The Nature of Magic

by Paton Pendeng

Chapter 3

"I am by birth Gemevese, that is to say I was of the village of Gemeva. My bloodline was one of the most well-respected of the town. Tracing it far back, my ancestors have always been close to the royal crown serving as counsellors or on the board of the magistrate. My father had even brought many public events from the near bottom of honor all the way to the peak. He was a highly thought of individual and known for his strong values and great attention to that of buisness, public or private. His younger yearsconstantly made his free time go all but to his loyalty. Therefore, numerous reasons and incidents cropped up preventing him from marrying. It was not until his weariness grew to catch up with his age that he finally started a small family.

"His marriage displays he true character so well, that it is the only proper way to explain him. You see, one of his closest friends was a travelling unicorn merchant. From what I can recollect, he was a very prosperous but through seemingly bad luck fell into a dreadful poverty. His name, I think, was Rich. Yes, Stinking Rich, but went by the alias of Stinky. He was a proud, albeit, stubborn pony and downright refused to live in poverty in the same village and empire that defiled and desecrated his once fantastic name. After paying all those he owed in full, he and his young daughter fled to a neighboring town. My father was filled with grief and sorrow for his friend's untimely luck, but absolutely loathed the mule-headed facade which led Stinky to ignore the bonds that brought them closer together. However it could be said that my father was in fact of the same stubborness, and immediately sought the merchant out, hoping that he could dissuade him from his actions and help him back onto his hooves.

"Stinking Rich had managed to cover his tracks, going well and beyond conventional matters. Many months passed before my father finally found his new home. In brash excitement, he came upon the door with all th quickness of an excited foal to his brithday party. The home itself was in a rather unruly portion of the Crystal Empire, and when my father enetered the home his joy was tarnished by sadness and misery. Stinky had only managed to save a small portion of bits from his bad luck, but it was enough to provide a life. He hoped that he could find employment in the house of his trade. Sadly, it did not go as planned, and his turmoil only suceeded in growing as he found more time to relflect in disheartening leisure. His dour attitude festered and rotted away at him until he fell ill by his misfortunes.

"His daughter of tender heart and care never left him and attended to him with great dedication, but it was all for not. The money which sustained them became less and less by each passing day. Ebony, like her father, possessed an indominable spirit of stubborness that fueled her courage to find a means of support despite the forever tarnished name she held. Her talents were that of a dscerning eye, and could spot a small fracture in even the most finely cut diamond and swiftly spent her days judging rock to find any form of value in any of them and sorting them. It was plain and simple work, and thus did little to meet the demands of their family.

"Many months passed by in this way, and Stinky's health worsened day by day. Ebony had to abandon the work in order to see to her father. In the final month, her father passed away in her arms. Orphaned and with no other family to speak of, she was without a home. At her casket, she wept from the sheer weight of the despair. My father entered the room, and upon seeing the miserable beauty, came to her and comforted her. My father befriended the mare and, after much persuasion, convinced her to live with a relation for a few years. After she became of age, he married the unicorn mare.

"The age gap between them was wide indeed, but the difference seemed to only stregthen the affections for each other. My father's mind was filled with intentions of justice motivating him more to love her very strongly. It may have been due to some long lost love which found him, in hr eyes, unworthy. The affection he showed to her might've been likened to worship and gratitude, which severely contrasted to the first thought of most who encountered them. Ponies saw him more as a doting elder rather than the reverence for her ideals and, in some part, repaying for the miserable misfortunes she had taken from the death of Stinky. Somehow, the enduring of suffering only seemed to give that speechless grace which my father's behavior towards her all the more reason to treat her in that way. He wished to protect her and shield her from any offending rough wind that brush across her lovely features and suround her with all that could obtain happiness from her. As a result of her hardship, her health and spirit of mind suffered a staggaring blow, leaving it shaken. During the time of those two years that my mother spent with my father's relation, my father gradually cut off his ties to public functions. After the wedding, they decided to seek a change of scene in a town a little south of Gemeva. The town had no name, but was refreshing for it's unique location on a series of river deltas. It would do wonders in restoring my mother's weakened frame.

"They traveled from there to Stalliongrad, and to Prance. I was their eldest child and born in Marelin. My foalhood was spent accompanying them in their wanderings. Much like how they bathed their love in each other, the showered me in a veritable untapped wealth of affection. My mother's gentle touch and my father's benevolent smile in regarding me are the first and perhaps my most prescious memories. I was their colt- their young and helpless foal sent by the Elysian Fields above. I was an innocent base of clay whose future was ready to be moulded by there hooves. With this deep metaphorical debt of what they owed me my life, in addition to their loving nature they showed me, I learned lessons of patience, generosity, and restraint. I was even taught to enjoy the intangible thread that guided my movements like an all too eager marionette.

"I was their only child for some time. My mother wanted a daughter, but that's not saying that she did not love me any less if I were her daughter. Despite this wanting, I continued to be their only colt. I believe I was six or seven years of age when my parents returned to the town on the river delta. Their kind dispositions often allowed them trips to the homeless or the poor. My mother felt it was not only important, but her life's passion. Seeing the less fortunate reminded her of the pain and suffering she endured, and, as a survivor, felt like a benevolent spirit to the poor ponies. It was during one of their frequent qalks that a very poor sight indeed attrated their attention. An entire family of fillies and colts guided by their mother. All of the young ponies appeared to be covered in filth and on the tipping point of starvation. My mother had taken me on a stroll to the home of this family while my father was away to Prance. She found a pair of spouses, both hard working, and serving the scrapings of a meal to several hungry children. My mother's talent for spotting the best in the worst had her eye attracted to a young filly. The others were worse for wear, hardy and a different stock from the filly altogether. She was thin and very beautiful. Her mane and tail was the deepest crimson, and disregarding the dirt that stained her perfectly alabaster coat, her very expression, from her sapphire eyes to her petite wings, she was celestial.

"The peasant woman, noticing the look of my mother, gladly explained the past of the young filly. She was not the mother of this angelic young pegasus. The filly was the daughter of a Stalliongradian and a Prench nobles. Her mother died giving birth to her, and was placed in the care of the poor but loving family. When they recieved the child, they were better off, or so they said. The peasants were not married too long, having had their eldest born recently. The mother was one of those Prench nursing at the birth, and was the victim of her good nature and ill-timed bad luck. Their property was siezed after failure to keep with taxes, and continued to foster the diamond in the rough, only to see her growing more brilliant by the day.

"My father returned from Prance to find playing with me in the hall of our villa a child more fair than a diamond, and twice as radiant as one. My mother explained to him what had transpired. With his permission, my mother succeeded with convincing the rustics to yield her to our charge. The pegasus' presence was a true blessing to them, but would seem too horrid to leave her in poverty when there was a possibility to lead a better life. After consulting the legal office, Ivory Towers became my playmate and beautiful companion to place my own affections onto. I was notthe only one who showered her in my love, for everypony loved Ivory Towers. My passionate attatchments were reverential, and soon became the the idle thoughts which my mind wandered to.

"On the evening prior to that, my mother said to me in a playful tone, "I have a special gift for my darling, and tomorrow he shall have it." Just like she said, the cherubic mare she presented was there as my promised gift. I looked upon her with the literal notion of what my mother asked me the night before. She was mine- mine to protect and love. We referred to each other by first name, but with the familiarity of best friends. My mind, though, was clear. Nothing could dissuade me from my opinions of my more than adopted sibling, since till death she was mine and mine alone."

Author's Note:

The inspiration for this fic was the book Frankenstein. The book is so good! In fact, I used the first chapter of that book as a frame for this chapter. I am not going to completely rewrite the story and I do recognize that it still might be considered copyright. Howevere, because I have other plans for this fic, I believe I am within my rights... right?

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