Purple lids covered lavender eyes as a purple unicorn sat silently, focusing her mind. A rather arduous task due to the spell she was now casting. Unlike drawing energy from the ley lines, she found herself having to gesture out with a hoof to some spot not far from her.

Energy pooled slowly, forming into slowly growing lines. Such a task Twilight would have believe impossible if not for the tutelage of two princesses. Similar to her candle exercise, one she had mastered. The impossible began to not seem as such.

With confidence, she narrowed her concentration, her minds eye painting blue lines in massive flowing arcs. It touched the ground opposite her. Again she repeated the pattern, again an arc flew over head, before long a protective barrier surrounded the trio as they sat close to a fire, greedily taking in its warmth.

Twilight realized quickly she was forming something akin to the flat pentagram of Star Swirls summoning circle. The only difference was that she pinched the center and pulled it upwards, forming a tent. The other difference was that she was doing it, Twilight. What was once an awe inspiring feat of skill, was now a mere chore, one she routinely practiced every night.

She brought her hoof down to her rear hooves, pointing the energy to its final focal point, and completing the protective wards. Pleased she took her time, studying the purple glow with her minds eye.

"Most impressive young Sparkle, but do dampen the glow, it would most assuredly gather the attention of every peasant and demon hunter yonder cross the countryside!" said Luna.

Twilight opened her eyes and stared in awe at her on hoof work.

The pentagram was still their. Visibly glowing in the night and casting its purple hue upon the land around them. Its glow eerie, easily removing the warm comfort of their meager fireplace.

"I'm sorry!" she said hastily, easing her control, the thick purple bands of energy quickly fading form the plane of visibility. They were still there though, invisible, save to only Twilight who could feel their presence.

More for the joy of it, than the confidence boost. Twilight closed her eyes to examine them. Purple lights dancing around her mind. They shimmered beautifully, a cooler reassuring presence to counter the fierce glow of the airs ley lines. This was her color, her magic, her essence. All these things, it lit a glow within her.

"Do rest your weary legs and enjoy some salad child." Celestia captured Twilight's attention, levitating a bowl before her nose, the scent of daisies and other things enticing her taste buds.

They were fully out of the forest proper now, but despite the presence of a nearby road, good vegetation was still plentiful. For Luna, there was game as well, proof to this truth in the lizard bird leg that she was currently gnawing on much to Twilight's disgust.

"Twilight, we are rather proud of how well you've been carrying along with your lessons." said the white alicorn. "We are beginning to see what Star Swirl saw in you. There is a spark in you, potential that will surely equal some of the greatest practitioners of magic in these lands, even in others!"

"Watch thine energy output," said Luna, lips smacking together in between chews. "Tis powerful magic you put into the field, and you'd be best not to fry an innocent who'd stumble into it."

"I'm...just worried is all." said Twilight.

"Oh sit with us," Celestia extended a wing and Twilight gladly sat under it, enjoying its warmth. "Tis nothing to have fear of, three days have passed since our meeting with the warrior Applejack, and not a peep has been heard."

"Did I really summon up that much power?" asked Twilight.

"Indeed you did. Proof your practice, but it is the control you must continue tempering!"

"She speaks true, my elder," said Luna, chucking the bone aside. "Unless you truly find yourself in battle, a ward is only good for warning oneself. Putting to much energy into it can have some serious effects upon thy body. For one, the obvious, unnecessary attention being called to you. The second, if a truly magical opponent were to see it, it would give them forewarning, and it does not bode well to allow the enemy a chance to prepare."

Twilight nodded, accepting the advice as it did ring with sense.

"Tis not a game we play. Power the likes you've never known before are at your beck and call, and to those of our enemy. We seek to strengthen your control, not see how much you can liberate. Carelessness in experimentation can lead to disaster, and there are far worse things than death."

"Oh," Twilight muttered, unconvinced.

Luna sighed, sitting beside her, her own wing spreading across the young unicorn as well, a mix of cool wind and heat from both sisters playing with Twilight's feelings.

"We speak only in care and praise Twilight, due heed our words. You have to, you need to learn this. Let us give a better idea of such things to come. Suppose, for just this moment, you are but a soldier in a military. You've been placed at a post, a series of hefty rocks, maybe a half a stone in weight, all to drop upon the unsuspecting who'd trespass. Do you follow?"

"I do."

"Well then, tis a long and boring duty, and you are then given time to think. You've muscle, muscles you are proud of. Why mere half stone rock are hardly a weapon for your might when two or even three stones would be fortunate to crush your enemies. It is not only in your ability, but the logic is sound, is it not?"

Twilight nodded vaguely, still not absolutely sure of where Luna was going with this.

"So you heft a two stone rock, and sure enough you feel that you can do it with ease, thus you go another stone, then another. Suddenly misfortune strikes."

She was getting rather worked up in her story that Twilight felt no need to respond.

"You drop it upon your foot, or pull a muscle, or pass out from the exhaustion, or any number of troubles that could plague thee! Then where do you find yourself?"

She leveled an accusing hoof at Twilight.

"The enemy strolls in, finding no one to confront them, you who could have merely stopped them with a half stone boulder. All because you felt the need to indulge in needless testing of your power."

Twilight gave a low whistle, impressed by this verbal lesson. She gave the matter serious thought before replying.

"I understand what you are saying Princess Luna, but I think there's a flaw. In my case, I only have a hoof full of sand to utilize and not a heavy rock in sight, yet its the simple half stone...er....whatever that is, anyhow, its that heavier rock that I need do actually do some damage."

"Tis true," Luna retorted, "But the main point of the lesson holds strong, to over exert yourself, is to give the enemy an opening with which to take advantage of. Even sand can be effective if you use it right.Never underrate what you have, or what you are currently doing. Here and now, you've been maintaining the ley line detections, holding the ward, and our disguises. To hold it all and without wavering, that is a testament of your abilities, and it has not been a full two weeks."

She leaned in close to Twilight.

"Something just happened...what do you drop first?"

"Um..."

"We're dead, hesitance on your part has just cost us our lives. No matter the time needed to ponder the requisition of energy, you won't have that luxury, as before with the knife. You must hold some part of yourself back to deal with the immediate situation. All the while, you rally energy from other activities to support your endeavors. Do you see now?"

"I...I think I do!" yawned Twilight.

"Ahh alas, your mortality yearns for slumber," sh watched as the little unicorn slowly got to her belly, eyes closing. "Remember thy lesson as you sleep, and hold true to the spells you have currently activated. Incidentally, you may let free the ley line detection, we've no need of the energy compass. Its needless when you can merely summon it again in the morning."

"Meh...mur...fine." Twilight mumbled softly.

Luna smiled, nodding to her sister who giggled as she allowed her wing to follow envelop their student.

From the bag, the assassins cloak drew out and covered the young mare who snuggled in its warmth. Sleep wasn't easy to come by the past few days, and on this night the unicorn hoped for peace and comfort. Sadly with the wards in place and so many questions, it wasn't so easy to keep hold of.

"Luna...Celestia?"

"Yes Twilight?" Celestia gently rubbed the unicorns head with her wing tip.

"How would you compare my abilities to the devils?"

"The what?"

"Devils."

"Oh, the changelings, well it matters how many there are, and other aspects. Remember Devils are from Gehenna, the changelings come from the realm of the badlands."

"Does that make a difference." Twilight shifted slightly to settle her gaze on the older mentor. Luna laid across from them, watching the night.

"Luna, if you'd explain, I find the lack of sun does hamper my ability to extend any description with clarity."

"rest and fear not, we shall explain such history!" said Luna.

"Devils, or rather goats, as you'll see when you meet them, are some of the meanest and most vile creatures to set foot upon any dimension."

"Their...their warriors aren't they? Berserkers and stuff?" asked Twilight.

"Worse, They're merchants!"

"M...merchants?" Twilight found sleep completely blown away by this statement, disbelief etched upon her face.

"Oh most frightening they are, even more than Discord could ever be!" she seemed to almost whisper. "These goats, honestly, merchant is hardly the word, more akin to being supreme traders is more proper."

"Tell me more Luna."

"Oh indeed," Luna favored her with a rare warm smile. "Not much can truly say what happened to their world of Gehenna. Drought, fires, raging storms. It was a land of suffering. Nothing could grow upon the land, leaving these goats to starve, and nearly die out."

"Dimension travel, to these goats, was but a frivolous pastime, but now it was the key to their survival. Many left Gehenna in search of a new home. Tales of their misery became the center point for many religious groups whom saw it as a place of punishment and despair."

"For those who stayed, however, they employed their dimensional abilities in a different way. Establishing themselves as traders, traveling the many planes of reality, collecting random goods and junk and selling it to the unsuspecting for thrice the price, or even more. A stone for a twig, a twig for a penny, and that penny for a diamond."

"Never will you find a shrewder haggler than the Gehenna's. Masters of the art, art that I wish I could say I could paint just as beautifully. They knew the rarity of one item on one plane, and its abundance in another. These techniques they utilized to drive a hard bargain, passing the lessons throughout their many generations. There is no equal. They can be found throughout the land, disguised, returning to Gehenna only to visit the Bazaar!"

"Bazaar?"

"No one being could travel all dimensions, least not in short time. Thus the Bazaar on Gehenna was formed, a central place for all to come together. Market stalls far beyond the eyes. To make a deal with these goats, it is said, that one should count thy horn, thy hooves, thy feathers if any, thy family, and thy friends..."

"I get the picture. Now changelings?"

"Changelings," Luna mused, "Inferior to the Gehenna's in so many ways, yet one gives them credit for trying."

"How so?"

"Cheap imitations, their realm close to that of Gehenna, twas not always known as the Bad Lands, but sadly the 'Deals' that came from Gehenna, were so good, that the changelings nearly found themselves bankrupt. Unfortunately love is a commodity necessary to changeling life, rare and hard to find in there world. The Gehenna's sought out this weakness and brutalized it with sales, introducing a holiday called valentines to them."

"Valentines?"

"A day to share love with another."

"Oh! Hearts and Hooves day!"

"Yes...so these changelings, having lost so much wealth, fanned out to other worlds to plunder their wealth and their love. It goes without saying, if a changeling is upon your land, a goat is not to far behind ready to rob them blind with a grand deal."

Another question quickly formed in Twilight's head.

"What world are you from?"

"Lunatis." answered Luna.

"So...your a loon?"

"No! A lunarian! Now shut up and get some sleep."

Twilight did so, assuming that she had touched a nerve with the lunarian. Yet one question remained.

"Luna."

"What doth thou want now?"

"What dimension is this?"

"Oh, tis Equestria. Now for the final time, do keep thy peace for the night and shut it!"

"What does that make me."

Silence came to Twilight and she rolled over slightly to look back at Luna.

"We've company, sister."

Celestia's eyes snapped open.

Twilight felt a tremor in the wards as well, in response to Luna.

She hopped to her hooves as two figures came out of the dark. The dim light of the fire enough to highlight the deadly glint of magical bolts aimed at them. The two assassins seemed to grin, or at least one of them did, their hoods up and the cloak gold side out!

Author's Note

1 stone is equal to about 14 pounds. Fancy that eh?