason she was encountering difficulty. As she focused the necessary energies to cast the spell, Twilight felt as though she were fighting her way through thick mud. Her horn sparked and fizzled and she felt a lot of energy draining out of her spell before she could even apply it, as though something was siphoning it off. Finally, after way more effort than she should have exerted, the rock wobbled uncertainly and lifted off of the ground. After lifting it a ways into the air, Twilight sighed and released her spell, letting the rock drop back down to the ground. Looking up, she saw Spike blinking at her in confusion while Oceanus seemed to be quite impressed with her.

"I don't get it," said Spike, "It looked like she just did what she usually does and the rock floated. What's the big deal." From this, Twilight realized that her concentration made the time it took for her to cast the spell seem longer than it really was. The difference was apparently not noticeable to Spike.

"I was rather surprised to see you manage to do so well in a foreign spell field," said Oceanus thoughtfully, "You certainly have talent, Miss Sparkle. But you felt it didn't you."

Twilight nodded, while Spike simply fell into worse confusion. "Felt what?"

Twilight explained it. "It took a lot more effort than I would normally use just to levitate something that small. It was like something was weighing me down and draining my energy."

"That is one of the aspects of a spell field," said Oceanus, "With my mist, I have claimed this area as my territory by setting a field of my magic. Within this territory, not only are the magics of other ponies hampered by it, but my own magics are much easier to use. You essentially create a place of power in which you can draw out your fullest strength."

"A place of power..." Twilight was lost in thought for a moment. An idea occurred to her, prompting her to look up. "Could you use this kind of spell to create something more permanent."

Oceanus nodded. "Actually, that was originally how these were meant to be used. Mages generally pick a place that they use as a home base of sorts and then establish a spell field and build it up. As you continue to add to it, you can accomplish all kinds of interesting things."

Twilight's mind was gone, lost in a flurry of thoughts as she found herself imagining all the possibilities that this new kind of magic opened up to her. Already, she was beginning to line up countless experiments that she could conduct back at the library to make use of the interesting properties that Oceanus had described to her. But she would need more information. Perhaps she should send for books from the library in Canterlot, or even Celestia's school. But considering that never Celestia nor the teachers she employed seemed to teach that sort of magic, Twilight might have to venture farther afield...

Oceanus and Spike watched as Twilight stood stock-still, her eyes staring off into the distance, unfocused. "Um...is this normal?" asked the greenish-blue Unicorn uncertainly.

"Yeah, she gets like that sometimes," said Spike before he started muttering petulantly, "Whenever she discovers some new kind of spell or piece of knowledge she gets like a foal in a candy store and completely forgets what's going on around her. She'll snap out of it soon enough."

---

"<Strike!>". The howls of Diamond Dogs filled the air as the weighted tentacles of Soul Silver slammed into a crowd of the filthy beasts and scattered them like tenpins. Even as the blows sent half a dozen of the creatures flying, over a dozen more came up twirling slings, the only ranged weapons they seemed to have any knowledge of.

Silverbrook did not flinch. He didn't even need to give any instructions. As the salvo of stones came whirling at him with enough force to crack a pony's skull, Soul Silver sprang to his immediate defense, forming a spherical barrier that deflected every single one. The instant the attack was over, Silverbrook barked out another command and his weapon lashed out yet again, sending Diamond Dogs flying with each attack.

All told, Silverbrook hated dealing with the subterranean canines. The main problem was that there was no simple, universal way to treat them. Some packs were minor annoyances, living in gem-filled quarries and competing with ponies for the local supply. Those packs could be ignored. Others were pests that went out of their way to make life miserable for ponies who threatened to claim what hey considered their own. Finally, the worst packs were the ones that considered ponies to be beasts of burden that could be pressed into service at will. Some packs even went so far as to raid small towns and villages to capture ponies so that they could toil away in Diamond Dog mines. They were slavers. This category was the one that Silverbrook and other Rangers were most frequently called upon to deal with.

Soul Silver sprang into its defensive configuration once again as a group of Diamond Dogs tried to flank Silverbrook and strike from behind. Their crude axes and clubs had no more luck breaching his defenses than their slings had. As they reeled from the recoil of their own blows, Silverbrook launched a series of tendrils that hit the four attackers head on, ramming them back.

This pack of Diamond Dogs had raided the village of Coltswood, ponynapping thirty-seven ponies of all types and ages. Silverbrook's assignment was simple: go in, beat the pack into submission, free the prisoners. Of course, things weren't that simple. He couldn't exactly allow the villagers to see him at his job. He certainly couldn't let them see a greencloak as the hero. The Rangers went out of their way to make sure that the common pony regarded them with suspicion and fear after all. He couldn't carry out the mission without his cloak either. The Diamond Dogs had to be made certain of just who was dispensing their punishment.

This pack was persistent, which came along with their substantial numbers. The boldness and aggressiveness of a Diamond Dog pack correlated directly with their size. The larger the pack, more likely they were to be active slavers like this one. This meant that beating them into submission was also a lengthy task.

Finally, their morale was beginning to waver. Several of the beasts were already beating a hasty retreat. The rest were trying to rally and launch a concerted assault in a hope to break through Soul Silver's defenses. Seeing that they were apparently waiting for something, Silverbrook took the opportunity to look around the cavern. This was a hub for the network of caves that the Diamond Dogs operated out of, with several tunnels coming in from every direction. It was useful for the beasts as the tunnels could easily be employed for flanking attacks.

Silverbrook grinned. The group rallying in front of him must have been waiting for reinforcements to strike from another direction. Well, he knew just how to handle that. "<Seek!>" Several rod-like extensions split off from Soul Silver's main mass and stretched down the tunnels around Silverbrook.

A few seconds later, a tremor traveled up a tendril leading to a passage slightly behind and to the right of where Silverbrook was. So that was where the reinforcements were coming from. Retracting Soul Silver's feelers, Silverbrook waited until he could see the shifting shadows that indicated the approaching Diamond Dogs out of the corner of his eye.

"<Strike!>" At his command, the tentacles lashed out at their targets, the stone surrounding the passageway entrance, causing it to collapse almost directly on top of the approaching flanking force. The main group, having been about to launch their own attack while Silverbrook was distracted, skidded to a haunt before they had even fully begun to make their own charge. Silverbrook turned his full attention to them and grinned eagerly. The result was exactly what he had hoped for. The last resistance of the Diamond Dogs broke and they fled, yapping in terror.

That little trick hadn't been exactly necessary. Even with the flanking attack, the Diamond Dogs lacked the power to break through Soul Silver's automatic defense. But Silverbrook wanted to break their morale sooner rather than later. By cutting off the expected reinforcements, he had effectively shattered the last pillars of the current group's morale, allowing him to finish this battle much sooner.

Before they could all escape, Silverbrook had one last task he needed to complete. "<Capture!>" Three tentacles reached out and wrapped around a straggler, who gave out a strangled whine as he was dragged back towards the horrifying pony in the green cloak. His comrades didn't even spare him a glance back, preoccupied as they were by saving their own skins. True, there were plenty of other Diamond Dogs who were littering the chamber with their unconscious bodies, but Silverbrook needed one who was awake and he didn't have the patience to wait for any of the others to revive.

Soul Silver dragged the unfortunate Diamond Dog up before Silverbrook and held the mangy beast suspended in front of him. Silverbrook stared straight into the terrified eyes of the creature. "Go back and release all of your prisoners," he said simply, "Release them and see to it that they get to the surface safely. If you don't..." Silverbrook glanced to the side and set his target for a stalagmite that jutted up from the floor near the edge of the chamber. "<Cleave!>" Another tentacle shot out from Soul Silver. This one lined with razor edges. It cut through the stone formation like butter. The top of the stalagmite slid away to reveal that the cut had been so clean that the exposed surface looked as though it had been polished to a glass-like consistency.

"If you don't, I will find you and the others and I will do that to you. Don't even think about trying to trick me. I know exactly how many there are. If you don't follow my instructions, I will know. Do you understand me?" The Diamond Dog nodded frantically, too terrified to use his voice. Silverbrook released him and the dog scrambled off whimpering to follow his instructions. Silverbrook didn't doubt that they would be carried out. But he sent one of Soul Silver's tracking tendrils after the creature, just to be on the safe side.

---

Spike was living fast asleep on Twilight's back as she carried her assistant into the library. The remainder of the practice session had been spent on Oceanus explaining the capabilities and applications of spell fields. Twilight listened even more eagerly than the dragon to this new wealth of information. Already worn out by the strenuous practice earlier, Spike hadn't been at his most attentive. Once they had finally decided to return to the library, he was too tired to walk and had to ride on Twilight's back, nodding off in the process.

After carrying him up to the bedroom and tucking him into his basket, Twilight came back downstairs and made her way to the kitchen to prepare a light dinner for Oceanus and a late night snack for Spike should he wake up later that evening. While she cooked, she and Oceanus talked. Twilight was eager to know more about the magic he had been using earlier.

"I know some books that would be helpful in that area," said Oceanus as he browsed a nearby bookshelf, "I'll ask one of my comrades to send them your way."

"They won't mind?" asked Twilight.

"Spell Field Theory is not exactly a top secret branch of magical application. I'm told that the Archmage and those students that can handle his lessons are particularly adept in its usage, so he might have some materials that could help you in that area. However, since I doubt that you will be hearing from him anytime soon, I'll just have to see if I can get him to send something to you later."

"I'm so grateful," said Twilight as she brought the food and plates to the table, "But there's something else I'd like to ask."

Oceanus raised an eyebrow. "And that is...?"

"I was just curious. Could you tell me about the Lung Dragons? What are they like?"

Oceanus chuckled. "To be honest, they're bureaucrats..."

---

Silverbrook watched from a distance as the newly freed ponies came out into the waning light near the end of the day. Carefully, he counted each and every one of them to ensure that the Diamond Dogs hadn't tried to pull a fast one on him. Fortunately, they were all accounted for. Just to be sure, he followed them at a distance to make sure that they made it safely to their homes.

Even though this had been a troublesome assignment, Silverbrook couldn't keep a smile from his face as he watched the villagers greet their returning friends and family. Sons and daughters rushed into the open embrace of their parents. Lovers reunited with varying degrees of passion. There was plenty of cause for celebration that day. His assignment completed, Silverbrook turned away from Coltswood and trotted off into the wilderness to await his next set of instructions.

They came more quickly than he expected. Silverbrook frowned as the instructions were relayed by blink code through the gem that the Archmage had provided him for that purpose. This was much more important than his usual assignments.

"Somepony or something has been tampering with the Fourth Seal in the Thotep Pass. Investigate immediately."

The Thotep Pass was a night's journey away from his current location. Looking up to see the sun almost completely below the horizon and the moon beginning to rise opposite, Silverbrook performed some quick calculations. If he traveled through the night, he would be at the pass by seven the following morning. While it meant that he wouldn't be getting a chance to sleep anytime soon, he wasn't worried at the prospect. Rangers were conditioned to go multiple days without sleep after all. Silverbrook set out at his swiftest pace. There was absolutely no time to waste.

---

"And here we are, back at your room, safe and sound." Pinkie Pie gently pushed the chair carrying Far Treader into his hospital room.

Far felt much more rested after spending the day napping on a bench in the garden. He was especially impressed that Pinkie hadn't done anything to disturb him during that time. She had also checked her usual exuberance while getting him back to his room. However, Far was distracted from his thoughts by an unusual scent emanating from the hospital room itself. His keen nose, honed by years spent in the wilderness, detected the faint smell of drying paint.

Far looked around for the source of the smell, but was baffled until he looked up. The stallion's eyes widened as he stared at the ceiling. The normally bear ceiling had been painted into an exceptionally faithful representation of Princess Luna's night. While it was a far call from looking up at the actual stars, Far couldn't help but pick out several of his favorite constellations and patterns. Stargazing was one of his favorite hobbies, another reason he was considered ideal for service directly under Princess Luna.

Stunned, Far turned to look at Pinkie Pie, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Surprise!" she cheered, "Do you like it?"

Far turned his eyes back up to the ceiling. "When...? How...?"

Pinkie giggled at his incoherence. "I have a couple of friends who are really good at painting. They did this for me as a favor while we were out in the garden."

Far Treader had plenty of other questions, such as how they had gotten permission from the hospital for this, or how they managed to get the job done so quickly so that the room wouldn't be filled with fumes by the time he got back. The time factor confused him immensely. However, as he glanced back at Pinkie and her genuinely happy grin, he decided that there was no real need to know the answers to those questions. This was Pinkie Pie after all.

To his own surprise, Far found himself smiling. If anything, the sight of that made Pinkie's grin grow even wider. "Thank you." Even the Ranger was shocked by the degree of sincere warmth in his own voice.

"You're so so soooooooo welcome!" Now he could see that Pinkie was only just barely restraining herself. Far half expected her to shoot off like a rocket and put a hole in his newly painted ceiling.

"You've done so much for me. I'm grateful, but why? I understand that you love parties and were disappointed that I wouldn't let you throw one for me. But why this?" He jerked his head to indicate the scenery. "Just the dumplings and the trip to the garden were pleasant enough. But why go so far for me ?"

It seemed that Pinkie had it in her to surprise Far yet again as the expression she gave him was the most sincerely warm and joyous expression he had ever seen a pony wear. "Because that's who I am," she said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "More than anything else in the world, I want to make ponies happy. I want to see them smile. And that means you too.

"I know that I didn't to a very good job at first, but Twilight helped me to understand that not everypony needs parties to make them happy. Some ponies, like you, find their happiness in other things. I just needed some help figuring out what that was."

She helped Far struggle onto his bed. "I can honestly say that you have done more for me today than anypony since my own foalhood," said Far as he looked up at the ceiling once again, "And I am happy...and very grateful." He turned his head down to look Pinkie straight in the eyes. "Thank you Miss Pie."

"I'm really happy that you're happy," said Pinkie by way of reply, "Nighty night. Sleep tight."

As Pinkie Pie bounced her way out of the room, Far Treader turned to look up at the nightscape painted on his ceiling once again. "I think that tonight, I may sleep much better."

---

Oceanus yawned as he settled in for another night on the couch in the library. Twilight had finally gone to bed. He chuckled to himself as he remembered their talk. The librarian had been eager to learn about Oceanus's experiences abroad and his time with the Lung Dragons. She had asked him a great many questions. He wondered though, just how much time he had left to spend in Ponyville. Even spending more than one night in a fixed location was a rare occurrence in the life of a Ranger. They spent their lives on the move.

As though it had been perfectly synchronized with his thoughts, a swirl of mist streamed through the crack at the bottom of the front door. It drifted right up into Oceanus's face before congealing into a letter. Using his magic, the Unicorn caught the scroll before it hit the ground and unrolled it. As he perused its contents, his eyes widened. "The Thotep Pass!"

Among all the seals that kept the various horrors that threatened ordinary ponies at bay throughout Equestria, there were six that absolutely could not be ignored or overlooked (even though that was technically true for all the seals, but these six especially). The slightest fluctuation of their status was an emergency of the highest degree among the Order.

Sadly, Oceanus acknowledged that his stay in Ponyville had come to a very abrupt end.

---

The Thotep Pass was high in the subalpine region of the Saddleback Mountains. It's existence was known only to the Rangers as it was far away, not only from the normal routes of travel through the mountains, but also far from even the most disused backwoods trails. It was a place that could only be located through careful navigation across terrain devoid of any ponymade indicators. In other words, it was a place that few if any besides the Rangers would be able to find on their own. The fact that it lay at the very edge of Equestria's border made it all the more inaccessible. All in all, it was an absolutely perfect place to keep something that should not be disturbed under any circumstance.

Silverbrook had no idea what the name of the pass meant. He had heard that it was actually a fragment of a longer name that nopony dared to speak aloud, if there were actually any ponies who honestly knew what that name was. None of this mattered as Silverbrook climbed over the uneven and rocky terrain to reach his destination. It looked like nothing more than a small cave. But it was the sight of one of the most important seals that it was the Rangers' task to monitor.

Drawing on his innate magic as an Earth Pony, Silverbrook allowed the ground itself to tell him what he needed to know. With each time his hooves clacked against the stone, he gained insight into the features of the land around him and anything connected to that land. It was no match for Soul Silver's seeking capabilities, but it did enable him to get a feel for his surroundings and an idea of what was around, even if he couldn't pinpoint the exact location of certain things, like ponies. With this subtle form of Earth Pony magic, Silverbrook could feel the presence of another pony through the ground, a pony who should not have been there.

Standing at the entrance of the cave, Silverbrook could barely make out a faint blue glow coming from within. "This place is forbidden," he said in a voice that echoed through the lonely pass, "Explain who you are and your purpose."

No voice came back to him. But the blue glow in the cave began to grow brighter. The metallic-colored stallion became conscious of a low rumbling noise echoing from within the lessening darkness of the cavern, a rumble that was gradually becoming a roar. Silverbrook's eyes widened as the glow resolved into a torrent of blue-white flame that rushed put from the tunnel and washed over him.