• Published 27th Aug 2017
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The Blue Mage - Nebula Star



Gifted with extraordinary power, Apple Bloom must learn to control it and try not to lose herself in the process.

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Chapter 1: Sa'Dracori

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

A quick note: This story is set after Child of Misery, reading that story is not required, but this story does contain some major spoilers for it, so if you do want to read it, definitely read that one first.

Chapter 1: Sa'Dracori
***

Apple Bloom sighed heavily as she trudged through the west orchard, kicking a small rock as she slowly made her way down the path. She'd already finished all her chores for the day, but that was part of the problem. Normally she would have gone to find Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo so that they could go crusading, but neither of her friends were available.

Scootaloo had decided that enough was enough; she was going to learn to fly before the summer's end, no matter what it took. For that reason, she was with Rainbow Dash, and would be for most of the day. Rainbow was almost as determined to get Scootaloo in the air as Scootaloo was herself.

And Sweetie Belle... Apple Bloom's thoughts drifted back to a few weeks before.

~ "Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked softly while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cleaned up their things from Twilight Time. Apple Bloom paused in putting away her various potion ingredients to look up, her eyes drawn by concern for her friend.

"What is it, Sweetie?" Twilight asked gently, clearly noting the same hesitant, worried tone in Sweetie's voice that had drawn Apple Bloom's attention.

"I... Will, will you teach me more about magic?" Sweetie asked, looking up at her seeming afraid that Twilight would turn her down.

Twilight looked surprised by the request, but slowly smiled. "I take it; you mean more than what we do during Twilight Time?"

She nodded. "I... I know you're busy with your own studies, and that I, I'm not very talented. But I... I want to learn more!"

Reaching out a hoof, Twilight gently stroked Sweetie's mane. "Sweetie, you're plenty talented! Sure magic may not be your special talent, but you've already learned more than a lot of unicorns ever do! Most don't bother learning anything more than levitation and whatever might go along with their special talent." Sweetie Belle smiled weakly at the praise. "I have to ask though, why do you want to learn more?"

The unicorn filly looked down at her hooves, sniffing back sudden tears. "I don't want to be useless," she whimpered.

"Useless?" Twilight repeated, confused.

"I just watched you die!" Sweetie Belle cried. Twilight understood then and gently pulled the filly into an embrace. "I just watched... I couldn't do anything to help. Even when we were searching for Princess Celestia; I couldn't do anything to help..."

"Sweetie, you can't blame yourself for that. Nopony expected you to do more. You did exactly what you should have."

"I just... I don't want to be useless anymore." She whimpered as Twilight held her gently wrapped in her forelegs and wings.

"You're not useless Sweetie. You never have been."

She sniffed softly. "I... I want to learn more about magic. Then maybe... maybe I can help out more, when bad things happen. I know you're busy, but I... I really want to learn more."

Twilight held her a few moments more, then leaned back and looked down at her smiling. "Well, you want to know a secret? You have to promise not to tell anypony."

Sweetie nodded, her curiosity sparked. "I promise."

"You know when the Tree of Harmony brought me back?" She nodded. "Well, it didn't just give me a new body and new life. It also gave me all of Achlys's knowledge about magic."

"Really!?" She exclaimed wide eyed.

"Yep! More than seven thousand years' worth of studying magic crammed into my brain all at once," Twilight told her.

"Wow! You must know everything now!"

Twilight laughed. "Not everything. But I certainly know a lot more than I did before," she smiled and gently stroked Sweetie Belle's mane again. "So I think I can afford to cut back on my own studies in order to teach you if you'd like."

"Really!?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Twilight just smiled down at her and nodded. Ecstatic, Sweetie Belle jumped up, throwing her hooves around Twilight's neck, hugging her tightly. "Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!"

With a laugh Twilight returned the hug.

"Does this mean I'm your personal student? Like you were Princess Celestia's?"

"Heh, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Twilight hedged. "Why don't we go talk to Rarity and your parents and set up some times for you to study with me, and we'll try it out for a month or two. If you still want to continue studying with me after that; then we'll make it official. Sound good?"

Sweetie nodded beaming up at her while Apple Bloom watched from across the library. ~

Apple Bloom sighed again as she walked along the orchard path. Sweetie Belle had begun lessons with Twilight the next week, and, so far, she showed no signs that she wanted to quit. So for most the afternoon, four days a week, Sweetie Belle was in lessons.

She was happy for Sweetie Belle of course, and she couldn't blame Scootaloo for being determine after struggling for so long to fly. But their activities left Apple Bloom without either of her closest friends to spend time with. It seemed everypony had something to do this summer except her. Even Twist was busy learning more about candy making as an apprentice to her aunt, Bonbon.

"And here Ah'd been lookin' forward to summer," Apple Bloom muttered to herself.

"Not quite what you expected?"

Apple Bloom jumped spinning in a circle at the unexpected male voice. "Who's there!?" she exclaimed not spotting anypony.

Soft laughter seemed to come from all around her. "I'm not there, I'm merely projecting my voice where you are," the voice came again, "But I would like to speak with you in person if you are willing."

"Who... who are you?" Apple Bloom asked nervously.

"Let's save introductions for when we're face to face, little one. I'm not far;" a shimmering trail of blue light appeared in front of Apple Bloom leading toward the edge of the orchard. "Just follow the path and you'll find me."

Apple Bloom stared at the glowing trail nervously. She knew it was magic, of course, but there weren't many who were capable of such magic. The only ones she knew for certain were the princesses and Discord. But the voice didn't sound like Discord at all. So she had no idea who this voice could be. She supposed it could also be a unicorn with a talent for illusion magic, but Apple Bloom didn't know of any other than Trixie.

"And why should ah trust you?" She demanded. Of course, she wasn't exactly sure what she could do to resist somepony with seemingly powerful magic if he decided to force her cooperation.

He laughed softly again, though it was a kind, understanding, kind of laughter. "It's alright, little one. I only wish to speak with you. I mean you no harm."

"Why me?" Apple Bloom asked, still very nervous.

"Because I believe you will most appreciate what I have to offer."

"Offer?" Apple Bloom repeated. "What do you mean; what you have to offer?"

"I'd like a chance to speak with you face to face, little one, before I tell you more."

Apple Bloom considered following the path for a moment, the voice sounded kind enough, but still. "Ah don't know..."

"Would it make you feel better if I Pinkie Promise that I mean no ill will toward you, your family or your friends."

Apple Bloom blinked. "How do you know about Pinkie Promises?"

"I've been watching over this world for some time, and one does not need to watch Ponyville for long to know about the infamous Pinkie Promise," he told her sounding amused. "Would it make you feel better?"

Apple Bloom considered it a moment. "You know what would happen if you broke it, right?"

"I'm honestly afraid to find out," he said sounding sincere.

"Well, alright."

"Very well then. I promise that I bear no ill will toward you, your family, your friends, or anypony in Equestria. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Apple Bloom licked her lips nervously. "Well, alright... Ah guess it can't hurt to talk," she said and hesitantly started trotting along the path marked by the blue magic. The magic led her out of the orchard, thankfully on the far side from the Everfree Forest, and up toward a nearby grassy hilltop. As she followed the magic up the hill she thought she saw a slight shimmering in the air near the top of the hill. Curious she continued on.

It happened from one step to the next, as if a veil was lifted and suddenly there was a massive blue form in front of her. Far larger even than any of the princesses, blue scales covered his body. Four legged, with translucent webbed wings folded against his sides, it only took Apple Bloom a moment to realize what it was that was lying on the hilltop looking back at her.

Her eyes widened and she let out a scream before turning and trying to run, only to find her way blocked by a shimmering blue wall.

"Relax, Apple Bloom," The same voice as before said in a calming tone. "It's me."

She turned back, realizing she was trapped. "You... You're a dragon!"

The dragon laughed. "That I am."

"W-what are you doing in Ponyville?" She asked trying to calm herself.

He laughed. "Well to put it simply; I was bored and I find this place charming and entertaining."

Apple Bloom blinked a few times as her mind processed what he'd said. Finally, she raised a brow questioningly. "You mean we're just a source of amusement to you?"

He laughed again, softly, a low rumble that Apple Bloom could feel in her hooves. "I'll admit, it's true, but know that I have always been ready to intervene if things started going too badly."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Uh, huh... then why didn't y'all do anything when Achlys tried to take over?"

He seemed a bit taken back. "Who?"

Apple Bloom glared at him. "Achlys; she tried to take over a couple months ago, she nearly killed the princesses!"

"I was not aware," he said sounding sincere. "I'm not here all the time. And nothing has seemed amiss since I've been back. Did everything turn out alright?"

Apple Bloom snorted. "Mostly, but it sure as hay wasn't any fun."

"Well I'm sorry you had to go through that. But at least everything turned out alright in the end."

"Ah guess..." Apple Bloom said as she glanced behind her to see if the wall of magic was still there. It was.

He noticed. "Please, just sit down and try to relax, Apple Bloom. I already promised that I mean you no harm, I just want to talk."

Though she was still a little nervous, she didn't see that she had any choice and reluctantly sat down facing the Dragon. "Who are you?"

"Ah yes, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I," he said with a smile. "My name is Vele'Rekaj, Aspect of the Arcane, leader of the blue flight. You can call me Rekaj."

"Rekash?"

"Rekaj," he corrected calmly smiling.

"Rekage?"

He laughed softly and shook his head.

"Can I just call you RJ?"

He laughed a little louder. "You may, Apple Bloom, but only because I like you," he told her with a smile.

"So, what did ya want to talk to me about?" She asked, feeling a little more at ease. He did seem to have a friendly personality.

"Just a few things really. Mostly I just want to get to know you better, and then I may have an offer for you, but we'll get to that later," he said shifting slightly and stretching his semi-transparent wings. "The first thing I'd like to ask you is what do you think about those with great power?"

"What, you mean like the princesses?" She asked.

Rekaj nodded. "As well as others of great power."

"Well the princesses are great, Ah mean they're always lookin' out for ponies and protectin' us. And Discord is not too bad anymore. But I guess there are ponies like that Achlys, and the changeling queen. And my sis told me about this evil King Sombra that tried to take over the Crystal Empire. They were all pretty mean."

"Do you feel like those three abused the power that they had?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Definitely. They didn't deserve it one bit."

He smiled. "And what do you think qualifies someone to deserve such power?"

"They have to want to use it to help others," Apple Bloom said confidently.

"Is that what you'd do if you had such power?"

She nodded. "Of course. If Ah had power like the princesses, Ah'd only use it to help others."

"Really?" He asked with a knowing smile. "You'd never use your power just to have a little harmless fun? Maybe play a few innocent pranks?"

Apple Bloom blushed. "Well... maybe Ah'd have a little fun sometimes. But Ah'd never use it to hurt anypony, or do anythin' bad."

He smiled. "Your honesty is one of the things I like about you Apple Bloom," he said with a smile. "It's refreshing as I'm all too often surrounded by lies and half-truths."

"My big sis taught me to be honest as an apple," Apple Bloom said proudly.

"Yes, your sister is quite an honorable pony."

Apple Bloom smiled. "She's great."

"And you have learned well from her," Rekaj said with a smile. "So, if you had power that would let you do just about anything, what is it you would like to do?"

"Ah don't know. Ah mean, Ah'm sure Ah'd think of somethin'." She sighed. "But it doesn't really matter. Without my friends, it's just wouldn't be much fun."

"But your friends are busy with their own pursuits." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom said, looking down and kicking at the ground. "Scootaloo wants to learn to fly by the end of summer, and Sweetie Belle decided she wanted to learn more magic from Princess Twilight."

"And nothing is as fun if you don't have someone to share it with," he agreed softly, and Apple Bloom nodded. "What if your power allowed you to join your friends in their pursuits?"

Apple Bloom looked up. "Ah guess that would be better than nothin', but there's no point in wishin' for things that will never happen..."

Rekaj smiled slyly. "Apple Bloom, what do you notice about me?"

She looked up at him considerately. "Well... you're big, but not nearly as big as some of the dragons we saw fly over during the migration. And you're really blue."

He stood and stretched his wings out to their full extension. "What else?"

"Your wings are huge!" Apple Bloom exclaimed noticing how they were proportionally far larger than even Spike's wings in his new older form. "And you look a lot more... Ah guess Ah'd say 'sleek' than most dragon's Ah've seen, although Spike is pretty good lookin' now." She blushed slightly.

"I noticed Spike seems to have grown quite a bit recently," Rekaj said, folding his wings as he did.

"Nah, it just turns out that he's really a six-thousand-year-old dragon, but the princesses shrank him back down to the size he is now with an age spell," Apple Bloom told him.

"Really?" he asked and Apple Bloom nodded. "He's about as old as I am then. Perhaps I'll have to speak with him sometime."

"You're six thousand years old?"

He nodded. "Just about. Anyway, is there anything else you notice about me?"

She frowned looking him over, there was something, but it was hard to put into words... "Ah don't know... you look different kinda, like..."

"Like I don't belong?" He suggested.

"Yeah, Ah guess so," she agreed.

He just nodded. "I'm not from this world, Apple Bloom. My home is a world called Yuvari. A world that works quite differently from yours; especially when it comes to magic. In my world, dragons, and dragon-kin are the source of just about all magic. Dragons being by far the strongest race, and dragon aspects like myself being the strongest of the dragons."

"So your magic is very powerful, is what your sayin'?"

"Yes." He smiled and settled down, lying on the ground once more. "I'd like to make you an offer, Apple Bloom."

She looked up at him a nervously. "What kind of offer?"

"Well, it's actually more that I'd like to give you a gift, but you have to choose whether or not to accept it," he clarified. "What I'm offering you, is nothing less than my own power."

Her eyes widened. "You want to give me your power?"

"Access to my power," he corrected. "The power will still be mine and will always reside within me. But what I'm offering will give you access to it, to use whenever you like."

"How?"

"I'm offering to give you my Sa'Dracori, Apple Bloom, and in so doing, make you my mage. But understand, this is not something to be taken lightly. My Sa'Dracori will give you access to my power, and with it, all the responsibility that such power holds. Should you ever abuse it, I will take it back, something that would be very painful for you," he told her and she gulped, but he just smiled confidently. He shifted, lowering his head down closer to her. "Don't worry Apple Bloom, I would never do such a thing unless I truly believed you'd gone evil at heart."

"Um... okay," she said nervously. "What did you mean about making me your mage."

He gave her a reassuring smile before answering. "A dragon's mage is merely the holder of their Sa'Dracori. Most are expected to serve the dragon whose magic they wield, but in your case I'll make an exception. If you accept my Sa'Dracori, I would, of course, teach you how to use my power as I'm the only one who could, but other than your lessons I would require nothing more of you. You would be free to do as you please."

"Then why do you want to give me your power?" Apple Bloom asked worried he was hiding something.

He shrugged. "I thought perhaps it would stir things up a little around here. That, and I'll admit, I've taken a liking to you Apple Bloom, and I thought you might enjoy having my power."

Apple Bloom looked up at him skeptically. "So y'all are willin' to just give away your powers? Just like that? And you don't want nothin' in return?"

"Not 'give away,'" He reminded her, sounding amused. "I will retain my powers. My Sa'Dracori will merely give you access to them as well. The only sacrifice this is for me is that I will not be able to choose another mage so long as you hold my Sa'Dracori. But considering I haven't had a mage in over four centuries anyway, that really isn't a big deal for me."

"Okay... so y'all are willing to give me access to your magic, huh? Um... what exactly can your magic do?" She asked curiously.

He grinned. "What can you imagine?"

"What do you mean?"

"My magic does have specific limitations, but within those limitations there are infinite possibilities.

"Blue Flight Magic can be classified into three basic fields. The first being illusion. I trust you can imagine what that entails. The second field of Blue Flight Magic is conjuration. Quite simply, this is creating something from nothing, however, anything created through conjuration is temporary; once you stop casting the spell, the conjured object will cease to exist."

"Could you conjure anything?"

He nodded. "Anything you can imagine can be conjured and controlled by my magic. You can also combine conjuration and illusion to create illusions that have mass, texture, even warmth to the touch." As he spoke an exact duplicate of Apple Bloom appeared in front of her. She stared at it, stunned. It looked so real. Reaching out with a hoof, she gently touched the other Apple Bloom, feeling the soft fur of her coat, even the warmth emanating from her body. Then the other Apple Bloom flinched and giggled.

"What, ya never seen a pony before?"

Apple Bloom leaped back; it even sounded just like her!

Rekaj laughed softly at her reaction. "It's still just an illusion, Apple Bloom," he told her and then with a wave of his claw, the second Apple Bloom faded into nothing.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, far more interested in the power he was offering now. "What else can it do?"

He smiled at her excitement. "Well, even with only the first two fields of Blue Flight Magic, the limits are quite literally your own imagination. But there is one more field to my magic that is perhaps the most impressive, as well as the most mysterious of all. I simply call this field, the arcane. Arcane magic is all about manipulating the very fabric of the universe, of bending the world to your will. It is how I was able to cross the dimensional boundaries to come to this world; it can allow you to warp the world around you to conceal you from detection or move instantly from one place to another; and it can even be used to control time itself."

"You can control time!?" Apple Bloom asked in awe. She knew Twilight had managed to travel back in time once, but as far as she knew, that was as far as Twilight's time magic went. Perhaps she knew more now that she had Achlys's knowledge as well, but even so...

He smiled. "I could teach you spells to slow time, or speed it up, reverse, or even stop time all together. I also know spells that can allow someone to travel to the past, but I'm afraid I won't teach you those..."

"Why not?" Apple Bloom asked.

He sighed. "Because it's dangerous. Once you travel into the past, you're entering an alternate universe. If you don't know how to properly anchor yourself in your own universe, then there's a good chance that you'll never be able to get back."

"Oh... Ah guess that would be pretty bad."

He nodded. "I also don't know what would happen if you went to a universe that is not connected to the one I'm in. Doing so may break the link of my Sa'Dracori and leave you powerless to return as well. It would be best if you don't mess with time or inter-dimensional travel. Besides, I think you'll find time flow spells to be enough of a challenge."

"It sounds pretty amazing," Apple Bloom agreed. "Ah'd really be able to do all that?"

He smiled and nodded confidently. "You're certainly clever enough to learn and make good use of what my magic has to offer. If you accept my Sa'Dracori, of course."

"Yeah..."

"Still not convinced?" He asked raising a brow ridge.

"Don't get me wrong. It sounds like a lot of fun havin' powers like that, but I just don't think Ah need it. Ah mean, it still won't help me spend more time with my friends."

He smiled knowingly. "Ah, but I could teach you a spell that would give you wings, just like a true pegasus, then, could you not join Scootaloo in her flying lessons. Perhaps even help her with her goals as well?"

"Your magic could make me a pegasus!?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

He laughed. "Well, the wings would be illusionary. Or rather, constructs of conjuration, illusion and just a touch of arcane. But in the end they would work just like the real thing. You would even be able to feel them just like they were real limbs. You would have to learn to use them, but I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be willing to teach you was well as Scootaloo, being the friend she is."

Apple Bloom grinned. She could just imagine the look on Scootaloo and Ranbow Dash's faces if she were to show up for flight lessons with a brand new pair of wings.

"And of course, you'll need to spend some time practicing your spells; as will Sweetie Belle if she's studying under Twilight Sparkle. The two of you may just have to spend some time studying together..."

She looked up at him, grinning. "Are you trying to bribe me into saying yes?"

He laughed. "I'm just telling you the benefits," he told her then turned more somber. "On that note however, there are some other effects of the Sa'Dracori that you should be aware of before you make your choice."

"Like what?" Apple Bloom asked, realizing he meant that there were some effects that she may not like.

"Well first of all, the Sa'Dracori will mark you. It takes the form of a circular blue mark on your right shoulder. I can teach you a spell to conceal it, but only when you're not using magic. When you do, the Sa'Dracori will glow brightly and becomes nearly impossible to hide."

Apple Bloom glanced at her shoulder trying to imagine what it would look like. "Well, that's not too bad. Sounds kind of cool that it glows when you use it. It's kind of like a unicorn's horn."

Rekaj smiled. "Yes. Another thing you should be aware of is that receiving the Sa'Dracori will hurt. The Sa'Dracori has to bond with you and the bonding process is quite painful, though it only lasts a moment."

She winced. "Okay..."

"And Finally, the Sa'Dracori will extend your life a great deal and keep you young and strong practically until the day you die."

Apple Bloom blinked. "That's a good thing, isn't it? But wait, it will keep me young? Does that mean I'll never grow up!? I'll always be a filly!?"

"No, you'll continue to grow up, just once you reach adulthood, your aging will practically stop." He explained, then smiled sadly. "There is both good and bad to long life, Apple Bloom. It's hard to say for certain, but in all likelihood, with my Sa'Dracori, you would probably end up living to be between three and four hundred years old."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Three to four hundred!?"

He nodded. "But while your life will be extended. The lives of your friends and family will not."

Realization dawned on Apple Bloom at what he was getting at and her ears folded back. "Oh..."

"That is the bad side of having an exceptionally long life. Having to lose all those you care about long before your own time comes. With the exceptions of your other immortal friends, you will likely outlive all your friends and family." Reaching out to her, he gently lifted her chin with the side of his claw, smiling reassuringly. "But there is good as well. Think of how many more friends you can make in such a long life, friends that you never would have had a chance to meet if you'd only lived a normal lifetime. Perhaps you'd even find love that you never would have otherwise. And besides, you won't be immortal; you will eventually join your friends in the next life."

Apple Bloom looked up at him seeing in his eyes that he spoke from experience. "You've lost friends?"

He smiled sadly. "Freinds, children, mates... even a few I had once believed I would never lose. I remember every one, and every one pains me; but I've learned to remember them fondly, and to look forward to the time when we will be reunited when my time in this life finally comes to an end. I don't fear making new friends, or finding love again; even if I may lose them as well, the years I have with them are worth it."

Slowly Apple Bloom smiled. "Ah guess that's true. No matter if Ah live longer, it doesn't lessen the years Ah have to spend with my friends."

"Yes," Rekaj agreed smiling. "It's still difficult to lose your friends, but if you remember to enjoy the years you have with them, then long life becomes a gift, not a curse."

Apple Bloom nodded understanding.

He let her think on it a few moments more. Finally, he smiled. "So, it's time to decide. Knowing all the good and the bad that comes with it, will you accept my Sa'Dracori, Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom looked up at him considering his offer. She knew the choice was hers to make, even now she knew she could turn it down and he'd simply accept her choice. But did she want to turn it down? The power he was offering her; the chance to spend more time with her friends. And being able to do magic, that and he had implied she could even learn how to fly like a pegasus. Not to mention the other abilities he had mentioned. Being able to control time itself!? It was hard even to imagine.

Slowly Apple Bloom looked up at Rekaj and smiled. She knew her choice. "Ah accept."

He smiled back, but held up a claw. "Are you certain. Once I give you my Sa'Dracori, it will be excruciatingly painful to remove should you change your mind, and will scar you for life."

Apple Bloom hesitated only a moment then nodded. "Ah understand. Ah accept," she said resolutely and he smiled.

"Brace yourself then, as I said, this will hurt, but only for a moment." With that, he reached out one claw, and very gently touched Apple Bloom's right shoulder.

Pain erupted through her body at the touch. She let out a scream as every inch of her seemed to be burning at once, right down to her bones. She'd never experienced anything so painful in her life. It was only a brief moment, but it felt like it dragged on and on. Then it was over, and Apple Bloom opened her eyes to find she'd collapsed in front of Rekaj, breathing heavily. Slowly she got to her hooves again.

She could feel something, she realized, something new. Looking down at her shoulder, she saw the mark Rekaj had told her about. It was made up of a circle not quite containing triangles within triangles. Each triangle was smaller than the one before, each flipped in the opposite direction of the next. It didn't look half bad; she kind of liked it actually.

What really got her attention though was what she could feel from it. It was almost like a vast pool of light that she didn't see with her eyes. Rekaj's power.

Finally she looked up at Rekaj and slowly grinned. "Wow, you weren't kiddin' about the pain."

He smiled. "Yes, receiving a Sa'Dracori is always painful."

"Ah can feel it, though. Your power... it's just there, waitin' to be used. There's so much."

"As I said, I am a dragon aspect and so one of the most powerful dragons in my world. I would estimate that as far as sheer power; my magic likely exceeds even that of your alicorn princesses."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "You mean Ah'm more powerful than the princesses now!?"

He laughed. "Possibly. But it's hard to really know for sure since my magic works quite a bit differently than theirs. In any case Apple Bloom, you are now one of the most powerful pony's alive. I hope you understand the responsibility this entails."

She nodded. "Of course!"

"Good, then shall we get started on your first lesson? It would be best if you learn the basics right away and then I'll teach you the spell to conceal the Sa'Dracori. That way you can wait and surprise your friends when you've learned a bit more."

Grinning, Apple Bloom eagerly nodded. "Let's get started!"

Author's Note:

You may be wondering if Vele'Rekaj is from anything. The short answer is: nothing published.

He is one of my own characters and so as far as anyone need be concerned; he is just an odd OC. There will be a little bit more about his world in this story, but not much, the focus will be primarily on Apple Bloom and other canon characters; in fact, after these first couple chapters, Rekaj is going to mostly be in the background.