The Ring
Chapter 11: The Ring
Twilight Sparkle yawned as she tried to blink away the early morning haze that came with just having woken up. She deeply regretted her offer to help Arkenstone unload his expected package at the train station. He had warned her that it would be an early morning, but she had been too foolish to listen. So here she was, with only a marginal meal, having woken up too late to prepare a proper breakfast, and not even a cup of coffee.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Arkenstone, his left ear swiveling in her direction, "You can go back if you want."
"It's fine Arky," said Twilight, stifling another yawn, "I just need to wake up a little more."
"If you say so," replied Arkenstone, his tone uncertain.
They stood in silence a little longer until they heard the familiar chugging of the train engine and the squeal of its brakes as it coasted to a stop by the platform. Arkenstone led her along it until he reached the first freight car. Several of the workers were already offloading a series of crates. One of them approached Arkenstone with a shipping manifest, which he took in one leg. Reaching up, he pressed the frog of his hoof against the page and gently ran it over the paper.
"What are you doing?" asked Twilight.
"Reading. Shh." Arkenstone hoofed the manifest back to the worker and began to inspect the crates, running a hoof over the labels. After clearing the crates, Arkenstone nodded to the workers before turning to Twilight. "If you would be so kind," he said.
"Right." Twilight nodded and lit her horn, her magic levitating the boxes and stacking them in the smallest possible configuration. Ratcheting up her output, she engulfed the entire pile in a blaze of violet energy, breaking out in a sweat over the exertion. Finally, with a flash, the pile winked out of existence.
The station worker holding the manifest let out an impressed whistle. "Now ain't that something?"
"It certainly is," agreed Arkenstone as he turned back to speak to the other stallion, "And the other thing?"
"Oh! Right." The station worker let out a commanding whistle and waved one of his subordinates over to the car. He returned with an item that looked like an iron cube. It was tiny, little more than a trinket box.
Arkenstone accepted the cube with a nod. "Thank you." Balancing the cube on his back, he turned back to Twilight. "Shall we?"
"Okay then," said Twilight, turning around to lead them back to the library.
"I didn't know you could read," she said as they walked.
Arkenstone gave her his best impression of a sidelong look. "Twily, I'm hurt. You don't remember me reading to you all those times?"
A bright red blush burned on Twilight's cheeks as she tried to sputter excuses. "Th-that's not what...that's not what I meant. I wasn't trying to say you were stupid or anything. I just..." She stopped as she heard Arkenstone chuckling at her reaction. Her eyes narrowed and she flashed a glare at him. "You know what I meant."
"Of course," agreed Arkenstone, reining his mirth in, "I can read, even though I don't have my eyes anymore. Ink and other writing substances subtly change the texture of the paper. I've learned how to feel that texture and feel the shape of the writing."
"Oh," gasped Twilight, "That's amazing. I had no idea that ponies could do that."
"We are capable of many things. We just aren't always aware of the full extent of what we can do."
Upon arriving back in the library, Arkenstone moved around the pile of crates that had appeared in the center of the floor. Taking a moment to remove the steel cube from his back and set it on the table, he turned and pried open the lid of one of the crates. Trotting over, Twilight looked in to see a number of burlap bags filling the box. She sniffed, picking up a fragrant aroma arising from the bags. "Tea?"
"Indeed," said Arkenstone, opening another crate, this one containing numerous spices, whose tantalizing perfumes tickled Twilight's nose and made her mouth water.
"What is all of this?"
"If I am staying here for a while, I figured I might as well take up a trade," explained the beige stallion as he opened a smaller crate, this one carrying several pieces of pottery and crockery, including teapots, packed in straw.
"Arky, you don't have to..." said Twilight.
Arkenstone turned his muzzle in her direction. "This isn't something I'm doing out of obligation. This is actually a little dream I've had since I paid a visit to Guoxia during my training. I was enchanted by the teahouses there and the variety of different teas they made. As I passed through other nations, Pachydermia, Saddle Arabia and others, I discovered even more varieties.
"When I returned to Equestria and took up the mantle of Knighthood, I still entertained the fantasy of someday settling down and setting up my own teahouse." He smiled wistfully at the memories. "Since I have earned some time off from Princess Celestia, I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to start."
"Oh," said Twilight, the details clicking together in her mind, "So that's why you requested those trading arrangements as a boon from the Princess."
Her eyes, wandering over the pile of cargo, eventually came to rest on the steel box that Arkenstone had carried back personally. "What's that?" she asked.
"What's what?" asked the stallion, lifting his head away from another crate.
Twilight paused to smack her face with a hoof as she realized that she had forgotten that Arkentsone was blind and couldn't figure out what she was talking about by following her gaze. He functioned so normally it was easy to forget at times. "That metal cube thing, what is it?"
"Ah. That's for you."
Twilight trotted up to the table where Arkenstone had set the cube and prodded it with her hoof. She felt something shift inside the cube as she did so. "It's hollow," she observed, tilting her head to examine it more closely, "And there's something inside."
So it was a box then. Twilight picked it up in her hooves, turning it over as she examined it more closely. She could feel the object inside shifting. But to her puzzlement, there were no hinges, no latch, not even a seam for a lid. The cube's faces were unblemished, completely solid all the way around. It wasn't that she couldn't open the box, but that the box itself had no means of opening.
"What in Equestria is this?" asked Twilight, a note of frustration creeping into her voice.
"A security measure," said Arkenstone, trotting over to join her, "That item is extremely valuable, so I asked the Princess to secure it the best way she could, short of delivering it herself. She shaped the cube with her magic and, when she finished, teleported the contents into it.
"To any potential thief, it seems nothing more innocuous than a chunk of metal, possibly leftover from a different cargo, certainly not worth bothering over. And even if he did realize that there was something inside, the steel is heavily reinforced, so it would take tremendous force to break, which anyone with a bit of sense would understand is a risky endeavor if they wish to keep the contents intact. And if a unicorn attempted to magic it out, well..." He turned to Twilight. "Care to give it a try?"
Twilight looked at the cube nervously. She knew better than to think that Arkenstone would trick her into doing something that might hurt her, but she had seen her fair share of magically structured traps. Her experience taught her to be wary of a situation like this. Her horn flickered and a stream of violet light rushed over the box. To her shock, her magic washed off of it without the slightest reaction. Examining it more closely, Twilight gasped as she saw the subtle, yet powerful protection spells etched into the essence of the steel itself...on a molecular level!
"The Princess amazes me sometimes," she whispered. It would be years before she obtained this level of subtlety, to say nothing of the skill and power to write complex spells on such a minuscule scale. She wondered just how many decades Princess Celestia had spent developing this particular kind of magic. A box without hinges, key or lid...
"So how are we supposed to get it out?" she asked.
Arkenstone hefted the small cube in his hoof. "It's simple enough for me. Princess Celestia's spellwork was meant to keep unicorns out." With his free hoof, he traced a line all the way around the cube, the action was accompanied by the sound of something like a sharp blade grating against metal. Twilight's eyes widened as a tiny seam became visible. Without any fanfare, Arkenstone pulled away the newly formed lid to reveal...a second box.
"Seriously?" asked Twilight, giving the stallion a deadpan look.
A chuckle escaped Arkenstone as he tilted the remains of the cube to let the box inside fall out. Then Twilight saw that this box was not a duplicate of the one it had been inside, to her relief. Her horror at expecting to have been shown some silly nesting doll-like object was abated for now. What she saw was a small velvet box, the kind usually used to hold jewelry.
"This," said Arkenstone, pushing the tiny jewelry box to Twilight, "Is for you. Go ahead and open it."
A blush stole across Twilight's cheeks as she thought of the implications that could come from Arkenstone, her old crush, offering her jewelry. But she shoved those thoughts aside. Princess Celestia had made a tremendous effort to ensure that this reached her, so it was clearly important. Slowly, Twilight opened the box.
When she saw what was inside, her blush doubled in intensity. Sitting in the box was a ring. However the blush faded as new feelings flooded her, her keen eyes immediately taking in key details about the item. It was a metal band of gold color with silvery inlays etched into it. Both terrified and thrilled by the potential implications, she shakily looked up at Arkenstone, who nodded at her. "Take a closer look," he instructed.
Twilight's magic lifted the ring from its resting place and levitated it before her eye. Examining it, she noticed that there were several things...off about the ring. The gold was a shade too dark to be real gold, and the silver inlays glimmered strangely as the light reflected off of them. On closer examination, she saw that the inlays actually formed sigils, inscribed spellwork. Her suspicion mounting, she turned to look at the inside surface and saw that the interior was jet-black.
Her previous embarrassment forgotten, Twilight's mouth dropped when she realized just what this was. "This is..."
"Hey Twilight, Arkenstone, what do you want for break..." Spike's voice trailed off as he ground to a halt on the stairs he had just been descending, his eyes fixed on the scene. Looking past the pile of crates (he had been expecting those), his gaze absorbed the picture of Twilight standing in front of Arkenstone, a ring hanging in the air between them, Twilight's jaw hanging loose, and the blush forming on her cheeks as she realized what Spike thought he must be looking at.
"Holy guacamole!" exclaimed the dragon, immediately making a break down the stairs and for the door, his first instinct to seek somepony to talk about this with. But Twilight was faster.
Swinging her head around, Twilight whipped her horn like a fishing rod, casting a strand of violet energy that whipped out to ensnare the young dragon, catching his feet and tripping him up. Before he could struggle loose, Twilight wrapped the strand of energy around her horn and reeled him over to where she stood.
Levitating him up into the air in front of her, Twilight gave Spike her sternest glare. "Spike, what have I told you about jumping to conclusions?"
The little dragon blinked owlishly at her. "So wait, Arkenstone isn't...?"
A sigh escaped Twilight as she let him down to the floor. "No Spike. He isn't doing anything like that?"
"Phew." Spike wiped his forehead. "I was a little worried there for a second."
An eyebrow went up on Twilight's head. "A little worried? You bolted for the door like your tail was on fire."
"Twilight, I'm a dragon. Fire doesn't..."
"It's a figure of speech!" snapped the lavender unicorn. It was way too early in the morning for her to be putting up with this.
They paused, hearing a muffled chuckling coming from Arkenstone. Twilight whipped her head around to glare at the beige stallion, who did his best to look innocent. After an awkward moment, Arkenstone coughed and gestured to the ring, which had tumbled to the floor when Twilight had gone after Spike. "Anyways, you were saying?"
"Oh right." Twilight picked up the ring and examined it again, quickly confirming her earlier suspicions. "This is...arcanasteel isn't it?"
"It is," agreed Arkenstone.
"For me?" Twilight gasped. It was a gift of unsurpassed value, especially to unicorns.
Arkenstone nodded, his expression now solemn. "It is the Princess's will that you carry that from now on."
"What's arcanasteel?" asked Spike looking up at the ring, his expression unimpressed. Sure, it looked pretty, but precious metals didn't do it for him the way gemstones did.
Twilight groaned and smacked her face with a hoof. "Spike, I told you all about arcanasteel when I gave you that lecture after Shining Armor was made Captain of the Royal Guard."
The little dragon gave her a deadpan look. "Twilight, I was like...three at the time. I barely heard you because Princess Celestia gave me a sapphire to suck on and the rest of your audience consisted of Smarty Pants."
Again, Arkenstone started chuckling, trying to mask it as a series of coughs. He wasn't really succeeding as the crimson bursts across Twilight's cheeks indicated. Gritting her teeth, Twilight forced her mounting rage down with a groan before letting out a tired sigh. "How about this? You get started on breakfast and I'll tell you when we're eating?"
"Okay," chirped the dragon, making a beeline for the kitchen.
Red River stared at his latest arrangement. The bowl was simple, one borrowed from the kitchen downstairs. Staring at it, he had worked on a simple arrangement, centered on the branch of an apple tree that he had found knocked on the ground after the recent storm. It had been from one of the flowering trees, so the branch was decorated by a few small apple blossoms. It made for a pleasant center.
The problem was what the arrangement made him think. After spending so many weeks among the orchards and carting produce to and from town, the scent of apples had become a constant in his life. As he stared at his work, the azure stallion pondered his meaning. It seemed as though the Apples had become his center as well. He had tried clearing his mind as he had in the past. Before now, his thoughts would be dominated by the excitement of the transient nature of his existence; traveling along long, winding roads, discovering new lands, encountering new peoples, wondering just what lay beyond the horizon, over the next hill... But now, when he cleared his mind, his thoughts were occupied by the swaying of the branches of apple trees in the gentle breeze, a simple barn standing out against the sky, a welcoming house, a warm hearth, good food, a welcoming family.
Taking a moment, Red River gazed out the window, staring blankly at the horizon. He saw the road that meandered past the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres a fair distance away. His eyes traced the line, following it as it wound its way across a couple of nearby hills before leading off into the distance. He imagined what it would be like the set off on that road, to see where it led and what he would find there. To his surprise, Red River didn't feel any particularly urgent desire to know.
He hadn't shown it to her at the barn a few days ago, following his rendition of the story of his cutie mark, but Applejack's question had shaken him in some way he couldn't quite comprehend. He understood that she was saddened by the prospect of him leaving. He had to admit, he didn't find the idea of leaving her behind appealing either. He had made friends in other places he had visited and often parted on good terms with them. Occasionally, if his travels permitted, he might wander back to visit them again. But now, when he thought of Applejack, Red River felt a tugging in his center, something that urged him to stay right where he was.
"Well now, ain't you a pensive colt this mornin'."
Red River's head snapped up to look at his door, where the green form of Granny Smith hovered, a small smile on her face. "The wheels in that there head 'o yers are turnin' so hard there's smoke comin' outta yer ears."
With a sigh, Red River turned his head back to the flower arrangement. "I was just thinking about some things."
"One 'o those things wouldn't happen to be a certain granddaughter 'o mine?" asked Granny Smith teasingly, a merry twinkle in her eye.
"It's much too early in the morning for you to read my mind like that."
The aged mare chuckled. "It don't take a mind reader to figure out what's got ya so bamboozled young'un."
Contemplating his work, Red River's mind wandered back to his dilemma. "I enjoyed the life of a traveler, the prospect of finding new places, meeting new ponies, being free to roam; but lately, it seems to have lost its appeal."
A light chortle escaped Granny Smith's lips. "Ah can understand where yer comin' from young'un. Ah did mah share 'o wanderin' in mah youth. Sometimes, Ah thought Ah'd never want to be tied down." Her smile widened. "But then Ah discovered what it was like to have a place to come back to, a place 'o mah own."
Red River gave her a questioning look.
"There ain't nothin' wrong with loosin' yer wanderlust," said Granny Smith, stepping forward to rest a hoof on Red River's shoulder, "It happens when ya finally find a place to call home."
Red River blinked. "Is that what this place is to me? Is this really my home?"
"It can be if'n ya want it sugarcube," counseled Granny Smith, "Ya've got a place here. Apple Bloom looks up to ya. Big Mac respects ya. Ah've got a captive audience when Ah feel like lecturin'. And Applejack...Well, ya already know where she stands, don't ya.
"There ain't anythin' wrong with givin' up the road if it don't call out to ya." Granny Smith turned to make her way out of the room. "Why don't ya try settlin' here fer a little while, see how it sits with ya."
Red River watched her go, silent as he pondered over what she had said.
The table set and everypony assembled, Spike tucked in as he listened to Twilight's explanation.
"Arcanasteel is something of a misnomer," said Twilight, setting the ring down on the table, "There isn't actually any steel in it. The metal is an alloy, composed of a mixture of orichalcum and mithril that have been melted and alloyed through a complex magical process. Like its component metals, arcanasteel is nigh indestructible. This ring is stronger than the box it was brought here in."
Spike frowned and reached out to prod the ring with his claw. "I don't see how that does much good. I mean, it's not like this ring's gonna be any use as armor or anything."
"That's because its strength is secondary to its main purpose," explained Twilight in an exasperated tone, "Like the name suggests, arcanasteel is a powerful tool for wielding magic." She hefted the ring in her aura to give Spike a better look at it. "On the outside, that gold color is from the orichalcum, while the etchings are mithril. Orichalcum can be treated with heat to affect it's color, which is why it appears gold on this ring. However, arcanasteel, the actual alloy that is..." she flipped the ring slightly to give Spike a view of the inside of the ring, "...is black."
Spike shrugged. "Well, that's neat and all, but what does it have to do with magic?"
Lowering the ring back down to table, Twilight paused to savor a bite of her oatmeal before continuing. "The outside of the ring is non-alloyed orichalcum and mithril to serve as the foundation for the spellwork. Think of the scrolls in the archives, magic in written form. The mithril etchings provide the preliminary base for shaping applied magic, while the orichalcum acts as a conductor to circulate it through the ring, which acts as a device, and the arcanasteel, which actualizes it."
"So what does it do?"
"The main purpose of the ring is to convert magical energy into physical form. In other words, convert magic into physical substance." Twilight frowned, worried about the phrasing. It was a great deal more nuanced than that, but she knew that it would simply take the lecture way over the spines on Spike's head.
"So...it's like conjuring then?" asked Spike. Twilight bit back the urge to sigh in frustration, as Spike actually had asked a valid question. He didn't show it often, but spending so much time around her and helping her with her studies had actually gifted him with a very sharp mind when the situation called for it.
"Yes and no," she hedged, "Conjuring is the use of magic to create physical objects made of material substances, that is you convert magic into the materials needed to create the object and then create the object itself. For example, the bandages I used to treat Dawn's wing when Applejack injured him were conjured. I used my magic to create linen that was then woven into the bandages.
"What the ring does is different. It converts magic into a physical substance that is magic...that is to say, magic if it magic itself were a substance like wood or rock."
Spike scratched his head with a claw, still looking a bit bamboozled. "I think I get it."
It was Arkenstone who now joined in the conversation, having waited in the wings before. "It may seem strange. After all, there is no concrete basis for the properties magic would have as a physical substance of its own right. But that is actually what works to the advantage of the ring's user. Because there is no such baseline for the properties of material magic, as you might call it, the properties of the substance produced can be decided by the caster. The problem being that actualizing magic is a complex process and setting those properties, particularly how they interact with the laws that govern the real world, requires a great deal of calculation and calibration by the caster."
"Which is where the ring comes in," said Twilight, picking up where the stallion had left off, "The spellwork on the ring's outer surface has set some of the baselines for the final product, while the arcanasteel core takes care of actualizing the magic. As a result, I can only alter certain properties of the final material and only in certain ways, but that makes it more useful as it requires almost no concentration to use."
The combined lecture seemed to not do much to help Spike find an answer to his confusion. "I'm still not sure I get it," he admitted, "Maybe you could show me what it does."
"Um well..." Twilight gave Arkenstone a nervous look.
The beige stallion gave her a nod. "It certainly couldn't hurt. Besides, you need to actually use the ring to actually get acclimated. The Princess and I didn't go through all the trouble of having it delivered so that it could spend time gathering dust on your shelf."
"Alright," sighed Twilight, setting aside her bowl, having finished her oatmeal. Arkenstone had already finished his and Spike wasn't far behind. While Arkenstone washed, Twilight and Spike when out to the main room of the library.
Gulping nervously, Twilight levitated the ring in front of her. Normally, she was giddy at the prospect of getting to experience a rare form of magic, much less use it herself. But the sheer value of Celestia's gift, combined with the implications it carried, made her quite nervous in her own right. Actually using the ring felt like crossing a line in her life as Celestia's student, as though something would irrevocably change should she use it.
"Go on," urged Spike, watching with wide and eager eyes.
Gulping, Twilight settled the ring on her horn and slowly slid it towards the base. Only when the ring couldn't slide down any further, setting just a scant fraction of an inch above where her horn met her skull, did Twilight stop. The ring was firmly affixed, but not stuck, so she wouldn't have any trouble removing it should the need arise.
"Here goes nothing," she murmured before lighting her horn and channeling her magic into the ring.
The metal band hummed to life, the mithril etchings flickering with light as energy flowed through them. In her mind, Twilight could already see the final product of the ring's effect coming into shape and began to adjust the properties to her liking. For now, she decided not to stray too far from the original. She could experiment later.
Glittering planes of light flared into being around her body, coalescing to gather around her body, wrapping around her head, neck, chest, flank, as well as her hooves and lower legs. As the magic began to become material, its luminance decreased, settling into its new form as a substance resembling metal.
Spike, who had averted his eyes from the glare, finally managed to look back. His jaw dropped at the sight, while his eyes widened in shock.
Twilight stood before him, clad in a full suit of armor. The little dragon found himself completely unable to pull his eyes away. The metallic looking plates were a beautiful amethyst color just a shade darker Twilight's coat. The edges of the various interlocking plates were decorated with gold lining. He could practically see his reflection in the champron, which was polished to the consistency of glass. The interlocking plates of the criniere were parted slightly to allow her mane to flow freely. The plates met with the peytral over her shoulders, where the armor was flared with an almost feathery design to resemble wings. Her flank was protected by the broader, heavier-looking plates that formed the flanchard. Spike also noted protective gauntlets around her lower legs and hooves. Finally, the peytral was decorated in its center by an image of Twilight's cutie mark that seemed to have been formed out of gems, each of its individual stars seeming to shine with its own inner light.
"Wow Twilight," gasped Spike, "You look amazing!"
The plate of Twilight's champron failed to hide her blush. "Thanks Spike."
"Ah, it seems you already have a handle on it already," observed Arkenstone as he came into the room. "I can't say I am surprised."
"So that ring is meant to produce armor," speculated Spike.
"Indeed, that is its base function," agreed Arkenstone, "However, within its limits, if one is creative and capable, it can do so much more."
A frown spread across Spike's face as he eyed Twilight's armor more closely. "So...it can make you armor out of your magic. What does that do for you exactly?"
"For one thing," answered Twilight, "Since materialized magic doesn't have the same properties as regular physical substances, I can affect the final product and give it properties that normal armor would never have. For example..." She began to bounce around the room like Pinkie Pie, bounding in circles like she wasn't wearing armor at all. "...I can set it so it doesn't weigh anything. I could gallop at full speed with this armor and not have to worry about a thing. If I wanted, I could charge the plates with concussive energy so that any attempt to attack me would trigger a reactive blast. I could fuse it with elemental energy or make it invisible. There are so many possibilities!"
"That's pretty cool," admitted Spike, "But if this arcanasteel is so awesome, why do the Guard ponies always go around with regular armor."
Twilight stopped her bouncing and settled back in front of her assistant. "Because arcanasteel is incredibly expensive and difficult to produce. Because of that, it can't be produced in large amounts. This ring alone is the product of months of constant effort. Getting the component materials is no small matter. Orichalcum and mithril are incredibly expensive, especially the former. The base cost of the materials just for this ring alone would match at least six months of the Royal Palace's budget."
"Only a scant few arcanasteel objects have been created in all the centuries that Equestria has existed," added Arkenstone, "I do not know the exact number, but it is less than ten. I don't believe that all of them are in use."
"That lecture that you slept through," said Twilight, giving Spike a sardonic grin, "Was because, when Shining Armor was promoted to captain, he was granted an arcanasteel ring by Princess Celestia herself. The armor he always wore when he was on duty was created by that arcanasteel." With a flicker of light, the plates of armor around Twilight's body dissolved and flowed back into her horn, where they coalesced to form the ring once again.
Arkenstone nodded. "Indeed he was." He strode forward and gently prodded the ring itself, where it resided on Twilight's horn. "That ring in fact."
"What?" exclaimed the unicorn and her assistant in unison.
Twilight's gaze flicked up to the ring, where it rested on her horn, just within the view of her crossed eyes. "You mean this was Shiny's ring?"
Arkenstone nodded slowly. "Yes. It was forged by Princess Celestia for the Captain of her Royal Guard and has been passed down through centuries of service. I requisitioned it for your use, with your brother's agreement."
"But wait!" protested Twilight, dropping her eyes back to Arkenstone, "What about Shiny? He's still Captain."
"And so he is," agreed Arkenstone, "But he no longer needs this ring, which is how it was made available for your use."
For a moment, Twilight was silent, her expression pensive as she tried to figure out what Arkenstone meant. An amused smile spread across the stallion's face as he explained. "Your brother recently received a new ring, which means he no longer requires this one."
"But when?" asked Spike, "This would've been a big deal, wouldn't it?"
"Of course," said Arkenstone, trying hard to keep from laughing, "But you were there when it happened. In fact, if I heard correctly, you were the one to bear it to him."
"What does that...?" Twilight began to ask when she stopped short. The same idea occurred to both her and Spike at the same time, the two of them turning to each other and shouting in unison, "The wedding!"
Again, Arkenstone nodded. "Yes. Princess Cadance helped Celestia forge that ring as a gift for her husband, a rather lavish one if I do say so myself."
Twilight went silent again, sitting as she pondered what this gift meant. There was a great deal more going on here than Princess Celestia just sending her an impressive gift. She had been given this ring for a reason. The question that troubled her the most was just what that purpose was.
"Twilight," said Arkenstone after a moment, "Perhaps you ought to put that away for now." He gestured to the ring. "If other ponies see that, well...I don't think Spike is the only one who might get the wrong idea."
Twilight's cheeks flushed as she realized that Arkenstone was right. Her friends, particularly Rarity, would undoubtedly jump to the most embarrassing conclusion. Applejack and Pinkie were already asking too many awkward questions about the stallion that Twilight had allowed into her home. Fluttershy was too meek to actually prod, but the way she averted her gaze whenever she visited spoke volumes. Rarity was already aware of Arkenstone's true purpose and his intentions of staying in Ponyville. But she also knew about Twilight's crush on him, which meant that she was always urging Twilight to make her move whenever Twilight was alone with the fashionista. The only reason Rainbow Dash wasn't teasing Twilight mercilessly was because the sky-blue mare was preoccupied with the whole Cloudsdale affair.
Focusing her mind, Twilight reached through the connection her magic had forged with the ring and drew it into herself. The ring glittered, then seemed to flow inwards, blending directly into Twilight's horn.
"Where'd it go?" asked Spike.
"Into my horn," replied Twilight, "The actual processes at play are a little complex, but basically, I can store it in a disembodied form within the core of my horn, which lets me carry it without showing it off to everypony."
"It also allows her to keep it on her at all times without difficulty," added Arkenstone, "And within her horn, it acts as a capacitor of sorts, accumulating magical energy for its use, meaning that Twilight won't have to rely purely on her own reserves to form the armor. That function can also be used to circumvent the horn itself in some ways, allowing its user to even work around such devices as the nullifiers usually used to shut down a unicorn's magic when one is imprisoned."
"Cool," whispered Spike.
The other shoe had dropped then. At that moment, it clicked in Twilight's head as to just what this was all about. Arkenstone thought she was in danger, or that she would be. And it's not just him, she realized, Princess Celestia was the one who sent the ring, which means that she was in on it too. In fact, I'm willing to bet that it was Shiny who let Arky know the ring was available, so I can't write him or Cadance out of this either. But why are they suddenly so worried about my safety?
It was a valid question. Twilight was no stranger to serious, or even mortal danger. She had gone into the Everfree Forest to find the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon. She'd led her friends to a dragon's lair to try and get the monstrous beast to leave. She'd chased Spike to the cave of another dragon to rescue him. Together with her friends, she had faced down the chaos incarnate that was Discord. In the battle for Canterlot, her magic had felled dozens of attacking changelings. And during the quest to save the Crystal Empire, Twilight herself had braved the perils of King Sombra's magical tower with no one but her faithful assistant by her side to find the Crystal Heart. Her life had been at risk numerous times.
And yet, never before had so many ponies shown such a concerted concern for her well-being. All of a sudden, she had a Celestial Knight living in her home. She had received a powerful magical tool used primarily to generate armor. They're trying to protect me, she thought, But from what?
Arkenstone's gentle voice interrupted her thoughts. "We can speak more about the ring later," he said, seeming to have read her thoughts, "But I have something else to show you..."
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Two updates at the same time!
Oh great, rings that grant almost instantaneous Garry Sue. Everything seems to be powering up for something. It's like going from a lvl 20 zone to a lvl 60 lol. I gotta say though this story has really left it original storyline behind. Heck this chapter itself didn't even mention Dawn. Dawn seems kinda wimpier now
.
On to the next chapter.
Typo
"Twilight trotted up to the table where -Dawn- had set the cube and prodded it with her hoof.
Way to overreact, Spike!! Although, that's what I was thinking as well, and I think Twilight was hoping for it too.
And it seems like I was right, with the RedJack/AppleRiver we've got going on. Even Granny Smith knows!
3097415 Whilst I agree with your first point slightly... I like when stories give us sections about others, because the main story falls flat otherwise.
Don't you mean Arkenstone?
Do you want tea that much? (In French, the word for tea is "thé", so… Sorry for the bad bilingual pun.)
Another good chapter in the story.
3097498 Since the beginning, Moguera have said that Storm on the Horizon, while still a part of the saga started with Foal of the Forest, WASN'T a story about Dawn. This part of the "Savage Skies" saga, like Mogera call it, is mainly about Rainbow Dash and Ponyville's drought.
2 chapters u spoil us!? And I luved Spikes reaction Wen he saw the ring. I'm calling it. Full blown Civil War Cloudsdale's gonna start some Shit.
Civil War in Equestria? Seems legit.
Btw, Arkenstone could possibly have the ability to inflict any kind of damage without any kind of blows. That'd be awesome!
Inside a golden treasure is hid! Another Hobbit reference! I'm not ashamed to admit that I giggled uncontrollably when I read that. On to the next chapter!
Seriously? You gave Twilight a green lantern ring?
I wish to hijack that ring concept. If a ring is capable of that, what if one forged a sword out of the same material?...
5140801 Going bankrupt, for one.
Also, Chekov's gun trope?
So basically, Twilight is now a green lantern
edit: and i'm not the first to point this out
If the ring can also make the wearer invisible then I would be happy...
One ring to rule them all
*Reads "solid magic"*
So... the most iconic power of a Green Lantern ring?
Niiicce.
Edit: Aww... "just" armor, if really cool armor? Or are there secondary functions too?
Okay, I call bullshit. The smell thing? Okay, I can look over that. Being able to smell his way across the country? Fair enough, I'm okay with that too. After all, you'd be surprised by what you can do if you put your mind to it. Being able to smell the dagger that asshole pegasus was about to use to stab the Royal Guards with, and whatever else Stone managed to do in order to do defeat Chrysalis?... Fine. Fine...
But being able to read? That's way too much.
6255939
Actually, it's true. Literally any writing utensil used today subtly changes the texture of the paper. This is because, to show the writing on the paper, a substance is put on the surface. For pencils, it's whatever the pencil lead is made out of that gets put on the paper. For pens, it's the ink. Even the ink that printers use change the texture of the paper.
And to your former concern, he's not just using smell. He's using all his senses to find his way around; hearing, feeling, tasting (you can taste air), smelling.
He probably heard the ringing of the dagger as it was removed from its place, smelt the sweat or other coming from the pegasus himself, etc etc.
Lastly, before you say anything, I know I'm 8 weeks late for this, I just couldn't ignore it.
Ha!
Twilight: "Nothing's happening.
"
"
"
"
"
*hours later*
Celestia: "Oh, I'm so sorry, Twilight. It looks like I sent you an inhibitor ring by mistake. One that can only be taken off by the one who put it on you.
Twilight: "Wait...I put it on myself!
Celestia: "Well, then. It looks like we've got a bit of a problem.
Twilight: "
You would think Kirk could keep Chekhov in check....
...
Did I just accidentally pun?
The most awesome pet ever!
pets i love pets
I've got a shipment of arms here for a mister... Chekhov?
I missed the house on my first pass, but I found a few more shipments so I guess it works out. Just sign here sir.
Spike's reaction to the ring was hilarious. And then...
Also, you gave Twilight magic armor?!?!
3097415
Dawn himself is lvl 45 to 50 he's powerful but he barely half way there. The ring itself is rare legendary equipment that's full power is based of its users imagination and MP. That could be a massive drain like casting knights of the round table every turn
Gah! Orichalcum! How did the Oricalcos stones from Yu-Gi-Oh get into MLP! Anyone else seeing that connection?
9683253
Damn Dartz must've escaped and is trying to reawaken The Great Leviathan again.
Interesting, interesting...
9683253
????