Chapter 19: Rules of Magic
The Gift of Life Chapter 19
Two days later...
The morning sunrise started to shine through the windows of Everfree Castle’s war room. The sun’s light allowed light to fill every corner. The candles in the room were still smoking from being extinguished, and the scent of candle wick smoke filled the noses of every pony that was present.
Celestia stood at the corner of a massive table that was shaped to extreme detail of Equestria. She could see the many rivers carved into the tables, as well as the mountains that had been built on top of it. There were statuettes of pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns all grouped up together on specific cities, as well as a miniature trebuchet being present on the city of Stalliongrad. Celestia was in between her mother and her sister, who also stared at the massive table.
All around the table were the four generals of Equestria’s military, as well as Firemane, Sol, and Queen Chrysalis. Static and Reaper stood together at the foot of the table, each stallion intimidating even in the light of the sunrise. Their eyes were hardened from the battle scars that littered their bodies, and the two generals were talking quietly between each other with smiles on their faces. Standing next to Sol at the head of the table was High General Bright, his piercing yellow eyes scanning the minute details of the table. General Forza stood on the side of the table, her usual slender body covered in thin and decorative chain mail body armor.
“It seems as if Germaney stayed true to their threat two days ago,” Bright said. “In the early hours of the evening, a massive army from the province has marched on Stalliongrad, besieging the city and demanding its surrender. I flew pegasi reconnaissance ops during the night to derive an approximation of their size, and of their battle lines.”
Bright paused and walked over to the side of the table next to Forza. He moved a black pegasus statuette and a black earth pony statuette over to the city from the direction of Germany, and moved a black unicorn statuette to stay a little behind the two other statuette.
“The majority of Germaney’s forces are present at the city,” Bright explained, “and have set up an encampment all around the northern side of the city. They have dug trenches, and have built trebuchets and catapults that have already begun their bombardment in the early hours of the morning. The forces look to be made up mostly of pegasi and earth pony soldiers, while the bulk of the unicorn soldiers are watching the rear of their encampment.”
“Do we know how the city is holding up?” Forza asked, glancing at Bright.
“The city has a sizable garrison,” he said, “but it has no walls and very little artillery. Stalliongrad’s troops only has a few days before they have been bogged down enough for Germaney to begin their assault. Lucky for us, if we do not reach there in time, the city is large enough and well-equiped to withhold the attack for a few more days.”
Forza grimaced.
“Let us hope it does not come to that,” Reaper said. “What is our plan of action?”
“Although Stalliongrad has enough time for all three armies to aid them,” Bright stated, “we need to arrive at the front lines as soon as possible. We need a plan that is swift, but also decisive.”
Bright pointed towards the city of Manehatten and then the city of Hoofington.
“Reaper and Static shall lead the attack with the Earth Pony Battalion and Pegasus Air Force,” Bright said, moving across from Bright and Forza and grabbing a stick. “With the swiftness of the pegasi, they can arrive at the front lines in a little less than a day and set up camp on the western side of the city.”
Bright moved a pegasus statuette from Manehatten, and slid it across to stand on the west side of Stalliongrad.
“From there, the pegasi can use skirmish tactics on the lines of Germaney, disrupting the bombardment of the city and hopefully allowing for time for some of the Air Force to reinforce the city. As for the Earth Pony Battalion...”
Bright moved the Earth Pony statuette from Hoofington all the way to the western side of Stalliongrad.
“They will march to the city with all due haste. If they set out tonight, they should reach the city by tomorrow evening to reinforce the pegasi. Once the two armies have united, we make a charge on their encampment in the dead of night.”
Sol stared at the Stalliongrad, gritting his teeth.
“This will not defeat Germaney,” he said. “Upon seeing the pegasus force arrive, Germaney will move its unicorn detachment up to reinforce the front lines. Heavy losses will be taken if we do not have our own unicorn soldiers to support the pegasi and earth ponies. What is to become of the Unicorn Army?”
Forza levitated the stick from Bright and used it to push the unicorn statuette from Hoofington to the mountain pass separating the eastern provinces of Equestria from the west.
“We shall march out with the Earth Pony Battalion and make camp here,” she stated. “However, I will send a large detachment to run with the earth ponies to meet up with the pegasi. With Static’s permission, I should like to have the unicorns that accompany the earth ponies to use a lesser drain spell to replenish their stamina.”
Static nodded towards Forza.
“With that added support,” she continued, “it should be enough to break the lines of Germaney and fully reinforce the city. The army will not be defeated, however, and will more than likely direct their attention somewhere else.”
Forza gestured at the mountain pass.
“That is why there will be a detachment of the Unicorn Army guarding the mountain pass. If Germaney feels the need to make a quick strike deeper in Equestria, the Unicorn Army can hold Germaney off while the rest of the military strikes from behind.”
Sol still stared hard at the city of Stalliongrad with a hardened gaze, grinding his teeth quietly..
“Alright, the plan is a go,” he said finally. “You have your orders Reaper?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Reaper asked.
“You have full control of this operation. The ponies of Stalliongrad are in your hooves.”
“Yes, sir,” Reaper said with a salute.
Static, Reaper, and Bright filed out of the room, leaving the Royal Family, Firemane, Chrysalis, and Forza behind. Forza walked up to Chrysalis and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then they both broke into talking in the quiet language of the Flutterponies. It sounded as if the room had suddenly been claimed by a choir of wind blowing through the tall grass.
“How is the investigation coming along?” Sol asked, turning to Firemane.
“No luck, sir,” Firemane said with a sigh. “The guards refuse to speak any further. The most that we have gotten from them is that they were bribed by Fanatic to do a job.”
Sol cursed under his breath. “Okay, continue the investigation, and keep an eye out. We don’t know if anypony else had been bribed by Fanatic. Dismissed.”
Firemane gave a salute, then exited the room.
“Daddy?” Celestia said, looking up at Sol.
“Yes, Celestia?” Sol responded, turning to look at Celestia.
“What about the ponies living in Stalliongrad? Are they getting evacuated?”
“As fast as we can,” Sol said, a false smile forming on his lips. Celestia sighed and gently sat on her haunches.
Forza and Chrysalis stopped talking, and gazed at each other for a long moment. Then Forza kneeled down to allow Chrysalis to tap her horn on each shoulder. Upon the last tap, Forza rose and stared into the eyes of a now teary-eyed Chrysalis.
“Go, my child,” Chrysalis said. “Make the Eternal Valley and Equestria proud.”
Forza nodded, and then quickly left the room. Chrysalis took a moment and looked out the window at the sun, which was just clearing the distant mountains that separated the Eternal Valley from Equestria.
“So, shall we continue our training?” Chrysalis asked, turning to look at Celestia and Luna. “The day is early, and I suspect it would be best if we take to the field before any of the castle guards get to it first.”
Celestia and Luna gave their parents a hug, and then left with Chrysalis towards the practice range. The trio walked on in relative silence, and Celestia gazed up towards Chrysalis. The tears that had clouded Chrysalis’ eyes were now gone, but disappointment still stretched across her face in a frown.
They reached the practice range and found it to be empty, save for the two guards who were tasked with watching over the practice range. Chrysalis walked to the center of the practice range and turned.
“Let’s begin with a little refresher on defensive stances,” she said.
Celestia and Luna spread their legs and lowered their heads, their horns pointing straight out. Chrysalis walked over and attempted to push them over, only for both Celestia and Luna to hold their grounds. Chrysalis smiled.
“Good, you two have learned well,” she said as she walked back to stand in front of Celestia and Luna. “You two may relax. That first stance is meant for when you think speed and agility are going to be the most effective tactic against your opponent. From that stance, you are able to sidestep, or fly, to dodge an attack.”
Chrysalis turned so that her side was facing Celestia and Luna, and then spread her legs and turned her head so that she was look at the two princesses.
“There is another stance I think that is vital for you two to learn,” she stated. “It is more aggressive than the last, but it is invaluable when you are facing multiple opponents. From this position, it is much easier for you to parry magic blows, as well as attack your opponent if you are given a chance.”
Celestia and Luna mimicked Chrysalis’ stance, and she smiled.
“We can test if you truly know how to use that stance later. Right now I don’t think you two are nearly proficient enough in magic to defend yourself against several magical attacks.”
Chrysalis moved from from the center of the practice range, and levitated two practice dummies over to the far side of the range. She enchanted them both so that they were now glowing in a magical, red field.
“Let’s start with some warm up exercises,” Chrysalis instructed. “I have enchanted the training dummies with a spell that will shield them, for a time, against magic attacks. I want you two to use the first attack I taught you on them.”
Celestia was the first to charge up her horn, and she let off three vollies of yellow, magical energy. Each volley struck the dummy across from her with near perfect precision, and Celestia gave a confident smile. Luna charged her horn up next, and shot off three vollies of dark blue energy in faster succession than her sister. Each volley hit true to their intended target, and Luna squeed a little in excitement.
“Excellent work, you two,” Chrysalis exclaimed. “Just fire off a few more shots, and then we’ll move on to the magical attacks I have shown you.”
~~~
During the greater part of two hours, Chrysalis drilled Celestia and Luna on all of the magical attacks they had learned the day before. The two princess were firing off different types of blasts of magical energy until they were panting from exhaustion. They shot off bursts of energy that were coated in flames or super cooled, beams of energy that could be used like precision lasers, and large balls of energy that, upon impact, exploded and caused massive clouds of dust to rise above the practice range.
Celestia and Luna collapsed on the ground, and rolled onto their backs.
“Auntie Chrysalis... can we take a break?” Celestia asked through heavy breaths.
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, we can take a short break,” she said.
Chrysalis sat down next to the two princesses, and turned her gaze to look up towards the sky. Her eyes moved with the clouds that floated overhead, and her massive butterfly wings slowly opened and closed. Celestia sat up and turned her gaze upwards to follow the clouds with Chrysalis.
“Can I ask you a question, Auntie?” Celestia asked, turning her attention to Chrysalis.
“Of course,” Chrysalis, staying her gaze upward.
“What is your relationship with Forza?”
Chrysalis’ eyes stopped moving and her wings locked together. She turned to look at Celestia.
“W-what is my relationship with Forza?” Chrysalis repeated.
“Well, I...” Celestia stuttered. “You see, I once talked to Forza, back during her party, about the way Flutterponies perceived love. She said she loved you like you were her mother.”
“She is something more to me than a daughter, Celestia,” Chrysalis said. Luna sat up and turned to look at Chrysalis. “When I took her in, when she was just a little filly, there was this bond that formed between us. I gave her everything that a filly ever wanted. I gave her attention, love, and a mother’s affection.
“I always made sure she brushed her teeth at night. I never let her fall behind in her studies. I made sure she interacted and grew up around other Flutterponies who were her age. I watched her grow from an adorable filly to the most beautiful Flutterpony from the Eternal Valley. Yet, when I try to think of her as a daughter, it doesn’t seem right.”
Chrysalis shifted a little and let her wings relax.
“She’s like the brightest star in the night sky. Her presence radiates the love and gratitude for the care I gave her when she was little. She carries herself with such pride to have an adopted mother like me.”
“Why did you allow her to join the Equestrian military?” Celestia asked.
“Because... because she wanted to,” Chrysalis replied. “She was one of our most brilliant of strategists, but she felt that Equestria was in more of a dire need of her services than the Eternal Valley. I allowed her to go because I know your parents, and I have full confidence that Forza will be treated with decency from them. So far I have not been let down.”
Celestia looked away from Chrysalis.
“Do you miss her?”
Chrysalis’ head drooped and she sighed.
“Yes, I miss her deeply,” Chrysalis said. “She writes all of the time, but it’s not the same as being able to see her face. I know she has duties here in Equestria, but I sometimes wish she would come home for a time.”
They both fell into silence, and Celestia stared at the dummies across the practice range. Luna was gazing at the dummies too, and she peered around Celestia to look at Chrysalis.
“Auntie Chrysalis, can you show us how you placed a shield around the dummies?” Luna asked.
“Of course,” Chrysalis replied, and she got back to her hooves and levitated one of the dummies from the edge of the practice range over to them.
Chrysalis placed the dummy on the ground in front of Celestia and Luna and stood next to the dummy, her horn still highlighted in a red hue.
“The spell I used on the dummies was an advanced energy shield spell,” she said. “I don’t expect you two to learn that sort of spell just yet, as it usually takes many years of training for the Royal Guards to perfect the spell. Being that you’re alicorns, I’m sure you will pick up the spell fast, but not before you have had some training with some of the lesser shield spells.”
Chrysalis looked at the dummy that was next to her, and then summoned what looked like a shimmering, red pane of glass that was paper thin.
“This is the first shield you two shall learn,” Chrysalis stated, “All shield strength varies between shield spells, as you can intensify or reduce the power of the shield. However, this spell is the least taxing of all of the forms that I am going to teach you, although it does not protect you well against attacks from multiple sides.”
Chrysalis allowed for the shield to dissipate, and then placed the dummy back at the edge of the practice range.
“Now, I want you to make your own shields,” she instructed. “When summoning a shield, you need to take the energy that is in your body, and then act like you are expelling it out of your body. Be wary, though, for doing so in such a large quantity can tire you. The more magic you feel you are expelling out of your body, the stronger the shield will be.”
Celestia was the first to charge her horn, and quickly a yellow, transparent shield was summoned before her. She concentrated her eyes on the shiel, its flickering becoming less eratic and more stablized.
“Excellent work, Celestia,” Chrysalis said. “Prepare yourself.”
Celestia was barely able to let out a confused grunt before Chrysalis had shot off a blast of her magic, shattering Celestia’s shield and propelling her back a few inches.
“What the hay!” Celestia shouted.
“Your shield was too weak,” Chrysalis stated. “By my standards, that was a weak attack, the kind of attack you would need to defend yourself against if a regular unicorn were to take aim at you from fifty meters away. You need to pour more energy into your shield if you are to defend against the more powerful attacks of a unicorn up close.”
Celestia huffed and sat down on her haunches. Chrysalis turned to look at Luna. Luna audibly gulped and took a step back.
“Your turn,” Chrysalis said, raising an eyebrow.
Luna shut her eyes and started to materialize a shield in front of her. The magic looked to be more opaque than Celestia’s, and Celestia slowly got to her hooves. Chrysalis fired off a bolt of her magic, but it ricocheted off of the shield and flew directly directly back at Chrysalis. She materialized a shield of her own, and when the bolt hit, it traveled around her body and was let loose again to collide with the far end of the practice range.
“It seems as if Luna knows how to use a deflector shield,” Chrysalis observed.
“I’m so sorry, Auntie!” Luna exclaimed, dropping her shield. She ran up to Chrysalis and nuzzled against her shoulder.
“Do not worry, Luna. I should have expected this.”
Chrysalis nuzzled Luna back, then she walked so that she was standing in front of Celestia and Luna.
“There are different variants of the shield spell, and all are effective in their own way,” Chrysalis said. “The one Luna just demonstrated is known as a deflector shield spell. As you could see, when projectiles came in contact with the shield, they were deflected off of the shield in the direction of the opponent. I suspect when I shot my bolt of magic at her, her thoughts came through as wanting to repel my magic.”
Chrysalis summoned a thick shield.
“Your shield responds and changes to your thoughts, just like using magical attacks. Right now I have a simple shield spell that will block projectiles or melee attack upon impact. I am thinking of nothing more than wanting to block an incoming attack. Celestia, fire a bolt of magic at me.”
“I... you... W-what?” Celestia stuttered.
“We’re going to be sparring against each other one of these days,” Chrysalis stated. “You’re going to need to get used to taking shots at me. Now shoot.”
Celestia took a moment to charge her horn, but eventually she fired a bolt of her magic towards Chrysalis. When the magic made contact with the shield, it sent ripples through the shield in all directions.
“As you can see,” Chrysalis began, “the bolt of magic was neither reflected off of the shield, nor was it absorbed into the shield. The energy instead was dissipated, and then expelled out of the edges of the shield as heat energy.”
“Are there any other effects when the magic makes contact with the shield?” Luna inquired.
“When you are using any variation of the shield spell, projectiles that make contact will feel as if you were hit with gusts of wind. The stronger a projectile hits your shield, the more power the ‘gust of wind’ will be. That is why when I broke through Celestia’s shield she was knocked back.”
Celestia blushed slightly and took a step back. Chrysalis changed the state of the shield, making it appear much thicker and less transparent.
“I have changed this shield’s state from being a simple shield to a deflector shield. When something makes contact with the shield, it will be reflected back in the direction it was fired or swung from.”
Chrysalis cast her gaze to the side and locked gazes with one of the idle guards. The guard noticed her eyes were on him, and he immediately straightened his slouched posture. Chrysalis smiled and motioned for him to step forward into the practice range. The guard hesitated, but he eventually stepped into the circle.
“To make this shield, all you need to think is that you want whatever is attacking you to be reflected,” Chrysalis said. She then turned to look at the guard. “Could you fire a bolt of magic at me?”
The guard charged up his horn, then let off a volley of magic at Chrysalis. Her shield deflected the magic back at the guard, and he quickly threw up his own shield to block his magic. Chrysalis looked back at Celestia and Luna.
“This kind of shield uses up more of your stamina since you are essentially using your own magic to direct the attack in another direction.”
“Is it possible to direct the magic to go somewhere else instead of back at the spot where it was fired from?” Luna asked.
“That is the last shield that I will be showing you two,” Chrysalis said.
Chrysalis nodded at the guard, allowing him to go back to the sidelines to watch on as the practice continued. Her horn glowed even brighter as energy pulsed along the shield’s outermost layer.
“This last shield absorbs the energy of attacks used against it,” Chrysalis explained. “It is very similar to a deflector shield, but instead you are imagining that you are taking the energy from anything that makes contact with the shield. Luna, step forward please.”
Luna immediately recoiled. She hesitantly walked to stand away from Celestia, then charged her horn.
“Fire a volley of magical bolts at me,” Chrysalis instructed. “Do not hold back.”
Luna closed her eyes, and after a few seconds of hesitation she expelled three bolts of her magic at Chrysalis. Her shield shimmered as each of the bolts made contact with it, and then she directed her attention over to one of the dummies and fired off a powerful blast of magic. The dummies were engulfed in a small explosion.
“And that is how you use an absorption shield,” Chrysalis said, turning back to Celestia and Luna.
“Woah,” the two princesses said in unison, staring in awe at the cloud of smoke that rose in the corner of the practice range.
“How did you do that?” Celestia asked.
“An absorption shield collects all of the energy of any attack used on it, and then stores that in itself to be used at a later time. Be advised, you are not absorbing the energy of the attacks into your own body to replenish yourself. On the contrary, this shield actually requires the most stamina of you, as you are trying to contain more and more energy in your shield.”
Chrysalis looked back at the dummies.
“The only way to release that energy is to either dissipate your shield, and potentially burn yourself from the heat energy being expelled from the shield, or direct an attack in another direction using the energy that has been collected.”
Celestia and Luna merely stared at Chrysalis with wide eyes. Chrysalis chuckled a little, and then walked over to stand behind them.
“Let’s practice using these shields a little, shall we?” Chrysalis said. “Perhaps by the end of the day we can have our first sparring match.”
~~~
Celestia and Luna stood facing each other in the very edges of the practice range. A gathering of off-duty guards had now congregated around the practice range, passing hard-earned bits between each other as they eyed the Princesses. Chrysalis took one look at the crowd and scowled in disgust, but turned her attention back to the two princesses.
“Remember,” she said, “this duel is just for fun. You are not to use any powerful magical attacks that may seriously injure your opponent. When one of you wishes to surrender, yell that you yield very clearly. I will not be having my two nieces ripping each other to pieces on the training grounds.”
“Of course, Auntie Chrysalis!” both Celestia and Luna exclaimed in unison.
“Good luck, and have fun. On your mark...”
Celestia charged her horn and spread her legs.
“Get set...”
Luna flared her wings and charged her horn as well.
“Go!”
Celestia grinned and immediately fired off a burst of three bolts of magic towards Luna, but Luna quickly threw up a shield to dispel the magic. Celestia’s grin disappeared, and she scraped her hoof against the ground. Luna dissipated her shield and dug her hooves into the dirt as she charged Celestia, letting out a high-pitched battle cry. Celestia deftly dodged her sister, and then lifted herself into the air.
While hovering in the air, Celestia began firing off more volleys of magic at Luna. Luna gasped and managed to summon a shield to block her sister’s attacks, but eventually her shield broke under the onslaught of magical energy and she had to quickly roll out of the way. When Luna came out of her roll, she fired off two bolts of magic, one of which stung Celestia’s wing.
Celestia came plummeting back down to the ground, and slammed against the dirt of the practice range. She groaned, but quickly got back to her hooves and started to circle around Luna. Luna followed Celestia’s movements, shifting her hooves so that she was always pointing her body straight at Celestia. She had a smile stretched across her face and shot some sparks from her horn.
Celestia grunted and fired off two massive balls of magic on either side of her sister, forcing Luna to break her stance and leap backwards. Celestia took this opportunity to fire a powerful beam of energy directly at her sister, in which Luna counter acted with firing her own beam of energy. The two beams locked together, and Celestia and Luna fought against each over who could push the other’s beam back, their muscles straining as they both pushed more magic into their attacks.
Eventually, Luna ceased pouring her magical energy into the beam and instead summoned an absorption shield. She held the shield for a time until she could feel heat radiating from the magic, and then she released the magical energy back in Celestia’s direction. Celestia barely managed to dodge the massive blast, but she was still caught in the sonic wave of the blast and was throw across the practice range like a rag doll.
Celestia groaned again as she laid on the ground, and couldn’t bring herself to get back to her hooves.
“I surrender,” she said weakly.
Luna started to hop around the practice range, shouting in joy. Guards who had been watching the duel grumbled and cheered alike, exchanging their bets. Chrysalis entered the practice range and, after smiling and congratulating Luna, walked over to Celestia.
“Are you okay, Celestia?” Chrysalis asked.
“Just great,” Celestia grumbled as she shakily got to her hooves.
“That was a fantastic duel,” Chrysalis remarked, smiling.
Celestia looked around at all of the guards who were still cheering and grumbling, and then she turned her attention to Luna who was still hopping around with a beaming smile. A small blush started to form on her cheeks. Celestia lowered her head a little as Luna approached.
“That was really fun, ‘Tia!” Luna exclaimed.
“Yeah. It was... It was fun,” Celestia replied, glancing around the practice range again.
“Do you want to duel again?” Luna asked.
“I...” Celestia started. She looked around at all of the guards who were now idly talking to each other. She grimaced and look up at the castle.
“I think I would rather be done for the day,” Celestia said. “Perhaps the next time we practice.”
Luna’s face fell, and Celestia folded her ears back.
“You did give your sister quite a beating, Luna,” Chrysalis said. “We’ll be practicing tomorrow, so I think it would be best if you two rested up.”
Celestia nodded at Chrysalis, and then turned to leave. Neither Luna or Chrysalis noticed the tear that crept down Celestia’s cheek as she walked away.
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Whoo, fully caught up now. This is awesome, can't wait for more. *tracks*
1826062 To me it just makes sense. The Flutterponies had butterfly wings, while the Changelings had wings from some kind of insect. There should be some correlation between the two, so let's make fanfiction about it!
There are a ton more mistakes in my first thirteen chapters that I need to revise. I have massive amounts of redundancy, telling instead of showing, Lavender Unicorn Syndrome, double verbs, etc. Now that I have editors, those problems are becoming less and less in my later chapters, but if I truly want this fic to be featured I need to edit all of my chapters to make sure they are up to par with the chapters I am writing now.
Edit: I can't believe I forgot, where are my manners? Thank you so much! Every like and favorite really helps.
Absorption shields?
That is going to be important in my starcraft story, I just know it. Thaanks for the wonderful idea!
-En Taro Tassadar
1830215 You're welcome. I'm glad my ideas have been some help.
Good luck on your story!
oh no. CELESTIA IS TURNING INTO SOLARIS