Chapter 10 - The Nature of Magic
Octavia lay stretched out on the bed opposite Vinyl, watching as the mare turned the Element over and over in her hooves. After what must have been the hundredth rotation, Octavia finally spoke up. “Well?”
Vinyl shrugged and tossed it on the bed. “You got me! Seriously, the best I can tell is that it’s a magic rock. No idea how it works, and nopony bothered to write instructions anywhere on it. Did Lyra and Shimmer really not tell you anything?”
“No. They weren’t sure how it worked either.” Octavia laid her head down on her forelegs, grumbling. Asking Vinyl had been a longshot, but that did not make the plan’s failure any easier to endure. She needed to figure the Element out, and she needed to do it soon. “Explain magic to me.”
“Huh?”
“How does a unicorn actually cast a spell? Maybe understanding that would help me understand how that damnable rock is supposed to work.”
“Uh… Well, it’s kinda complicated.”
Octavia allowed herself a small smile. “Vinyl. If you can do it, it cannot be that complicated.”
“You got me there! But, like, okay. Can you tell me how your legs work?”
“I…” Octavia started, but lapsed into silence. She vaguely understood that the process involved energy, contractions of the muscles and tendons, and signals from the brain, but actually vocalizing it was another issue altogether. “I understand the basics of it, but—”
“Well, that’s what magic is. Just another leg. Except it’s about a billion times more complicated to deal with and a serious pain in the flank to actually explain.”
“Could you try? For me?” It was a touch shameless, but she suspected that Vinyl would be more cooperative if she made it into a game of sorts. She looked up at the mare with wide eyes as she added, with just a touch of pleading, “Please?”
Viny just stared at her, tilting her head to the side. “Are… are you trying to give me puppy dog eyes? Because if you aren’t, the only other possibility is some horrible space monster somehow snuck up behind me and is preparing to bite my head off.”
Heat rose to Octavia’s cheeks as Vinyl broke into uproarious laughter. “Just forget it,” she grumbled.
“Hey, don’t be like that,” Vinyl gasped, trying to compose herself in the face of Octavia’s spirited glare. “You win. I can’t possibly resist if you ask like that.”
“So, magic. It’s this kinda special energy thing and unicorns store it in their bodies. But it isn’t like, uh, calories or whatever. Though maybe they help create it? Like, if you’re burning yourself out and not eating or whatever, you have less magic. I dunno exactly how it works. Whatever. We use our horns to control it.”
As if to punctuate her point, Vinyl’s horn started to glow a familiar electric blue.
“Like this, you see? And then we just sorta… make it do things. Like, Levitation. You just wrap your magic around something, solidify it a bit, and lift!”
Octavia watched as Vinyl’s magic took hold of the tip of her tail and moved it a few inches before dropping it.
“See? That’s pretty much the simplest magic there is, so it’s the first thing most unicorns learn.”
“Why is your magic so much weaker than Commander Lulamoon’s?” Octavia asked.
Vinyl snorted. “Weaker? I bet Trixie can’t do half the bull I can. But yeah, apparently when it comes to magical death beams, she’s got me beat.” She shrugged as she said, “Different unicorns’ve just got different specialties. Like, I’d probably break your instrument if I tried to play it, right?”
“Undoubtedly,” Octavia said with a nod.
“Well, you’d probably ruin my setup if you tried to mix a new track with it. And sure, either of us could prolly learn to do each other’s thing if we worked really hard at it, but I’m cool without learning to play your string thing and you’d probably get all snobby trying to produce a track on a console, right?“
“My cello and yes.”
“Well, magic is the same. What’d my tutor always say... ‘A unicorn’s magic is a perfect expression of themselves’ or something? It’s why unicorns have different colored magic.”
Octavia stared at her, debating whether to let the tutor comment go. She eventually decided to. “So you are good at…?”
Even behind the glasses she could tell Vinyl was eyeing her. “I’m pretty bucking awesome when it comes to light and sound. Like, I could honestly run the whole show at Crazy Horse myself if I wanted. The tech just makes it easier for me.”
“And Commander Lulamoon specializes in magical assault?”
Vinyl opened her mouth to speak and then shut it abruptly. “You know, she didn’t used to be. Like, she knew how to do tons of little tricks and stuff, but she used to get made fun of for being a bit of a lightweight.” A frown crossed her face. “Her magic wasn’t red, either, now that I think about it.”
“Does that matter?”
“Not really, I guess. Could explain why she got good at the whole magical beam assault thing, though. Like I said, a unicorn’s magic is basically part of the unicorn, so when something big happens that changes the way they think about themselves? Their magic can change color.”
“And, if the change was that big, it might well change how they use their magic?”
Vinyl nodded. “You got it!”
The logic followed, she supposed. Continuing Vinyl’s previous metaphor, her preferred musical motifs had changed significantly after moving to Manehattan and again when she had been reduced to playing in the streets. It was not that the nature of her abilities had changed, but rather that her focus had.
It also served to at least partly explain the Elements. If magic was shaped by the user and connected to their spirit or whatever unicorns wanted to define it as, then the Elements being connected to specific ponies made sense.
Of course, the problem was that knowing that still did absolutely nothing to help her figure out how to use the bloody thing. She did not have some well of magic inside her, nor did she have a horn to control it.
She had a rock.
“Why’re you so interested in magic anyway?”
“Because I am hoping that the more I know, the easier it will be to find the rest of the Elements.” She sighed. “Besides, it would be nice to maybe be able to use the Element to defend myself if somepony like Commander Lulamoon attacked again.”
Vinyl’s ears pricked. “You do know that’s a pretty crap idea, right? That magic she was throwing around? Serious stuff. Damn near brained me without trying. Pretty sure most of the guards’d be hard-pressed to stop Trixie if she went on a tear.”
“I know.” The image of Flash going through the railing was still fresh in her mind. She shivered slightly. “But what choice am I going to have? I need to find the Elements, and I have no doubt that means running into the Council Guard again. I cannot imagine they won’t find some way track us down.”
Vinyl rolled the stone under her hoof. “Do we have to go looking for the Elements? I mean, roaming around the Empire, checking stations, digging through storage rooms, and talking to ponies? That was one thing. But if Shimmer wants somepony who can tangle with the guards? Then there’ve gotta be better choices.”
“I told her I would help, Vinyl. That stupid rock is my responsibility. If there really is some magical connection between the Elements, then I really do have the best shot at finding the rest.” Octavia sat up, a bitter chuckle escaping her. “Besides, even if I wanted to run, it isn’t really possible now. Having every unicorn on the Council after me would not end well.”
“Prolly not,” Vinyl said, her entire body slackening as she lapsed into silence.
“Are you okay?” Octavia asked, already knowing the answer. Of course she wasn’t. The idiot had jumped headlong back into a situation that she had even less business being part of than Octavia did, and now she had no way out.
“Fine, I guess. Kinda wishing things had gone down differently. Already missing Crazy Horse and home and all that.”
Octavia was silent, unsure of what to say. Looking at Vinyl, all the platitudes that came to mind felt meaningless.
“You know I almost had a new album finished and ready to drop? It was gonna be bucking awesome.”
“Well, then I guess there is that much, at least.”
“Huh?”
“The Empire has been temporarily spared another musical travesty.” Vinyl did not so much launch the stone as gently lob it with her magic, but it still proved quite difficult to catch. “Please, Vinyl. Do not damage the magical relic simply because you cannot handle the truth. It is not my fault you did not bother learning a real instrument.”
“Don’t gimme that, lil’ miss fancy pony.” She grinned broadly and continued, “I remember you bobbing along to Neon’s tracks. Kinda puts your impeccable taste into question.”
“I am not convinced.” Octavia glanced at her cello case thoughtfully. She had been slacking, and the chance to decompress and organize her thoughts sounded nice. “Would you like to hear some real music? If you listen long enough, perhaps you will actually learn something.”
Vinyl faux yawned. “I dunno. Kinda worn out from explaining all that magic stuff to you. You’d probably put me to sleep.”
“Well, I can always go play in one of the other cabins and leave this one all to you.” She actually felt a little guilty when she saw Vinyl twitch nervously, the continued tease taking her a moment to register.
“Nah, that’s fine. It’s fine. I’ll find some way to survive watching you saw at a hunk of wood.” Still, she smiled as she laid down, watching Octavia situate herself.
Octavia smiled back as she began to play.
~~~~~
Lyra stretched out on her bed, clenching her eyes tightly as a defense against the brilliant station light streaming through her window. A pleased noise escaped from her as she twisted and contorted, stretching muscles she hadn’t even realized were stiff. For the first time in what seemed like years, she actually felt rested.
Despite Sombra’s lunch invitation being on the later side, she craned her neck in an effort to glance at the wall clock just outside the doorway. For all she knew, she had already slept most of the day away. The idea didn’t bother her as much as she would have suspected. To Tartarus with this entire mess. She had done enough for Shimmer.
In fact, Lyra had probably done too much for her. Letting herself believe, even for a moment, that Shimmer was anything other than the same self-centered mare she had always been had been a mistake. It was good that Octavia was off the station without Shimmer’s pet guard watching over her. Shimmer was a tool in both senses of the word, and Lyra had taken her further than she deserved to go. Maybe she’d finally take the fall she deserved.
She finally caught sight of the clock: about two hours left. Good. While she was fairly sure she had no interest in working with Sombra either, telling him that to his face and standing him up were two very different things that would undoubtedly have unique consequence. Unlike Shimmer, maybe he could be reasonable if she was.
Lyra washed and groomed herself lazily, relishing the lightness that permeated her body. All she had really needed to do was rethink the situation.
Before setting out, she gathered a few of the books scattered about the apartment. While she wasn’t ready to actually work with Sombra, she could at least give him a few of her preferred titles. It would make a good impression and, even if he really was a danger to the Elements, then it wouldn’t be anything he couldn’t have eventually gotten himself.
The walk to Le Grand’s proved pleasant enough, the station’s lunch traffic already waning and the environmental systems producing a gentle breeze that swept through the tier, bringing with it the scent of fresh flowers. The ponies at the door offered to take her bag from her, but she declined, allowing herself to be escorted to one of the more isolated, private tables on the second floor.
Sombra sat against the wall at a corner table, staring thoughtfully into space. His eyes focused on her after a moment and he nodded, indicating the maître d' could leave them as he stood up. “Good afternoon, Lyra.”
“You too.”
His horn glowed, the crimson magic surrounding the chair opposite him and pulling it away from the table. “Please, have a seat. It may be a bit forward, but I’ve taken the liberty of ordering for us. The chef is quite prone to running out of ingredients for the daily special, and I would hate to miss out. His ratatouille is absolutely wonderous.”
“Oh! No, that’s fine! I just, um...” Lyra mumbled before trailing off, finding simultaneously answering him and seating herself to be surprisingly difficult. She had wanted the chance to speak first. ”Before we start, I just wanted to say—”
“Let me guess: You still aren’t sure if you want to work with me, right?” Sombra had a very handsome smile, with brilliant white teeth that shone brightly against his dark coat. Before she could answer, he continued, “Don’t worry. While I had hoped for a different answer, I’m not really surprised. Between our past relationship and the rumors that you’ve undoubtedly heard, I can’t blame you for being careful.” He laughed. “It does, ironically, make me want you working with me all the more. I appreciate caution and intelligence. Too many ponies seem to lack both.”
“I am sorry. I just… need more time to think. It’s been a very rough week and I’ve had a lot on my mind.” Levitating the bag towards him, she snapped the latches on it. “Since you said you preferred books to files, I thought I could at least bring you a few that I had on loan from the Stacks. A token of goodwill, I suppose.”
His magic overtook hers as he emptied the bag neatly on the corner of the table, leaving enough room for the waiter to silently provide them with sparkling water. “I certainly appreciate that. I must say, it has been fairly difficult to do my own research considering they had apparently already loaned you every single book I wanted.”
A nervous chuckle escaped from Lyra.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
She shook her head.
“While we spoke about the Elements at length yesterday, I never did ask you the most important question: do you actually believe in them?”
“What?” She cocked her head as she stared at the unicorn.
“I was just curious what you thought of the Elements.” To her surprise, he sighed. “While I have managed to convince most of the Council to support my efforts to find them, I feel very few of them have any real belief in the Elements. They think they are simply relics of a bygone age, magical trinkets made by primitive ponies. They believe in them the same way they believe in Alicorns: a part of our past created by those who didn’t know any better. Stories. Reality twisted and turned and retold until it had been contorted into mythology.” His smile thinned slightly. “I suspect they are simply humoring me in exchange for my future support on their little projects.”
For once Lyra wished that it had been a phantasmal memory that floated to the surface instead of a real one. If she didn’t believe, what she had done to Vinyl and Octavia had been unimaginably cruel. “I do believe in them.” After a moment, she smiled and added, “I believe in Alicorns, too.”
“Truly?”
She thought back to her visions. She had never really not believed, per se, but the answer had seemed so much less obvious back then. “Yes, I think so.”
He laughed, a surprisingly deep and rich sound. “It’s rare and welcome treat to meet somepony who can say that with a straight face. The belief that we understand everything, that the Empire is the greatest power in the universe, will be our downfall. The Empire needs ponies like us.”
“Apparently not,” Lyra said, the words slipping out of her. She regretted them instantly as silence descended over the table, sustained uncomfortably by the arrival of the waiter with a pair of steaming plates. The wondrous scent of spiced vegetables helped ease the tension, but not by as much as she hoped.
“Once again, I am sorry about what happened to you.”
The apology he’d offered to her yesterday floated to the surface of her thoughts. She wanted to keep hating him, but he’d raised so many good points. The council had never been her priority. Maybe it really did make sense that she had been the one replaced. She speared a slice of zucchini with a fork and took an experimental bite.
“Times do change, though, and I find adversity makes us stronger.” He took a bite from his own plate and savored it for a long moment. “While I do miss food from the Crystal Station, Le Grand quite makes up for it. What do you think?”
“It’s really good,” she said, taking a larger, less cautious bite. The stallion certainly had good taste.
The smile broadened a little. “I know it is probably precious little comfort, but I think your hardships have served you well. You seem stronger. Smarter. You know what you want. You’re interested in the well-being of the Empire and worry about what threatens it. You’d make a good councilor now.”
“What?” Lyra gasped.
“Just what I said. Were there a seat free, I think the Empire would benefit from you returning to the Council.” He drained the last of his water while Lyra sputtered. “That isn’t to say there’s a seat opening anytime soon, but it’s something worth thinking about.”
She tried to think of an appropriate response as she chugged her own water, struggling to clear her throat.
“Are you all right?”
“Just a little food went the wrong way is all,” she finally managed, taking a deep breath. He had surprised her. For just a moment she had suspected he was actually offering her a seat.
“Please be careful. Not only would it be a true shame to lose a mind as sharp as yours, but I can hardly bear to imagine the sort of rumors that would begin to circulate were you to die at a meal with me.”
Lyra couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “Assassination of a former rival, the elimination of another competitor for the Elements, thinning out your enemies, and probably everypony here ready to cover it up with you.”
“Please, don’t,” he moaned theatrically, bowing his head to her. “It is already hard enough to deal with what the newsponies come up with. Did you know that I apparently have absolute control over both the Council and their Guard? And that, once I’ve secured my position, I plan to dissolve the Council and install myself as the ruler of the Empire?” He gestured for the waiter to come over to the table. “If only things were actually that simple. I would probably get quite a bit more done.”
For just a moment Sombra seemed like a very tired pony – a rival for how Lyra had felt this past week – but it vanished as the waiter approached, vanishing behind a confident smile. “Lyra, would you be willing to share a glass of wine with me? Something sweet to soothe the bite of Le Grand’s ratatouille sounds nice and I would hate to drink alone.”
She nodded. It did sound like a nice way to end the meal.
“Two glasses of Saturnes, please.” After a moment of thought, he added, “And two eclairs.”
“That might be a little much for me at lunch.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I only offered you a glass of wine, Lyra.”
She laughed. “Fair. Fair, Sombra. I suppose that is all you did.” The laughter slowly died away as she stared at him. “Could I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you want the Elements?”
“To conquer the Empire, drive my enemies before me, and hear the lamentations of their mares, of course. At least, that’s what I hear ponies saying.” The exhaustion broke through his mask again. “I want to protect the Empire, Lyra. So many ponies believe we’re the strongest, most terrifying force in the universe. But we aren’t. Just ten years ago ponies believed that the Changelings were nothing more than stories, and my people paid the price for it.”
She found herself nodding along with him.
“I worry about what other ‘myths’ might be out there, lurking just beyond the edge of civilization.” He shook his head. “It is said that the Elements will appear when ponies need them. Did you know that?”
“I did.”
“Then you understand my concern.”
“I do. I don’t think just having the Elements is enough, though.”
For the first time in their conversation, Sombra was the one taken aback. “Why? Do you doubt their power?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I think that the Elements are more than the stones, though. Those are simply magical conduits. Powerful, but nothing much more than what we already have. The real Elements, the true power, are their bearers.” It took her a moment to realize what she’d said, but she felt surprisingly little regret at having said it. She wasn’t really telling him anything dangerous, and maybe learning about her theories would do some good. “I think only certain ponies can wield the Elements at their full power.”
Sombra studied her silently as their dishes were cleared and the desserts placed in front of them. “What makes you say that?” he finally asked, his crimson magic pushing one of the two plates the waiter had brought closer to her. “Would you like to try one of the eclairs?”
Shaking her head, she settled for the wine, allowing the wonderfully cool sweetness to flow through her. This all felt so normal. So wonderful. So reassuring. She was at lunch with another pony, talking about her work and her studies. She hadn’t even hallucinated once this whole meal. Even if it did turn out Sombra was a masterful villain playing her for the fool, this glimmer of normalcy was a welcome relief. “It’s just a theory, of course, but I think it’s sound. You’re familiar with the stories that don’t involve the Two Sisters, right? The ones with regular ponies who found the Elements and used them to defend Equestria?”
He nodded, savoring one of the sweet pastries as he listened.
“Well, if you compare their feats to those of the Two Sisters, the Alicorns honestly come up a little short. Nightmare Moon is the most egregious case: with the backing of Alicorn magic, Celestia was only able to banish Nightmare Moon. Six random ponies, however? They were able to purge her completely. Even when they fought Discord, they were able to achieve the exact same effect as Celestia and Luna.”
“I never considered that,” he mumbled. “It is quite strange that a ragtag assortment of ponies could trump an Alicorn. Still, it may just be the prerogative of the storytellers, no? Something about the strength of the equine spirit and how it is able to surpass all?”
“It could, but it would be an unusual choice. I can’t think of any mythologies that treat the Alicorns as anything other than the ultimate representation of ponykind. Further, consider the very fact that the stones are not only separate pieces, but assigned individual qualities. If we consider the nature of magic—”
“Then it would follow that individual Elements would be best suited for use by individual ponies. Interesting.” He ate the second eclair slowly, staring somewhere beyond Lyra. “Very interesting. But how would you find the right ponies?”
Another long drink helped Lyra form her thoughts. “I suspect that, given time, they’ll find each other. In the end, they are six parts of singular whole. They want to be together.”
Sombra nodded. “That’s certainly an intriguing idea. One I would certainly love to discuss further.” He drained his own glass and sighed. “Unfortunately, the Council beckons. There are probably a hundred messages waiting for me that I will have to find time to answer before I drown in meetings. Would you like to join me again tomorrow? Meeting with you is an excellent way to put off other, much less pleasant, obligations.”
Lyra barely hesitated. “I think I’d like that.”
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The only real question is, is Sombra using mostly charisma, subterfuge, or magical subterfuge to get his way overall, and more specifically with Lyra?
6151470 He's done very well here. You can view he might be one to do that, but the jury is really out here. A testament to good writing.
I understand Vinyl is not Twilight ' s level bookworm, but I would have liked a more through explanation about magic. From where does the energy come? Can it only be accessed / channeled through a horn? what about pegasi and earth ponies ' natural talents?
What a classic piece of excrement. He's hinting that he might return the counsel seat he took from Lyra, but this time she'd earn it through him.
6151470 Why's it gotta be about getting his way? Can't a stallion and a mare just have a nice lunch at a fancy eatery?
6151727 Suitably adequate writing, methinks. Hopefully continuously improving, though finally acquiring some dislikes is little bit of a blow to my ego.
6151882 I think that miiiiiiiight still be overestimating Vinyl's scholastic achievements. Possibly. But I will say, I doubt we are totally done with learning about magic. Probably.
6152643 Man, poor Sombra. He says nice things and people all take it the wrong way. =(
6154457
What if Sombra is an entirely reasonable (if strangely persuasive) politician and it's Sunset Shimmer who's secretly planing on using the EoH to overthrow the council and make herself Empress?
6154457 If the dislikes are with why folks do, its nice to get constructive feedback. Hopefully anyhow instead of the downvote and run.
6154457
If it were just a mare and stallion having lunch, you would have chosen a different stallion.
6154728 Yeah, definitely. All jokes aside, I have no problem with people disliking the story. I mostly end up curious as to why. Improving requires criticism, so it is always helpful to have more technical issues illuminated if they are the problem.
6154821 I have no idea what you're talking about. It is important we allow everypony to get some screentime, and Sombra has had very little opportunity to not be bad mouthed by ponies who are jealous of his succeses.
6154849
This just in: Sombra has crossed the fourth wall to entrance the author with the same nefarious methods he used on Lyra!
6154504 You know, I was thinking the same thing. This chapter honestly won me over for Sombra, he seems to genuinely have everyone's best interests in mind.
6155960
I was actually just joking. It's certainly possible but I doubt the story's going to go that way. That aside, good politicians are those who can convince people that they have many people's best interests in mind. (That applies whether they really do or if they're lying through their teeth.)
6155960 Then Sombra stabs you in the back and mocks you for being a gullible sucker easily taken in by a cunning liar.
Seriously, REAL liars are much harder to spot than Palpatine. Sociopaths can spin whatever tale they wish, for they have no guilt or remorse, only their goal.
6154849 If I shoot Sombra in the face, he won't be able to use that silver tongue of his anymore.
*Alondro favors simple solutions to problems...* And shooting things in the face has always solved my problems!
Except that time I had zits... 
His glowed, the crimson magic surrounding
1. His horn glowed.
Yeah, I think I'm more of a Octavia thinker here. Think about how to use the Elements other than as a rolling paperweight to help in some sort of way.
Yes, Sombra does raise good points however if I were Lyra I would still be dubious to trust him further than I can touch him just mainly because of the fact of the lengths he went to deseat Lyra from the Council. Oh and I don't mean by holding a grudge or anything but by his character portrayed shown by his actions. Alas, politics does tend to do this sort of thing with everyone so it is still only a possibility.
Ya know, I really want to hate Sombra, because his name is Sombra, who's an evil bastard.
Then we have his little bursts of humanity, which makes me wonder whether its an act, or genuine. I don't knooooww :(
Think there's supposed to be an "on the" or something between "tables" and "second".
Something about Sombra being all reasonable and nice makes him kind of even more spooky, because I'm just waiting for it to all go horribly south for poor Lyra. Though there is the possibility that he will turn out to be one of the good guys here, and the fact that I really can't tell where either he or Shimmer fall says to me you did a good job of writing political machinations and manoeuvrings.
-Chimera
Are you still writing it?
6158809, 6161121 Fixed and fixed. Thank you. I don't suppose either you would be interested in becoming more involved prereaders for me? You both seem to have an eye for errors.
6223858 Yep. Just been a hectic lately. I posted briefly on it, but basically I started writing this story during a year long spat of unemployment. I'm back to working again which has been eating into my time (hence the late chapter last month!) This month is also a bit of a mess due to two conventions AND having to do some weekend work to make up for the time I took off for the conventions, so I've had even less time than normal.
Should still have a new chapter out roughly on time, though. Thanks for wondering. =)
Actually, I think I'm going to support Sombra in this story. Villains are always the coolest guys, and this incarnation of Sombra certainly seems more pragmatic and clever than the snarling monster we know.
And besides, is he even a villain or merely a manipulative and power-hungry politician with somewhat self-serving yet ultimately noble goals?