FanOfManyShows

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@Blitz Boom "Magic regulation..." Astral said to herself, looking away. "Honestly there's not much before levitation when it comes to the basics." She looked to the book and turned the pages to one entirely devoted to magic regulation. "Unicorns do it all the time you know. And if you want to anything else, you'll need to know it." She held the book and gently pulled it out of Chow's aura. "Taking magic off little by little though, is a smart idea." She was no psychic, but she was able to sense Chow concentrating less magic into the book, when she said that she had hoped Chow would have remembered she could do that. "Just keep practicing until you get the hang of it." She turned around and looked through the books. "I'll find the book talking about the basics." She paused for a moment, realizing she didn't answer Chow's question. "Oh my hoof? I was just checking if my dad was okay, since if he was watching us that'd mean he was okay." She cast the spell in her hoof as she lifted it up, but it was a red color. "If it's green it means he's checking in on us, which he does occasionally." She put her hoof down as the spell dissipated. "Although I had only designed it to work on my dad so it wouldn't change color if Warlock was looking." She said, rather casually at that, not even knowing if Chow would overlook the fact that she made a spell. ====================================================== Warlock smirked at that. "Well then, the first riddle." He said, looking down as he thought over the riddle, giggling a little. "You were describing words." He said as he looked back up to the Sphinx. "Although, that second riddle, gets me thinking. About a horizon." He turned around, pacing now, trying to put on the act that he was struggling to think up an answer. "And the third, hm." He looked down. "A tree." He spun around in place as he smiled a little, looking to the Sphinx. "So do I need to guess again?" ====================================================== Iron Wing's feather drew back into the arrangement, he stepped forward towards the door as they spoke, almost ignoring the question about cards. "Actually, he did open the door, but he locked it when he left." He said, looking to them. "And no, I didn't play cards in general." ======================================================= Iron Star shook his head. "I don't really need anything answered. So you may check on the other patients if you need to."

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@Blitz Boom Astral giggled. "You lost focus." She said, reaching to the book and placing her hoof on it, the spell keeping it there fell apart as she removed it from his face. "Don't worry, with practice you'll be able to do that. Plus, my dad had that happen when he first did this, so you aren't alone." She said, giggling. "So just try levitating it again." She placed the book down on the ground. "Maybe try focusing less magic into the spell, because if you put to much magic into levitating a small object, it'll move way faster than you want it to, like what just happened." She said, almost holding back a chuckle as she said that. ====================================================== He looked down, lifting a hoof up to his muzzle. 'Destiny' He thought, yet he wasn't sure that was a suitable answer for that. But he also realized they weren't really here for the element of treachery, but then, it'd help to have one less element available for their enemies to use against them. He looked up to the Sphinx. "How many tries to I get for each riddle?" He asked, smirking a little. ====================================================== He paused for a moment, he never did see Zhu grab onto anything. "I did use one of my feathers to keep him in check." A feather slid out of place, floating outside of the arrangement that made up his wings, singling out the feather, which was indeed the same one used to threaten Zhu. "Other than that he just followed me" ====================================================== "I am feeling, intact." With that he felt the dark magic disturbance pass over him, like a wave as it went away. "Although, not being blind would make me feel better." He said, with a slight chuckle, if he was able to see, he could see what was causing this dark magic disturbance. As far as he could sense, it lead to Astral, having a conversation with Chow. Seeming she was teaching him light magic, not dark magic, but he could only hear what they were discussing, not able to see what they were doing, he decided to not listen further, as he heard the sound of a fire igniting, which was Astral casting a spell allowing her to see if he was listing. Astral watched as the spell flashed green briefly before turning red. "Odd." She put her hoof down as the flame dissipated, continuing to watch Chow try to cast the spell, if he hadn't started already.

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@Blitz Boom Astral couldn't help but chuckle at him. "I think you'd be more of a wizard type." She looked at the spell book. "But that necklace does suit you." She said with a smirk, putting her hoof down onto the levitation spell. "Okay so, there's unspoken spells and spoken spells, levitation is an unspoken spell, just think the words for the spell, while harnessing the appropriate energy required, and you'll start levitating the object you want to levitate." She looked down, she closed her eyes as magic sparked off her as she floated up, her limbs relaxing, there was no arura forming around her. "Now, for your first attempt, the field of magic will be visible, but with practice you can make it as transparent as you want." She said, as the magic aura around her became visible, similar in color to her mane. "See?" She said with a little bit of a smile as she floated back down. "I'd recommend levitating a small object though and working towards larger objects and multiple objects before levitating yourself. Mostly because the body is a collection of moving parts, so you need to levitate each one individually." She turned to another magic covering how to harness magic for spells. "It also requires more focus to levitate yourself than other objects, or ponies." She looked up at him as she pushed the book to him. "Just, don't levitate me, anyway, memorize that, then you can use the magic needed to levitate this." She pointed at the book itself, in fact if he had read it earlier he'd see the levitation spell page even recommended to levitate the book itself for the spell. "Hopefully that isn't too much to remember." ===================================================== Warlock looked up to the Sphynx, floating down onto the ground, practically pouring magic out as he sighed. "So, what is the riddle, then?" He asked, knowing the other option would be either killing the sphinx, or just trying to steal the element, or even losing it permanently. ===================================================== "Well actually he just followed me to the dungeon. Didn't really resist." He said, smirking a little. "Hope that's not too disappointing?" ===================================================== "I will make sure to alert you about it then." He knew very well that he could just unstrap himself with levitation, but he was smart enough not to even consider that, and he had gone through extreme pain before so he could resist the sensation of itching.

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@Blitz Boom Astral looked to him as he spoke, he made a good point, she shrugged. "They probably turned evil long after their mother had all three of them." She said, handing the book to Chow, a page mentioning a levitation spell, she reached out her hoof and closed her eyes, creating a ball of magic in her hooves. "Oh and another thing with magic you need to know, it builds up over time, but our bodies don't store that much magic, so it can help to use a crystal to store that magic." She looked around in some boxes. "Normally I used the Sapphire necklace for that, but I do have something from my dad. Ahah!" She pulled out a necklace, it was gold colored with a red gem in the center, very similar in color to the element of loyalty. "Here it is." She took the ball of magic, which had been floating in the air as she looked for the necklace, and if Chow had attempted to touch it during that time the ball would move out of the way, she pushed the ball inside the gem on the necklace, the gem glowing as it sparked and practically swallowed the magic into itself. Astral handed over the necklace to Chow. "Now, want to practice that? It'll help you store magic more easily." She asked him, with a smile, hoping he'd know she was referring to the way she put the ball of magic into the necklace. =========================================================== Warlock was fueling his magic absorbing with anger as he blasted through the glass bauble, catching Athriel, taking every last drop of magic inside, even tearing apart the warding spell, something Athriel might notice is how his eyes were emitting smoke from them, as if magic was pouring out of him, she might even be able to feel the magic. Whatever was inside this thing was going to be his, even if he had to erase the Sphinx from this world, although that was likely to not be needed. =========================================================== "Well it was a dragon, named Zhu." He said, stating the name to see if these guards knew the dragon, although his look did give away the reason he said the name. "And since I took them in, they won't be a problem for now." =========================================================== "Hm, I do feel a little bit of itching in the front, little hard to resist rubbing my eyes, but I am able to."

@Blitz Boom The wings started to fade as the realization came across her. "Well, not all of them are dark magic spells like these wings." She looked to him as the last sparks of the wings flew away, landing on the ground. "So we can just use those." She turned to a different page, it mentioned levitation, along with a recap of how to cast a levitation spell, and how to keep yourself focused enough to do self levitation. "You'll need to learn this if you want to float like Warlock can, it's safer, so we don't have to worry about corruption." She paused for a moment. and looked up to him. "And, there are tricks we can figure out to outsmart him, like my mother did." She pulled out a second book, it instead had two gems on it, an Emerald, with a Sapphire. "Sapphire and her sister wrote this together, although to clarify, Athriel never wrote in this book, she had a third sister, Emerald, who wrote in this." Depending if Athriel ever mentioned it when residing in Chow's mind, he might not recognize that this was just another name for Sapphire's sister, Athriel of course. "Lucky for us, no dark magic spells are in this book." She said while pointing to it. =============================================================== Warlock smirked as he stopped blasting out magic, absorbing the amount he spewed out that was unused by this spell. "Well at least you don't have any traps keeping you from escaping now!" Warlock yelled out to the Sphinx, moving his hoof to his side as he gestured around himself. Warlock snickered when Athriel suggested the prospect of being carried. "No don't be such a fool, something like that has never drained me fully before." He said, knowing what she meant with those words as he leaned back. "And besides, that thing around his neck gives off a powerful magic." He flew forward as fast as he could, reaching out his hooves as he tried to extract magic directly from the Sphinx's necklace. =============================================================== He smiled a little as he stepped closer. "Well I had spotted them and had taken them in myself." He nodded as they asked about his name. "Well it's Iron Wind, but you can call me that if you like." He said with a smile. =============================================================== Misty seemed a little shocked in appearance, looking down. The short time with Golden she had wasn't really that much but she hoped he'd come out alive. "I do hope he recovers."

@Blitz Boom Astral reached her hoof to the trapdoor, closing her eyes as she focused, the lever underneath being pulled as the trapdoor opened. "Okay, there's going to be some dark magic involved when fighting." She trotted down the stairs into the basement, pulling out books. "Usually anything that is intended to hurt a pony involves some." She reached for a dark magic book, the symbol on it burned like a freshly scorched log, emitting small burning ashes as she pulled it out, ashes that dissipated when they touched any surface. "This was written by Warlock himself." She smirked a little, the symbol on the book showed the intent of it, it vaguely resembled two fiery wings as Astral opened it up. "It talks about all the spells he created and used, even stuff about how to properly use the elements of disharmony, although, I've never read those parts." She turned to a page that showed a depiction of Warlock himself, but in his prime, with his legs intact, and with wings made of fire on his back. "This will be useful for us to know later." She stood up as she put her hooves together, two complex shapes forming around where Pegasi wings would be, having a star shape inside a circle, which rotated around as it extended outwards, emitting particles similar to that of fire sparks. Iron Star shivered, a deep sensation of dark magic flooded over him, something was wrong, it flowed through the family bloodline like it had when Sapphire practiced dark magic... The sparks caused the air itself to burn as ashes floated through it, forming the shape of two wings, made of fire, originating from her midsection. Astral bounced up and down and giggled, flapping the wings, then folding them up to her side. "Oh I haven't cast this spell in ages~" She said as she looked to Chow. "So do you want to try to cast it?" She asked, smiling. "Oh and it doesn't hurt by the way." ==================================================== Something went through Warlock, terror, and something else, some deep sense that there was somepony using Dark magic who hadn't before. Warlock realized he was there too long as he saw the Sphinx notice him, even in his ethereal form he let his body pull him back like a rubber band, as he almost fell backwards, then pulling forward in a motion that looked intentional, as he blasted all the magic he gathered forward towards the Sphinx as he yelled out in anger, unless the Sphinx stopped it, it would be cutting through all the rock and destroying the traps ahead, even taking magic from any that used it. ==================================================== He smirked a little, deciding to go with this. "Well I had noticed them pass through here earlier when you were knocked out, but, I will make sure the generals don't find out." He said, giggling a little. "Oh and I came here to check on you, so, are you two alright?" He asked, pointing at them with his hoof, as he tilted his head a little. ==================================================== Iron Star continued to remain there, not really able to cast any healing spells in secret. "Well I don't have any pony to watch over me at home yet, aside from Astral maybe..." She looked to the doctor. "I think I'd prefer being here for now." She said, laying back a little.

@Blitz Boom Astral got the message and chuckled and walked into the kitchen. "Well I forgot, been a stressful day." She looked at the floor. "Although knowing that, I also forgot the pattern that was required for opening the door." She said, turning around to Chow. "Do you remember?" ===================================================== Warlock snickered at the voice. "I wouldn't really call it an illusion if I can see past it, but good try." He closed his eyes as his ethereal form left his body, as he flew to the direction of the voice, hoping to find the source. Hoping this creature would not be able to achieve ethereal form and fight him. But if he did find the creature, he could blast a hole straight to it, but in the meantime time slowed almost to a crawl around him, as the ethereal plane had slower time, which gave Warlock way more time there. ===================================================== He nodded before heading back to the room for the Princesses, his time as a guard made it much easier to forget his comrades in battle, but now he was general, so it was more important as he was ordering around these guards himself. Once he arrived he'd make sure they were okay, even if they already awoke. ===================================================== Misty giggled a little as she apologized. "It is alright I would have confused them for a couple myself, and I do believe they may take a while, they tend to."

@Blitz Boom She chuckled and just pulled out a set of keys and opened the door. "I wouldn't do that." She walked inside and breathed deeply, finally she was back in a location where she could relax. She walked into the living room and sat down. "Okay now to remember where we put the books." ==================================================== Warlock smirked as he ate up the spell, feeling the magic of it pour into him. "Impressive magic, too bad you can't be our ally." He floated over, consuming the spell attempting to keep him down, floating right over the cloth. Landing on the other side of it, and striking his sword into the ground, a igniting a spell that burned up the cloth, and created a permanent flame that lit up the walls of the temple, surely revealing the thing behind the spells, if not, Warlock would go to more extreme methods, especially since what was being used on him was magic, he could go to more extremes without issue. "Now show yourself, peasant." He said, putting great emphasis on his words, wanting to rile them up. ==================================================== He lowered his head at that, realizing he had forgotten to check on them. "They were only knocked out, but still at the princess's room, I can send a guard to check on them if needed." He said turning away a little, ready to leave to get a guard to check on them. ==================================================== She chuckled a little. "Technically only the mare is my parent, although she's more of a friend and caretaker. The other is just a friend we met." She said with a giggle. "Oh and my name is Misty."

@Blitz Boom She chuckled a little. "There's spells that can be used like that, but I was just going off instinct." She stopped walking when she saw the guards. "Oh dear I hope they're okay." She said, continuing to walk to the door, looking to the flock of guards. "Will they be alright?" She asked, looking to the pegasi. ================================================== Warlock grinned as he watched the flock of Scrabs move towards them, the illusion fell apart for him. He saw ponies wield this type of ability when holding the element of deceit, which much like Greed, entirely embodied it's name by creating illusions so convincing, that it could fool nearly anypony, even alicorns, although he figured it was entirely possible that a pony could wield this type of deceit magic without the element. He ignited a sword of fire in his hoof, walking forward, knowing the pony or creature causing this would be the real threat looking around the temple, now looking for the source of the illusions. "This'll be fun~" He said to himself, with a grin across his muzzle. ================================================== He sighed and looked to the dragon. "Zhu had hurt some guards on his way to the Princesses room, so I had to take him in for harming them." He said, raising a hoof to his chest, putting it back down shortly after. "Hopefully this won't cause too many problems." He said, looking to Dew after. ================================================== "Rather well, I'm glad my leg will be alright though." She said with a little bit of a smile. "The doctors are nice too." She said, glancing at the ones working on her leg.

@Blitz Boom Astral nodded. "Learning how to fight against an enemy is important, although I've never learned how to fight." She looked about for her new home. Hopefully after this mess she'd be able to use magic publicly, else wise she'd have to retreat into the forest again. Although the main reason for her retreating was committing dark magic feats. ===================================== Warlock had no idea what he just did, but as soon as he felt that taste of ancient magic, he took it all, he knew well it was a binding spell, just from the pattern of energy, similar to the spell used to bind himself to Sapphire, until she passed away of course, which broke his prison. "No idea what I did but the amount of magic there was a hefty amount." He drew his hoof away as he took the last of the magic for himself. He watched as the door lit open, and made a ball of fire in his hoof to light up the area, looking for the element. "Although from that laughter, I have a feeling what I did will turn out to be, fun." He said with a chuckle. ===================================== He paused his step and looked to him. "Your face is familiar, yes." He said, not recalling much of their first encounter. "Now you'll have to excuse me, I need to return to my post." He said before walking away to his post, at the entrance of the dungeon. Iron Wing walked back into the throne room, mostly hoping that Dew and the others staid there, as he was checking on Zhu. As he walked in he'd look around for Dew, ready to speak to him if he spotted him. ===================================== "Well I certainly feel different, and more intact." Without him really noticing, his wing had gotten some sparkles on it. As the doctor checked her bandages she'd find a few of her wounds were healed, without much of a scar left over. "Honestly I feel better, luckily that wasn't the worst injury I've received before." Francis looked at her, a little surprised. "So I recovered rather nicely." A few more of her injuries healed, storing away the last bits of love she got from the couple who walked out, her chest seemed to even glow a little, as if storing the love magic there.

@Blitz Boom Astral nodded as she walked with Chow. "Might be able to get more things seen if we walk slower." She said with a smile. Seeming more cheerful as the worry of Sapphire slipped away. "Or we can just book it if things get dire, again." =================================================================================================== Warlocked closed his eyes, standing still as Athriel sliced at the vines, he sighed, despite how close he was, being able to sense the element was still impossible. He could only sense his own element, along with depression. His temptation to draw magic out of the temple grew. He lifted a hoof and tried to extract magic from the temple, hopefully magic that might be holding the element away. Or even the near limitless magic from the element itself. Digging deep for the magic, any magic he could find, any tiny miniscule spells, he'd take. "Whichever element it is, we'll need it." =================================================================================================== Iron Wing paused his steps at Zhu's talking. "There's many times I've hurt innocent ponies for the greater good." He continued walking, the feather never getting closer to Zhu, but just lingering there. "Something a guard or general does often." As he guided Zhu with his feather, he spent his time walking, recalling the times he hurt ponies when Chrysalis was banished the first time, fearing a changeling managed to survive the force field that banished them. But that fear was long gone now, just a worry that he may need to do it again with Nectar, or Chrysalis. Eventually guiding Zhu to a guard at the dungeon, who seemed to wear armor, of a different enchantment, seeming to be an attempt to recreate nullification magic, although wouldn't do any good against large amounts of magic. His helmet seeming very Viking like in its design, except the horns went downwards, moving close to the helmet at the end. He held a trident in his hoof, lifting his armored head to look at Zhu. "An unlikely prisoner." He said, glancing at Iron Wing. "What brings him here?" "He assaulted two guards." He lowered his head and shook it. "Shame, hope they can recover." He opened the door, guiding the two towards a cell, with border of the cell having the same nullification enchantment as his own armor. "So you're a general now?" He asked, opening the cell and guiding Zhu in with his trident. "Was this recent?" Iron Wing nodded. "I see. Guards must've been to busy to notify me." He said, closing the cell once Zhu got inside, making sure to lock it. "Such a position being put on you so soon would weigh anypony down with the need to keep that position in a positive light." He said, looking to Wing. "Hopefully you will do good in the position." He smiled a little, looking to the cell, seeing his feather still near Zhu. "Oh almost forgot about that." His feather flew through the bars of the jail cell, going back into his wing. "Well got to go and notify Dew about this guy." The guard nodded, looking to Zhu briefly. With knowing eyes, He'd seen Zhu before, perhaps even spoke to him. But he didn't dwell on that too long before he walked to his position at the dungeon entrance. =================================================================================================== Francis looked to her and giggled at her little joke, while Nectar nodded. "Glad to hear we were able to help." Scars on her body started to heal more, along with some small cuts, a process certainly visible to the two ponies. Francis wasn't sure about feeding on a pony, it was still going to just be him opening his mouth and sucking out the love, which would drain the mare, and of course, transforming into a reformed changeling wouldn't go well in his condition. He'd likely float up with the broken legs and everything, but he'd come out completely healed as a plus. Although he would have a very odd color scheme. On of his wings fluttered as a tear down them pulled together, healing completely, repairing his wing with no scars, another cut on his leg pulled together and healed in a similar manner. But the bandage over it would cover the process up. He wasn't feeding like usual this time, he was sharing the love much like the other changelings would. "Well I wouldn't mind a pie later." He said with a smile. "Do you make pie?" He asked, tilting his head.

@Blitz Boom Just been having trouble thinking up any story ideas is all, Although It might help if you could suggest who Iron Wing would consider somepony capable of handling Zhu. And then I could possibly throw something together for my next post, but it might take a while.