Mortality

by Aceofgods

Magical

Chapter Two: Magical

Twilight and Ace emerged from a blinding, black flash of light. Twilight was still recovering from the longer-range teleportation spell that Ace used – the spell utilizing a special network of beacons only he could use – as she heard him sigh in agitation.

When Twilight had regained her senses, she noticed that they were in a dark alleyway somewhere near the residential district of Canterlot. “Pmekrdat secvenac...” Ace said, an old habit of voicing curses and anger-borne comments in his native language of Al Bhed. “E lyhhud fyed du pa net uv dras.” Twilight had learned to speak the language, partly from Ace’s lessons and partially from her own studies as she read the older tomes from his library.

Ace cleared his throat for a moment before putting on a sheepish smile. “Let us walk the rest of the way. Shall we?” he said before bowing, perhaps more comically than politely, and allowed her to lead the way out of the alley.

Twilight emerged from the alleyway into the stone city, taking a short moment to adjust from her usual, dusty town of Ponyville to the cold stone of the larger city as Ace came out behind her.

Being that it was nighttime, the Shadow Sentinels – Princess Luna’s well-trained sect of guardians who acted as the city’s military – patrolled the streets. Ever since Princess Celestia had taken ill, Princess Luna had to rule over the city, and no shortage of crime had risen out of chaos. A Shadow Sentinel was patrolling as the pair came from the alleyway, his attention immediately turning to them.

Twilight shied away from the imposing guard as he approached, the enchanted plate armor of the Sentinels turning their coats black, their teeth into pointed tips, and their pupils into slits that looked as though they had been punctured by a dagger. Further adding to their fearful image were the enchanted swords they carried, enchanted in such a way that they could nullify all but the strongest of spells. To make matters worse, this Sentinel was a Pegasus, the armor turning his normally feathered wings into leathery, bat-like equivalents.

“Halt, citizens,” he called as he approached them in a calm voice. “It is currently past curfew for this residential zone. Do you require an escort?” The frightening pony came to a stop in front of the pair as he looked over each of them.

Ace stepped forward with a deep, introductory bow – a gesture that he always did when he met somepony. “Ace Deus Fenrir,” he said with the proper ‘Ah-chay’ pronunciation of his name before coming out of the bow. “I do believe that Twilight Sparkle and I are on the exemption list?”

The Sentinel nodded once, but still appeared wary of the duo. “Yes, those names are indeed. However, what proof do I have that you are who you say?” Ace nodded with a smile before removing his glasses with a hoof, looking the guard in the eyes, giving him full view of the unique gaze.

The guard flinched for only the slightest of moments – were it not for her training under Ace, Twilight likely would have missed it. “Yes, you certainly fit the description High Captain Luna has given,” he said before pressing a hoof to his chest in salutation. “Should you have need of the Shadow Sentinels, you need only call. Carry on.”

The guard was already on his way before Twilight realized she forgot to breathe for a time. Ace replaced his glasses before stifling a laugh in her direction. “Well it’s what all that enchanted armor is meant to do, is it not?” she said with a mild glare, which only made him laugh a bit harder.

“Well, I suppose so,” he snickered, “for somepony who does not use their magical senses to see through the disguise.” Twilight only sighed, reprimanding herself for once again forgetting the usefulness of the magical senses as Ace motioned for her to lead again.

Twilight had learned to use her magic to form a variety of other senses ponies did not normally have, such as a full view of their surroundings and a wellspring of information not normally visible to the naked eye. While Twilight was only able to maintain the senses for a few hours before succumbing to an overwhelming headache, Ace had his senses flared nearly constantly.

Twilight looked around at the beautiful stone homes, though the metal bars that covered a number of windows detracted from that beauty by no small amount. To her side, she could tell that Ace was thinking the same thing as his eyes drifted over the houses.

After Princess Celestia’s condition became widespread knowledge, crime in all of Equestria had risen. Princess Luna did her best to maintain order in her sister’s place, but was still getting accustomed to the new world after her thousand years of imprisonment as well. To make matters worse, much of the Canterlot Royal Guard who once served Celestia have resigned, not wishing to serve the lunar princess.

Of course, Princess Luna still had her personally trained Shadow Sentinels, each trained by Princess Luna herself, in addition to a number of renowned trainers. However, the Shadow Sentinels are warriors and soldiers, not peacekeepers. While they are able to triumph in nearly any battle of the sword, few of them are fit to interact with anypony other than enemies or prisoners.

“A city that builds an army creates war,” Ace said, as though he had read her thoughts. “A city who trains guards creates peace. A nation that has neither shall soon crumble.” Twilight nodded to the short lesson as they both turned their gaze to a Shadow Sentinel who was escorting somepony.

The Sentinel was calm as he silently led the way, but the pony who followed was so nonplussed that he was visibly shaking even from their distant standpoint. Ace could only manage to shake his head at the sight.

“The Sentinels mean well,” Twilight commented, “but they are bred for times of war, not peace… They strike fear into the hearts of not only their enemy, but the ponies they are meant to protect.” Ace nodded as he agreed.

“Princess Luna has done much to quell the uprisings, but she has limited resources, and many ponies still refuse to heed her. In truth, she is doing nothing other than what Princess Celestia would do.” Ace sighed dejectedly, sad for the sorry state of affairs. “Still, most cannot see beyond her troubled past, unable to forgive her for mistakes she has atoned for tenfold over.”

Twilight nodded as they watched the Sentinel open a door to one of the houses, allowing the panicked pony to enter as they arrived at their destination. “At least Princess Cadance and Shining Armor came forward to help where they could.”

The Sentinel looked over to the pair, but before they could come any closer, Ace raised his glasses to display his unique eye. The Sentinel mimicked the salute the last performed as Ace replaced the lenses before going back on patrol. Ace sighed with a shake of his head.

“I am sad to say that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor have their hooves full tending to the Crystal Kingdom and the Crystal Ponies.” The pair turned down a side street as they neared the home of Twilight’s parents. “The Crystal Ponies are in no better a position than Princess Luna insomuch that they are a millennium behind the times as well.”

Twilight body checked his flank with her own with a playful smile, catching him off guard. “Just call them brother and sister. You already call my parents mom and dad, after all.” Ace body checked her back before he replied.

“You say that, dearest Starlight, but I have yet to meet them. While I understand the sentiment, I do not feel comfortable calling somepony I have never met family.” Twilight looked at him with a mild glare. “They are family, but are not… ‘Tis difficult to explain.”

Twilight let up the glare with a smile. “Well, I’m sure you’ll meet them soon enough… after you get back.” Ace nodded as they walked up the steps of Twilight’s home, the pair knocking on the door together. The pair looked at each other as they counted down the inevitable.

“You know you don’t have to knock,” came a stallion’s voice from beyond the door as Ace and Twilight mimicked him. “Come on in, there’s nothing but family here!” The pair stifled their laughter with a hoof before pushing the door open.

“There he is!” came the same boisterous stallion as he rose up to greet Ace with a bear hug. Ace did the same as Twilight walked back into the kitchen to see what Twilight Velvet was doing.

Ace and Night Light parted before proceeding to seat themselves in the living room. Ace sat at the couch as he admired the modern Canterlot style décor of the home, featuring a couch for company, though the more elegant recliners were reserved for the heads of the household, such as Night Light as he took his seat opposite him.

Night Light was a light-blue coated Unicorn, with a mane and tail of a darker shade. Held within his eyes was a tarnished gold that still shone bright with his joy of life. A quirk of his was his tail that was frequently messy, straight but turning wavy near the end before coming to a point. Much like Ace, he most often wore a soft smile.

Between them was a long table, and directly opposite the couch was a fireplace and mantle. Upon the latter were various photos of the family – Shining Armor at his promotion ceremony when he became Captain of the Canterlot Guard, and again with Princess Cadance at their wedding. Also featured was a younger picture of Twilight when she passed her entrance exam for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and again with her friends after besting Discord with the Elements of Harmony for the first time.

The rest of the pictures were of Twilight and her friends, with a couple showing what seemed like a younger Night Light and Twilight Velvet, but none of the photos portrayed Ace. Night Light had mentioned a time or two that Twilight Velvet had been saving a special frame for Twilight’s wedding day, and that that same frame would likely be his home on the mantle as well. Ace shook his head softly at the memory with a smile.

“I do hope you are not over-encumbering yourself, my dear,” Twilight Velvet said as she came into the room carrying a tea tray, followed by Twilight Sparkle, who carried the hors d’œuvres. “Surely there must be much to be done before your big business trip. I would loathe hearing that you were ill prepared, having spent your time coming here instead.”

Ace shook his head with a polite smile. “While I welcome the concern, Mom, I am happy to say that I have seen to the preparations nearly a month ago, as anxious as I am.”

Twilight Velvet was a Unicorn as well, with a light grey coat that was as spotless as she kept her house, while her mane and tail were two pairs of white and light violet stripes, evenly spaced. Her eyes were a shallow-ocean blue, and her voice matched her soft name.

Night Light laughed heartily while Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet laid the trays on the table before taking their seats. “That’s Ace for you; always ready for anything. You don’t need to worry about a thing, all you need to do is stay out of his way! Am I right, son?”

Ace smiled with a polite nod before turning to Twilight Sparkle sitting next to him. “Still, it’s always nice to have somepony to help you and worry for you,” he said as he held her gaze, then turned back to their parents. “While I can do many things on my own, that does not mean I always have to; my dearest Starlight taught me that lesson. In truth, I should have learned it a long time ago.”

Twilight Velvet nodded as both she and Twilight Sparkle mirrored a smile. “It truly is the sign of a great teacher to not only admit to their weaknesses, but continue to learn from their students.”

Night Light nodded with a smile. “Yes, though most teachers do not come crashing through their students homes and breaking the coffee table the first time they meet their parents!” Night Light laughed, though Ace shied away with an apologetic smile at the memory.

“Oh, but that does remind me…” Night Light said as he rose up from the chair and walked into an adjacent storage room, followed by rustling, shifting noises as he dug through whatever clutter he had found. “Sparkle told us the trip would be dangerous, and you left something here after your first visit…”

There was an ‘Ah-ha!’ sound as he found whatever he was looking for. When he came out of the room, he carried a strapped scabbard, which held a blade with a rubber grip. The pommel of the hilt was adorned with a small, circular ruby. Attached to the pommel was a woven sword knot, the end of which was graced with an emblem that matched Princess Celestia’s archaic sun cutie mark.

Twilight Sparkle and Ace shared a look of concern for a moment as they immediately recognized the sword as that of a Royal Canterlot Guard. “You left this here the first time you showed up,” Night Light said as he offered the scabbard to him with both hooves. “Velvet and I took it to a blacksmith to, uh… Have it cleaned, and whatnot…”

Ace accepted the weapon with a nod of thanks, his hoof running over the unadorned scabbard until it came to the cross-guard; one side featured the archaic moon cutie mark of Princess Luna, while the opposite held Celestia’s mark. In total length, the sword was about 4.5 feet long, leaving the blade at around 3.5 feet long.

Ace pulled the blade partway out of the scabbard so that he could take a better look. The weapon came free easily as first the rain guard came into view, and then the ricasso. The rain guard was small, so as not to detract from the primary use of the blade. The ricasso, or the blunt section of blade used as an optional, secondary hilt, was only slightly larger than his hoof.

Ace pulled the sword out slightly further, the edge of the blade coming into view now as the light of the room played across one of the two edges. Testing the blade, Ace ran his hoof over it delicately, confirming that the blade had indeed been sharpened recently – though the steel was not of the finest quality, and the blade would dull after only a few uses.

Ace replaced the weapon in its scabbard as his eyes finally wandered from the gift. Twilight Velvet looked mildly perturbed at the unwarranted display, and Night Light did not seem wholly unaffected either, though he showed it less. Ace smiled shyly before setting the weapon aside.

“My thanks, mom and dad,” Ace said as he regained his posture. “In truth, I had all but forgotten I had left it here… You must have gone through no small amount of trouble having it restored.”

Night Light shook his head with a smile and a shrug. “Actually, it’s quite funny, really. We had no clue how much it would cost to have the sword cleaned, but when we asked the blacksmith what we owed him, he said he would never charge us. We just assumed you knew him from somewhere.”

Ace and Twilight Sparkle shared a look for a moment, realizing the blacksmith had likely thought the sword to belong to a Royal Canterlot Guard. “A blacksmith in Canterlot…” Ace started, his hoof coming to his chin as he thought. “I am afraid nopony comes to mind. Perhaps it was the sword, rather than the client?”

Night Light looked over the sword once more as it leaned against the side of the couch. “Perhaps that’s exactly it; it must be!” He said with a nod and a smile. “It truly is a fine blade, even to my untrained eyes.”

Twilight Velvet nodded that she agreed as well. “When Sparkle told us about your dangerous business trip, we immediately thought about the sword you left here that night. I won’t claim to know much about fighting, but we figured that you would be safer with a weapon, rather than without.”

Ace nodded his thanks once again with a smile. “Yes, I am sure it will help me out on my, erm… dangerous business trip. It will certainly, uh… extend my life, to be sure.” Ace’s smile became quite noticeably uncertain as he wavered.

Twilight was constantly flabbergasted by Ace’s aversion to lying – unless somepony’s life was in danger, Ace had the utmost difficulty maintaining even the simplest of lies. Twilight nearly paled when she remembered the second time Ace met her parents and outright exclaimed ’Your daughter and I have not had sexual relations,’ in an attempt to clear up an unspoken misunderstanding.

No sooner than Twilight Velvet and Night Light could raise their eyebrows in question of Ace’s odd behavior, the kitchen timer a couple of rooms away started going off, Ace and Twilight sharing a sigh of relief.

“Might I be so bold as to ask what we are having for dinner, Mom?” Ace asked, happy for the opportunity to change the subject as Velvet started to make way for the kitchen.

Velvet paused for only a moment to turn back with a smile to say, “Sparkle may have mentioned a certain recipe for fontal polenta with mushroom sauté. She says it’s one of your favorites.” She went back on her way as Twilight Sparkle started to make for the dining room even before Velvet called, “Sparkle dear, would you mind setting the table?”

Twilight and Ace laid at opposite ends of her bed in her old bedroom. As a filly, she shared the room with her older brother, Shining Armor, so the room and bed were thankfully large enough to accommodate both of them. Ace was likely the only other stallion, besides Night Light, who had ever been in the room.

After their good nights, Twilight Velvet and Night Light went upstairs to go to bed, but Ace mentioned that there was still one more recapitulation lesson he wanted to cover before retiring for the night.

Ace cleared his throat for a moment, filling the otherwise silent room with a deep sound. "Vun dra cyga uv bnyldela, drec maccuh femm pa ahdenamo eh Al Bhed,” he said in his native language that sounded almost pristine. “Ihtancdyht?"

Twilight mouthed a few of the words to herself before she finally understood, nodding once she had. Ace had spent a fair amount of time teaching her the cypheric language, and she had practiced the language much in writing – keeping a journal written solely in the language, as well as reading a number of Al Bhed books from his library.

”I understand,” she replied as best she could, but Ace’s accent and deep voice brought a natural cadence to the words while Twilight still stumbled every so often and spoke shakily, at best. ”I’ll try to keep up as best I can.”

”I would expect nothing less,” Ace said with a soft smile before his features became more scholarly; the face of a mentor, not just her special somepony. ”First, let us discuss the fundamental types of spells. Can you recall them?”

Twilight nodded as she thought aloud. ”Yes, I believe so… First are ‘Control’ spells: These are the most common spells, such as Teleportation and Majediea- Majedydeia-“ she stuttered as she stumbled over the word, her tongue tied.

“Majedydeuh,” Ace said as he stifled a laugh with a hoof as his horn and glasses glowed in the black of his magic as he moved them to the nightstand, demonstrating the skill. ”Please, continue.”

Twilight nodded with a blush before regaining her composure. ”Yes, Levitation. ‘Control’ magic is the most common because it envelops the majority of spells Unicorns use. Most Unicorns today know only Control spells… Myself included…”

Twilight started to trail off, but Ace motioned with a hoof for her to continue as he nodded. ”The second are Inscribed spells. Inscribed spells, such as the ones you sell in your shop, are spells that are written with enchanted ink that can retain magical energy, later activated by putting more magic through them.”

Ace nodded once more, though this time it was punctuated by him rubbing his chin in thought. ”That is correct, though you mentioned ‘Enchanted’ before discussing it. Please discuss enchanting next.”

Twilight shied away for a moment in her nervousness, the recap feeling more like an exam with each passing breath. ”Yes, Enchanted spells…” Taking a deep breath to calm herself as she gathered her thoughts, she continued.

”Enchanted spells are passive effects placed into an object, location or other manifestation.” Twilight’s features worked in her concentration as her gaze turned downward as she thought of examples of enchantments. Finally, her gaze fell upon the necklace she had the good habit of always wearing.

The necklace was a metal, hoof-crafted raven’s talon clasping a spherical sapphire gem that glowed with a soft light in the dimly lit room. Along the side of the talon was scrawled a brief epitaph in honor of the previous owner of the accessory, Little Raven – Ace’s long-dead wife. Ace had mentioned before that it was an Al Bhed betrothal necklace made only for her, though he had agreed to allow her to wear it while under his tutelage.

With a deep breath for confidence, Twilight carefully removed the necklace, bringing it to instead rest over Ace’s shoulders. ”Enchantments, for some unknown reason, work best with gems and jewelry. Various gems offer their own penchant or aversion to various types.” Ace’s mentor façade started to crack as his gaze fell upon the memento.

”Like this necklace, the Sapphire is enchanted with a spell that increases the wearer’s magical strength by a slight degree…” Twilight said before Ace’s gaze met hers again. “And I feel that it will help you more than me… If anything happens...”

Ace nodded his appreciation with a soft smile. ”My thanks, my student… Ace’s gaze wandered once more to the necklace held in his hoof, rolling it side to side for a moment as he read the inscription to himself before letting it fall against his chest. Clearing his throat once more, he motioned for Twilight to continue.

Twilight rubbed a hoof against her head as she thought for a moment, ”Next are Somatic spells, which are spells that are performed through physical means, often requiring physical ingredients, or ‘reagents.’” Twilight’s gaze still locked with his, Ace looked as though he expected another example.

Closing her eyes for a moment in her concentration, Twilight recalled one of the Somatic spells she learned from his library, but thought further for a moment in attempt to remember another, but could not. ”A lit candle whose wick is comprised partially of the recipients mane, a discarded robin’s egg, and a parchment bearing the name of their partner, to be burned by the candle…”

Ace raised an eyebrow not so much out of confusion, but more of curiosity as his mischievous smile played across his features. ”The spell is completed when the robin’s egg shatters of its own accord…” Twilight’s cheeks became flushed with color when she realized Ace was very much familiar with the spell in question. ”An entry level fertility spell.”

Twilight could only scarcely recall the last time her face had felt so warm, afraid that Ace would ask her to elaborate as to why she had studied and memorized such a spell. However, she was relieved – if only slightly – as he allowed the smile to wear away to his normal countenance before motioning for her to continue.

With a swift nod, Twilight wasted no time moving on to the next subject. ”Verbal spells and their sub-division, Incantations, are spells that are cast using one’s voice. In the case of Verbal spells, the effect takes place, or begins to take place, as soon as the spell is completed.” Twilight’s head tilted to the side as she tried to think of an example.

Ace motioned for her to continue once more. ”Given the nature of these spells, no example is needed. Please explain Incantations.” Twilight nodded before she continued.

”Incantations are similar to Verbal spells insag- insub- inkluy-“ Twilight paused for a moment to take a deep breath as she started to become tongue-tied over the word. ”Insomuch that they are spoken, but the effect begins to take place partway through the incantation, and most only persist for so long as the incantation is repeated.”

Twilight waited for a moment until Ace nodded before continuing. ”Finally,” she started, causing Ace to already bat an eyebrow. “There’s, ir…” Twilight was starting to feel less confident and it was beginning to show, until Ace smiled kindly and waited patiently for her to sort herself out again.

Clearing her throat before she continued, she made the most of the allotted time extension before she continued. ”Rituals are spells that take a vast amount of time to prepare, and can sometimes be a culmination of other spell types. Also, Rituals are often only potent during certain times depending on the ritual, the way it is performed, and what its intended effects are.

“Rituals are often dangerous in that, should anything go wrong, it can have catastrophic side effects, as well as the intention of the spell being altered or not completed at all.” Twilight’s gaze became burdened once more with her fears and concerns for Ace’s safety as her posture slouched as well. ”An example would be the ritual you must finish soon, yourself…”

Not wanting to warrant her fears with a response, Ace instead made his way beside her and wrapped his hoof around her as she leaned against him. Neither of the pair wishing to broach the topic once more, they simply sat in silence for a time.

When Twilight had once more visibly calmed, Ace rubbed a hoof against her far side as he spoke softly. ”You have forgotten two that we ourselves must use, my dearest Starlight,” he said a soft tone, though Twilight knew she had made a mistake.

”Those two are,” Ace started to explain, ”Runic spells and Illusion spells.” Ace’s horn was alight in its black glow as the illusionary glamour dissipated from her side, revealing a circle of runic writing carved deftly, delicately into her with a knife.

Ace’s hoof played across the writing, which read as ’Nasuja dra ajem fedreh’ in Al Bhed, or ‘Remove the evil within’ in common Equestrian. ”Runic spells are a sub-division of inscribed spells – or rather, the opposite is true – so I will grant half credit for it. Runic spells are similar to inscriptions in that they are written, though they do not require external magic and function more akin to enchantments, though they are a physical magic like Somatic spells.

“In addition to these differences, Runic spells do not dissipate as they are used, but rather remain for an indefinite amount of time. Disrupting Runic spells is as simple as removing portions of them, altering their meaning, or changing what they are written upon. Furthermore, Runic spells have no effect when used on flimsier mediums that can easily be edited, such as paper. As such, Runic Spells are most often transcribed into stone, flesh, or metal.”

Ace took a moment to allow Twilight to soak in all of the information, and only continued once she had nodded to confirm she would not so easily forget again.

”Lastly, there are Glamour and Illusion spells,” he said as his horn alighted once more with its black glow and the Al Bhed words disappeared from her side. ”Illusion spells cause others to view something that is not real, or makes something that is real appear differently.

Twilight, in an attempt to at least earn half credit on this point as well, interjected with, ”Meanwhile, Glamour spells can be used to elicit responses from other senses, as well. As an example, the Glamour we use to mask my scars also replaces the physical sense of touch and the magical sense that reveals information about an object.”

Ace nodded with a smile at the answer. ”Yes, very good. Now, to allow you the chance to make up those lost points, briefly explain why these various forms of spellcasting are significant. Twilight tilted her head and closed her eyes for a moment, pondering her response for the question, grateful for the opportunity and not wishing to muck it up with a hasty answer.

”Each form of has its own set of benefluh- benefry- belhu-“ Twilight cleared her throat for a moment to untie her tongue once more. ”Its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as some being entirely unable to serve some purpose or another. For example, there likely is no Ritualistic way to repair a common vase that has shattered, while there are a number of Control spells that could perform the task easily.

“Likewise, there is no Control spell to prolong one’s life, while there is a Ritual for it…" Twilight paused for a moment as she cleared her mind from the accidental reminder of what the coming days would bring. ”In addition to this, a number of these methods, such as Somatic and Runic spells, do not actually require any ‘magic’ on the user’s part.

“These spells operate either without magic, or are somehow able to provide magic to sustain themselves. This allows non-Unicorns and other non-magical beings or entities to use said spells on their own. Some such spells do require magic, but the magic is siphoned from the area in which it is enacted if the user does not provide the magic themselves.”

Ace waited patiently for a time to be sure she had finished before nodding with a smile and surprising her with a swift, brief kiss. Twilight’s face flushed once more as Ace’s proud smile persisted.

“Passed, with flying colors,” he said before moving to the head of the bed and sliding the covers back. “Your Al Bhed is coming along quite well, also. The pronunciations and accent are a little off, but a grand improvement overall.”

Twilight mimicked the actions, sliding to the floor on her side of the bed before sliding the covers back as well, the pair of them both climbing into bed together before pulling the covers back up, laying their heads against the pillows, and turning to face each other.

“Good night and sleep well, my darling Starlight,” he said in a soft whisper when the pair had settled themselves in comfortably.

“And a good night to you as well, my beloved Wolf of the Moon,” Twilight whispered back, using the unique name she had given to her special somepony, a name that he adored so much that he blushed every time he heard it, this time being no different.

Much as how his nickname for her carried a deeper meaning, the name regarded him as something akin to a guardian spirit, forever watchful as it protected her from the shadows of the night, ever by her side.

With another kiss and a shared embrace, they laid together in the warmth of the others hooves, their minds struggling to ward away their thoughts of what was to come, allowing their worries to melt away in each other’s presence.