Ace's Spell Shop

by Aceofgods

Mind Games

Chapter Twenty-eight: Mind Games

Twilight awoke, but she hardly felt rested. Her eyes still closed, she rolled over onto her side in the hopes of sleeping in today. The bed felt different - softer than usual. The pillows, on the offset, were firmer than she remembered as well, but the two differences together made her more comfortable than usual.

’That was quite the dream you had, my Starlight,’ called a voice that echoed inside of her mind.

Twilight was at first shocked by the telecommunicated voice inside of her head, but then recalled that it was only Ace, taking up residence inside of her mind as he recovered.

’You can… see my dreams?’ Twilight asked warily in a telecommunication of her own, unsure of whether or not just thinking the message was enough.

With her eyes still closed, a magical avatar of Ace appeared through the darkness of her eyelids. With little more than a thought, she was able to make a magical version of her own body to accompany him, making him smile slightly wider.

’More than just see, Starlight, I can feel your dreams through you. Conjoined as we are, anything that you feel, I will likewise feel – ‘tis as though your body was mine as well.’

Twilight blushed at the thought of the two of them sharing her body – even more so at the thoughts that followed, and even more so at the thought of Ace knowing the thoughts of her thoughts. Thinking of her thoughts that made her blush as she did, even her magical avatar blushed as well.

Ace chuckled before he spoke through her body once more. ’You are likely wondering if I know your thoughts, but the answer is more complicated than a yes or a no. You see, I can hear your loud thoughts, as well as thoughts that involve myself, but not your personal or passive ones.’

Twilight’s magical self tilted its head to one side as she thought about what he said, but she may have been more confused by the statement than at the actual question that led to it.

’I don’t think I understand… I think I know how a thought can be passive, but aren’t all thoughts personal – and quiet?’

Ace only shook his head with a smile. ’You see, a thought that is passive does not provoke further thought. These are things like, “I really like the taste of this ice cream.” A personal thought is one that is only about yourself, such as “After I get off work, I think I’ll have some eggnog.”

Twilight nodded that she was beginning to get the idea. ’So if both of those are quiet thoughts, then what is a loud thought?’ she asked, which made Ace nod, likely glad that she caught on quickly.

’A loud thought is a thought that provokes many other thoughts, and may affect both you and other ponies close to or around you. An example of this would be when you think about using the Elements of Harmony, or think about casting a spell.’

Twilight’s magical avatar nodded before disappearing, the real Twilight opening her eyes to greet the daylight. As she did so, she realized the reason her bed had felt different was that it was actually Ace’s circular bed beside hers. She blushed lightly with a smile, thinking that Ace had brought her here as she slept.

’Actually, you sleepwalked up here on your own, around the time you found out what had happened to me in your dream,’ Ace’s disembodied voice called from within her mind. ’It was actually quite endearing, my Starlight, that you subconsciously sought my comfort even as you slumbered.’

Twilight’s blush deepened, but her smile lingered as she crawled to the foot of the bed, leaning over the side to peer into Spike’s basket-bed that rested at the foot of her own. Seeing that it was empty, Twilight ignited her magical senses – rather, she ignited Ace’s magical senses and shared them.

Through their shared senses, she was able to mix both magical and physical feeling, allowing her to coordinate herself while also finding that Spike was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Having not ate anything in longer than she cared to remember, she excitedly climbed out of bed and made her way down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

What greeted her was the sweet aroma of chocolate melting in a pot over a slow flame as Spike prepared two plates of crepes while slicing up some bananas. Twilight came into the room as he was pouring the last of the batter.

“Those smell really good, Spike,” she said, making him jump slightly before placing a clawed hand to his chest. “Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you.”

Spike just shook his head as he laid the batter bowl aside. “It’s fine, Twilight. I’m just glad to see you’re doing much better today.” Twilight cocked her head to one side as she took her plate, along with a pair of the sliced fruit, in her magic and set it on the table as she took a seat.

“What are you talking about? What was wrong with me yesterday?” Twilight asked, unsure of what her assistant was talking about. Spike rubbed a claw behind his head, either nervous or hesitant in discussing the topic.

“Well, it’s just that… After what happened to Ace, you sort of just… shut down. Nopony was able to wake you up, and later that night you slept in Ace’s bed… You were silently crying, too…”

Twilight brought a hoof to her cheek, and found that her tears had mussed her coat, though it was now dry. Twilight smiled and shook her head. “I just had a bad dream is all; Ace is just fine. Well, not entirely fine – he’s still hurt, but he’s recovering using his magic inside my head.”

Spike only looked more concerned than before, looking at her with a mixture of sadness and disbelief. Twilight heard Ace laughing inside of her head as she felt a portion of his magic flowing through her to a hoof – which became alighted in his black glow hidden away behind the table from Spike’s view.

Twilight was not sure what Ace had in mind, until she saw the spoon in the batter bowl picking up bits of the left over batter and writing on the wall behind Spike. Twilight could not help but read the words aloud as they completed, her eyes squinting to make out the segmented lettering.

“Spike,… do… you… believe in… ghosts?” she read aloud, as Spike raised an eyebrow at her before she pointed at the wall behind him. As he turned around, a look of shock crossed his features as the spoon hovered in Ace’s black magic glow, moving tauntingly towards him.

“C-c-c-cut it out T-Twilight! T-this isn’t fu-fu-funny anymore!” he stammered, all but shaking from fear as he backed away from the encroaching utensil that bobbed from side to side as though it were taking measured steps.

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof, masking her laughter as she shook her head. “It’s not me, Spike – my horn isn’t even lit up, you see?” Spike looked back for only a moment to make sure she was telling the truth. As he turned back, however, the spoon had already came to a pointing stance, aimed directly at his forehead.

Before he could react to the threat, the seemingly possessed cookware prodded Spike’s forehead, leaving a chocolate-and-batter stain on his scales. Unable to take such abuse, he ran out of the room screaming. Fortunately, he had not made it very far before Ace pulled him back into the room by a glow that encased the young dragon’s tail, pulling him back in as he ran blindly in place.

Apparently unable to realize he wasn’t going anywhere with his eyes shut, Ace pulled Spike into the air – his legs still kicking helplessly – and brought him to face Twilight. Eventually, he ran out of energy and began hyperventilating as he floated in midair.

“Spike, Ace is not dead – and he is not a ghost! Um, I think… Technically, he is a cloud of magic that has merged with my magic while he recovers – but not dead!” Spike only nodded, liking her idea better than the thought of ghosts.

Ace placed Spike back on the ground, the little dragon immediately laying on his back in the middle of the kitchen as he caught his breath. Once Spike was back on solid ground again, Twilight’s horn lit in a black glow as Ace brought the pot of melted chocolate over to the table, dipping the banana slices in it half way before returning them to her plate.

Once each of the banana slices were half coated in chocolate, he wrapped them in the chocolate quinoa crepes , topping each with whipped cream and a dash of chocolate powder before drizzling more of the chocolate over them with the mixing spoon. ’Bon appétit, my Starlight.’

Twilight nodded her head in thanks before taking up the fork and trying a bite while her horn was alight with both her purple magic and Ace’s blackened glow, making a swirling mix of their unique colors that Twilight admired from the corner of her gaze. Ace prepared Spike’s plate the same way he had hers.

The morsel of chocolate quinoa crepe, banana, crème and additional chocolate danced onto her palate as she brought it to her mouth – the earthly flavor of the quinoa being a stark contrast to the bitter-but-sweet dark chocolate partner in its dance, the two being stellar opposites while also bringing out the best in one another.

Twilight nearly dropped her fork in the ecstasy she experienced as she rolled the food across the top of her mouth rather than chewing it, not wanting to misplace a single decadent crumb in the effort of gnashing her teeth together. Little by little, she swallowed the small bite of food in segments, still savoring each individual element of the meal.

Once her mouth was clear of the scrumptious food, the flavor still lingered, teasing her tastebuds that all but begged her take another bite. “Spike, where in Equestria did you learn to make these?” she asked as he started to seat himself at the table.

Spike took a forkful of the delicious cuisine, basking in the bliss of it as she had, which led Twilight to take a bite as she awaited the response as well. “I just followed the recipe that was next to the stove when I came down here. I thought you wrote it, but it must have been Ace if it wasn’t.”

Twilight could see Ace nodding with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head with a hoof within her mind. ’Well, do not be mad at me, he said nervously, ’but I scribed the recipe specifically as a pick-me-up of sorts, should the worst come to pass in my conflict with Discord.’

Twilight looked at him angrily with a mental projection of herself in her mind, but found it amazingly hard to be angry when the food was so delectable. Twilight took another bite as a thought crossed her mind: ’Aren’t you going to come out and eat with us? I would be happy to share,’ she offered.

Ace just shook his head with a smile from inside of her mind. ’I am still recovering – it would be possible for me to give form to my body, but I would still need immediate medical aid at this point. Additionally, I can feel what you feel, my dearest Starlight, and this includes tastes.’

Twilight only shrugged happily at the explanation, taking another bite and only being half through with the first of her three chocolate quinoa crepes. She could feel that Ace was tense in anticipation of some conversation that was inevitable, but Twilight left well-enough alone for the time being as she enjoyed her breakfast.

Twilight had just finished the dishes and had put away the remaining chocolate at Ace’s behest as he said he would make use of it again later. For the present, however, Twilight wanted to know what was on Ace’s mind, and preferably sooner rather than later.

’Well as much as I would rather put off the task myself,’ he said as Twilight remembered that he could hear her thoughts that involved him, ’we need to go and see Celestia today.’

Twilight had nearly forgotten that Discord’s chaos magic had infiltrated and tainted Princess Celestia’s mind. Now that Discord was gone, Celestia should have recovered, right? ’As much sense as that would make, I am afraid we cannot be certain – Chaos Magic has a nasty habit of having the least expected outcome rather than the most logical.’

Twilight sighed inwardly, chastising herself for forgetting such a simple concept. ’Well what should we do, my Wolf of the Moon?’ Twilight asked, feeling the gentle blush form in both her cheeks as well as her mental roommate’s.

Twilight’s horn lit up in Ace’s black glow as they teleported to Canterlot. This time, however, Twilight could feel that the teleportation spell was actually several teleportation spells tied together in a sequence, and she felt the bouncing of her body between more than two locations.

Faster than the blink of an eye, they appeared at a quiet table at a restaurant in Canterlot, Twilight now understanding why Ace’s teleportation always drained the senses for a moment, but she still could not comprehend how such a feat was possible without being a major strain on even Ace’s vast store of magical energy.

’Tis a well-guarded secret, my student,’ Twilight nodded, thinking that Ace did not wish to tell her such a secret. ’Secret though it is, ‘tis quite simple: I leave a small beacon of my magic in the form of enchanted spell residue. My teleportation magic locks onto these beacons and I use them to relay the spell to other beacons until I reach my destination. It’s a powerful technique I developed, though it requires me physically going someplace to set up the beacon.’

Twilight sat in awe for a moment as she thought about the implications of such a network of beacons. Knowing Ace, he likely added a concealment enchantment onto the beacons to be certain that nopony could trace his magic through them. Ace simply nodded with a smile within her mind.

’Are the beacons made only for the teleportation spells,’ Twilight asked through telecommunication, ’or can you use other spells through them as well?’ Ace’s mental projection held a hoof over its mouth, though it did nothing to mask the short laugh that echoed through her body.

’I truly do love your ability to always ask the right questions, my student,’ Ace said within her mind, eliciting a blush from both Twilight’s physical and mental selves at the sudden use of the powerful word. ‘Tis true, the beacons will relay any spell of my choosing, should I handle such methods delicately.’

Twilight marveled once more at the implications, picturing Ace casting a spell over something from countless miles away. Before Twilight could imagine any grander use of the beacons, Ace drew her attention and waved a hoof around within her mind. ’Do you notice anything odd, my student?’

Twilight looked around the restaurant, seeing a good number of ponies who were stopping in for either their breakfast, lunch or brunch. Several waiters and waitresses tended tables alongside busponies. ’Um… Nopony has taken my order yet?’

Ace again covered his mouth, though it did nothing to subvert the chuckle that ran through her body. ’While this is true, ‘tis to be expected when somepony appears at a table, rather than being escorted. No, something about the entire city, and not the restaurant, my Starlight – look at the grander picture.’

Twilight looked out the window, and saw a procession of sorts going through the street. Unsure at first what the procession could be for, she noted that many of the ponies had on fine clothes, and many more traveled as a family. With a short gasp, she noted that there were actually two processions – one moving toward, and one away from Canterlot Castle.

Looking around the restaurant at the pony patrons, she noticed that many of the ponies were dressed in fine attire here as well – at first she attributed it to the four or five star establishment, but she now saw it was actually because; ’Today’s Sunday! The Princess is meant to be at the Castle listening to the woes of her subjects, as well as addressing everypony with the latest events, having already made a show of raising the sun.’

Ace nodded within her mind once more. ’Very good observation. Now, perhaps you could tell me what the apparent state of that address might be, judging by the looks of the ponies proceeding away from the castle?’

Twilight needed only make a short look over the ponies to tell that their address had not went as they had hoped. ’I would guess that there must be some sour news indeed, as everypony appears to be sad or depressed. Alternatively, perhaps… There’s no news at all!’

Ace nodded once again as he sat back in her mind, a hoof raising to rub against his chin. ’A keen observation if ever there was one, my student. The question now is why, and I cannot help but conclude that ‘tis because the Princess is unwell.’

“Beg your pardon, but has madam not yet received her menu?” came a mare’s voice, bringing Twilight out of her thoughts as well as her conversation with Ace. The voice belonged to one of the servers who were frantically tending to the rush of customers.

“Oh, well, um…” Twilight began before she thought of an excuse. “I was actually waiting here for somepony, but it would seem he won’t be coming… I think I will take my leave, instead,” Twilight said as she proceeded away from the table. “Good day.”

The server raised an eyebrow before sadly shaking her head, sending her off with a practiced farewell and the wave of a hoof. Once Twilight made it outside, she openly sighed at narrowly avoiding trouble, slim though it might have been

’Beg pardon for the inconvenience, but I believe ‘twould be best that we make way for the castle as soon as possible. While Celestia is not the favorite of my sisters, her well-being is a pressing concern for more than just myself.’

Twilight nodded her head in agreement as she started for the castle, which was only a short distance from the marketplace where she presently found herself. As she went, she noted how there were no short number of ponies making the same trip, and quite a few business ponies were already spreading word that Celestia had taken ill.

Twilight moved with the crowd as she made her way to the castle, up until she reached the main gate of the castle – which was closed. A number of Canterlot Royal Guards blocked the entrance as easily as the massive wooden gate they stood before. Earth pony guards turned the pedestrians away with a sorrowful shake of their head and only the briefest explanation as Pegasi patrolled the skies for fear that dissent may spread through the crowd.

When Twilight reached the gate, she waved for a guard’s attention. Once he had made his way over to her, she could easily see the displeasure the guard displayed on his features at Twilight pulling him away from his post. “The Sunday Service has been cancelled indefinitely this week. Please go back to the city and return next week,” he said in an impatient voice.

Twilight’s horn lit in her purple glow as she attempted to use Ace’s spell beacons to teleport her royal passport from home. However, cloaked as they were, she could not find them to use them. Fortunately, Ace had heard the intention of her magic from within her mind, his magic spreading to one of her hooves as he performed the spell instead.

Clearing her throat as she caught the passport that showed her as Princess Celestia’s private pupil, she flipped the small booklet open and held it before the guard. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I study under the Princess. Could you please let me through – I wish to offer my help to the Princesses.”

The guard studied the proffered document before nodding his head and pointing a hoof to a smaller section of the gate that opened for individual use, in front of which stood another guard. Twilight nodded her thanks before doing the same with the other guard before a guard escorted her to the castle proper.

’While I do applaud you for knowing how to use the beacons, my student, you cannot use mine as they are imprinted only with my magic. Should you wish to make use of the technique; I would not stop you, but please be sure to take the proper precautions as I have.’ Twilight mentally smiled sheepishly at the short, chastising lecture.

As they made their way through the castle, Twilight and Ace both realized that the guard was not escorting them to the Chamber of the Sun, where Celestia normally governed from atop her sunlit throne. Twilight actually was not sure where they were going, rarely having the chance to explore the expansive castle.

’The guard leads us to the Sun’s Bedchamber, I am afraid. Makes sense, of course, as even Celestia would need her bed rest if she has fallen ill. As I have explained before, even Immortal Alicorns are as weak as anypony else, physically.’

Twilight felt a pit developing in her stomach as she worried over Celestia’s well-being. ’What do you think it could be? Surely the Princess would not make such a scene over something such as a cold or the flu.’

Ace’s mental form shook his head. ’You would be correct, my Starlight. If you are asking me to make a guess, I would daresay that ‘tis a withdrawal from Discord’s chaos magic. The dreaded spirit, thrice damned though he may be, was likely threading a small trickle of chaos magic into Celestia’s mind to sway her judgment. Without that small thread of magic, her mind has become imbalanced – the suddenness of the severance likely not aiding this fact.’

Twilight could feel Ace admiring the paintings and large mosaic windows as they passed through several corridors as she simply tried to map out the route in her head. Despite Twilight’s relationship with Celestia, she barely knew anything about her. In truth, she only knew marginally more than somepony could read from a book or bed time story.

’Tis likely no accident, my Starlight. Celestia is more protective of her secrets than even I, and she considers nearly everything a secret. Being in her position, any fleck of knowledge could become harmful in the wrong hooves,’ Ace said to her as he uselessly attempted to stifle his laugh again.

’One year, Princess Luna discovered her sister had a weakness for Cloud Cake. For months she bribed Celestia into doing numerous uncouth acts for both of our amusement using the frosted treat.’

Twilight found the story positively infectious, but she could not laugh while following the guard for fear of misunderstanding, and explaining that she was laughing at the story of the Unicorn inside her head would likely get her removes from the premises.

As she recovered her composure, the trio stopped in front of a pair of large, ivory doors with a single engraving encompassing both. The engraving was a very large representation of Princess Celestia’s archaic sun cutie mark. The guard bowed, motioning towards the door, before silently brushing past them, likely not wishing to be the one to awaken the Princess.

Through Ace’s magical senses, Twilight could feel Celestia inside the room, her breathing labored and her entire body sore. Worst of all, was the incredible pain her head and horn were suffering.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself for whatever followed, Twilight opened the door and entered the room. “Hey, Princess Celestia… How are you feeling?” she asked, not entirely sure of what else she should say.

Princess Celestia’s head rolled more than turned to face her atop a pile of pillows ravaged by the tossing and turning of the sick Alicorn. Celestia’s eyes were cloudy, her ears were askew, and her body was thrown upon the bed in what could only be a painfully uncomfortable contortion. The covers rested half on and half of her tangled and twisted as they spilled over into the floor.

“Who goes there? The Gooey-Gumdrop Empire will not fall so easily to thine aggressions, Silver Lancet of Willow Brooke!” Celestia was clearly delirious, and Twilight could almost see the waves of heat that rose from her feverish forehead.

“Our armies may have fallen in the battle of Tangerine Grove, and you may have bested our naval forces at Chocolate Falls, but the Draconis Knights are still strong and airworthy! The liquid fire of their bowels will rain over your cities, rendering your cause lost to the ages as the Gooey-Gumdrops write of their victory!”

Twilight’s horn lit up in Ace’s black magical glow, along with Celestia’s head and horn. As it did so, Celestia’s words started to trail off as she spoke of her fantasy world. The princess calmed down – or fell unconscious – as her head and body slackened under the effect of whatever magic Ace had used.

’I am afraid there is little I can do. The withdrawal from Discord’s magic combined with the sudden severance brought about by the spirit’s death has left Celestia trapped within a chaotic world of her own making. Technically speaking, she is more of that made-up world than she is of ours right now.’

Twilight inched closer to the large four-poster bed, both wary and concerned as she watched over the stricken princess. ’Is there truly nothing we can do for her? Surely there must be something you can do – you know more magic than anypony I know!’

Twilight could see Ace shaking his head within her mind. ’Spells are crafted out of need, and there has never been a need for such a spell, as only Discord could bring about this affliction. As much power as I command, I dare not experiment magic that would affect somepony’s mind on my sister.’

Twilight bowed her head, realizing that she asked for much thinking it was little. ’What can we do, then? Certainly you are not suggesting we leave her like this; we have to at least try to help her!’ Twilight was trying to keep her tone level, but doing so inside of her own mind was more difficult than normal, and she knew it sounded as if she was yelling at him.

Ace appeared beside her in the form of a magical projection of himself and rested a hoof against her shoulder as he sat with her. ’I could never leave a pony without aid, Starlight. I used a few spells to soothe the fever, relieve her pain, and help her sleep.

‘I also threaded a small amount of chaos magic into her mind.’ Twilight did a double take, at first thinking she had misheard him until she realized that he was communicating directly through her mind, not with sound. She stared incredulous for a moment before scowl crossed her features.

’You did what?! How is that meant to help her, exactly? It’s chaos magic that made her this way!’ Twilight made no effort to stifle her voice now, wanting Ace to know full well she expected an explanation – a damned good one.

’I am not certain how much you know about drugs or other addictive substances, my student, but Chaos Magic is among them. A small amount of chaos magic embedded directly into the brain of somepony who is magic-touched or capable of using magic creates a euphoric sense as the mind is led to believe it is in a fantasy world of its own design.

‘What Discord did was create an addiction in Celestia, making her mind dependent on the stuff to properly function. Now, after being dropped cold turkey, her mind is stuck in that world. We must wean her from the dependence slowly.’

Twilight shrunk back, sorry that she had doubted him even for a moment. She passed her look over Princess Celestia, noting that she was breathing much easier, and her body looked much more comfortable. ’I’m sorry… It’s just that I’m really scared… Is she going to be okay?’

Ace shook his head solemnly with a frown. ’I am afraid ‘tis out of my hooves. She could be like this for the rest of her life, or she could be better tomorrow – I just do not have any data of a case this severe. What I can say, is that Princess Luna and I will do all that we can to help her. Speaking of, we should go and inform Luna of the diagnosis, as well as the best method of treatment.’

Twilight nodded once before her horn was alight with Ace’s black glow, and the room around her faded in the flash of dark light that followed. When next she could see, she was in Luna’s bedchamber instead, though the moonlit princess was nowhere to be found.

Twilight could feel Ace’s magical senses scanning sections of the room, and finally locked onto a blank piece of parchment on the writing desk. Through his senses, Twilight could tell there was some small spell cast upon the innocuous object, but was not sure what it was.

Ace flash-teleported again, bring Twilight to stand in the Canterlot Royal Archives. Directly in front of her was a pony sitting at a table with a stack of books to either side, many of them floating in their magic. Only through Ace’s magical senses could she tell that it was Princess Luna.

Twilight took a few steps forward to rest a hoof on Luna’s shoulder, finding that she was in the guise of Night Scroll. Doing so brought the mare out of her concentration, bringing the books held in her magic to come crashing down as Night Scroll turned with a gasp.

Once Night Scroll saw who had found her, she immediately stood up from the chair, and turned to face Twilight as she swiftly wrapped her hooves around her before tears started to run down her cheeks.

“Oh Twilight, ‘tis most awful! Something has befallen sister Celestia and nopony in all of Canterlot knows what to do! We have called for the greatest physicians and studiers of magic, yet what they send us are fools who only shake their heads!”

Twilight wrapped her hooves around the distraught mare as she returned to her normal self. “If only brother Ace was here… Rainbow Dash told me what had befallen him after the battle with Discord… May the thrice damned beast never find peace.”

Twilight pulled away from the embrace, holding Luna at hoof’s length. “Luna, Ace is still alive - he is inside of me.” Princess Luna’s expression only fell further as her tears flowed faster before she embraced Twilight once more.

“You’re right, Twilight – Ace lives on through all of us, and he would not wish for us to wallow in self-pity. Thank you for your kind words, Twilight.” Twilight shook her head with an audible sigh, once again reminding herself she needed to choose her words better.

Twilight held Luna at hoof’s length once again, a more serious look on her face. “No, I mean before he died, Ace turned his body into magic and merged himself with me. He is currently recovering from the grievous wound that Discord left him in his parting.”

Princess Luna’s features started to shift – from sadness, to shock, to wonton happiness and surprise, then settling on solemn seriousness. “This is very grand news indeed. Can he hear me?” Twilight nodded. “That is good, I will need say it only once then: Sister Celestia has fallen gravely ill since Discord’s body and soul were destroyed.”

Twilight’s face sank as she heard of the spirit’s demise in a way she had not heard before. “Wh-what do you mean his soul was d-destroyed? I mean, I knew the Elements of Harmony had reduced his body to p-powder… but what do you mean his s-soul was destroyed?”

Luna rose an eyebrow, questioning why this was the most pressing matter to consider from her statement. “Discord has been thrice damned, – meaning that his body and soul was destroyed – this means that he can never return to the cycle of souls, and can never be reincarnated.”

Luna answered the immediate question, but Ace picked up on the how of it all. ’You see, Discord is a Draconequus – he is a creature not indigenous to our world. As such, when he died here, his soul was a foreign entity, and was destroyed by the Magic That Be – the omnipresent power the world holds over itself.’

Twilight fell back to a sitting position, feeling a pit form in her stomach… She had come to accept that she had taken Discord’s life, but to destroy his very life-giving soul… She felt that nopony should possess such a skill, and nopony should ever deserve such a fate.

Princess Luna cleared her throat before she continued. “Regardless of what befell our foe, mine concern lies with the well-being of mine sister. ‘Twould seem that nopony in Canterlot can tell us what ails her, and fewer still have any idea how to help her.”

Twilight shook her head as Ace made a magical projection of himself to rub a hoof against her back, using his magic inside of her to stimulate her senses to believe he was truly there – it helped only a little. “Ace knows. If you use your magic senses, he can explain it all.”

Ace’s magical self pulled his other hoof to cover his muzzle as he futilely attempted to hide his laugh that echoed through Twilight’s being as Princess Luna blushed, averting her gaze.

“Er, yes, well… I am much too, erm… tired, to use my magical senses – yes, so very tired. Perhaps you could tell me what he says, instead?” Ace slid his hoof from her back he hopped onto Luna’s head started dancing as he laughed, humming a simple beat to accompany his lively steps.

’You see, my Starlight, Princess Luna has never successfully manipulated her magical senses. She puts forth so much strength into them, that time almost moves backwards for her, and they would stretch all the way throughout Canterlot. She lacks proper control and just brazenly puts forth all her magic in all her spells.’

Princess Luna sighed as Twilight covered her laugh politely, but was unable to hide it. “If I were to guess, I would wager that mine brother is dancing on mine head. Is this not true?” Twilight shook her head as she laughed harder while Ace moved onto Luna’s back, dancing the Can-Can while humming the beat as he brought the appropriate attire into form around his hips.

“Is it mine back, then?” Luna asked dully before Twilight fell over with laughter when Ace defied thinking by dancing upside down on his sister’s stomach. “Enough tomfoolery, brother! Our sister ails while you make merry at my expense!” Luna yelled, clearly not enjoying being made fun of.

Twilight came back to her hooves as she sat before the Princess, a sheepish smile on her face as a single tear fell down her cheek in her laughter. After she had recovered her composure, she noticed that Ace’s magical glow encased her horn. Twilight looked past Luna to the table, and saw that Ace was writing on a parchment at the table.

Twilight felt Ace’s magic flow from her horn down to her throat as it began to glow. “I have written down the diagnosis, as well as the suggested treatment,” said Ace’s voice as he spoke through Twilight’s mouth. “I have already provided today’s treatment. Twilight and I shall return tonight to supervise you in the administration of the same treatment.”

Princess Luna reviewed the parchment no sooner than the quill had raised from it, and her face contorted in shock further and further the more she read it. “Brother, this is- how did you… How are we meant to help- We must give her what kind of magic?!” Ace sighed through Twilight as his sister glared at them.

“I am afraid it must be so,” Ace said again. “We will suffuse chaos magic into Celestia’s mind, and slowly diminish both the amount and frequency of the magic. Hopefully, ‘twill not be long before she starts to show signs of improvement.”

Luna nodded, clearly not liking the plan as she teleported the parchment elsewhere. “If this is what you know is best, we will heed your judgment, dear brother, but are you certain that I should assist? Truly there must be somepony else who could perform the treatments, somepony more… delicate than I.”

Ace only shook Twilight’s head. “There is nopony else, I am afraid. Twilight is the most skilled in magic aside from the three of us, but she cannot use magic strong enough to effect an Ascended Alicorn, much less that of an Immortal Alicorn. It must be you and I, but before long, I…”

Princess Luna nodded glumly as Twilight felt there were words that caught in her throat, but could not be certain what they were. “I understand, mine brother, but… surely there must be somepony other than I? I may only make matters worse, as I cannot fully control mine magic… You know this.”

Ace only shook Twilight’s head once more, and it was beginning to grow very uncomfortable, the way he controlled her like a puppet. “What I know, dear sister, is that you were once a student of mine as well, and that you had asked I find a way to help you control your powers. You have made much progress since then, and I can think of no greater follow-up test than using your magic to heal our sister. I have faith in you, Moonlit Embrace.”

Twilight felt Ace retracting his magic as he apologized for using her as a marionette within her mind. As he did, Princess Luna’s gaze became very serious as she seemed to mentally steel herself, preparing for her big test at the end of the day. She nodded before her horn was alight, and she disappeared elsewhere in a flash.

Twilight’s horn lit up in Ace’s black glow as well as he prepared a teleport spell of his own. Moments later, Twilight felt her consciousness bounce through his teleportation magic as he used the beacons to take them away.

Author's Note:

I'm sorry for the delayed chapter... I will shortly be taking a brief hiatus, as I have a family funeral to attend... I will be concluding the book soon, never you worry. Noblesse Oblige, everypony.