Sweat trickles down my face as I watch the wall I am creating zig-zag in the air, creating a spiral in mid-air and then rooting the other end of itself back into the earth. I bend over immediately and grip my knees for support. I feel my whole body shake and once I regain enough energy to stand up I notice that I am surrounded by multiple walls in many different shapes. The spiral one I just made was the most complex and the most taxing. At the connection to the ground of each piece of modern art, the earth dips in not unlike a crater. I sigh and look around, using what little magic I have left to slowly mold each wall back into the ground, filling in each spot. After I finish I instantly feel exhausted even more so and fall to the ground. I hear familiar hoofsteps of my mentor for the past few weeks come closer.

"I see you have learned to command your spells, I believe now you should rest and get well." Zecora says with a pass of her flask.

After a quick drink of her flask, I realize with disappointment that it is just water. I feel a bit better, but nowhere near as well when drinking the mysterious purple concoction from before. I look up at Zecora handing her the flask back. "This spell command stuff is hard. In order to make these blasted walls in such special shapes, I have to give so many damn commands. Each additional command weighs so heavily on my supply of magical power." I say with frustration.

These past few weeks have been grueling and so very, very exhausting. After work I go here, and then after I'm done here I just pass out either here or when I instantly get home.. Only my off days feel a tiny bit relaxing but I still have to train those days...

A green fire shoots past Zecora and me and into her hut, entering into a tube like structure. I jump at this instantly, thinking that we are being attacked. Such suspicions are quelled as I notice that Zecora is walking slowly towards the tube. She pulls a tied and sealed scroll from the bottom part of the tube and looks at it closely before handing it to me. The seal looks fancy.

I suppose this is from the Princess? Welp, might as well take a look right now since I'm basically immobile for the time being.

'Dear Devan Avery,

Hello, I hope everything is going well. I apologize for the lack of communication, my schedule has been full more so than usual lately. My sister and I have been watching you closely and are pleased with your progress. Not only have you treated our ponies well, but you have also become part of the community. I am happy to say that I have no issue with your permanent position in this land, and hereby grant you citizenship. I wish to avoid suspicion and attention so I will not hold an event, however don't let that dissuade you into thinking I wish nothing but the best for you as my newest citizen.
-Princess Celestia

P.S. The cake was not a lie, please refrain from saying such accusations. My cakes were all checked for poison that day you sent that message. This caused a lot of commotion in the castle. You did however give my little sister a laugh and for that I thank you.'

I snicker at the problems I caused for the castle. Zecora gives me a raised eyebrow and sighs.

"Something sly and clever I presume, hopefully it didn't seal your doom." she says before walking to a tree and sitting in front of it. Zecora looks up at the tree and taps the ground with her front right hoof. "You may reveal yourself, or do you want to be a bookshelf?"

I look at her quizzically until the tree seems to melt down and morph into a pony shaped being. After a few seconds of this process a familiar pony's features emerge.

"Obsidian!" I say before I walk as quickly as I can to her and pat her on the head, feeling the almost bark like texture of her true form. "How have you been? I'm sure you've been skulking around me so you know what's up with me huh?" I say with a grin.

Obsidian looks up at me with some surprise but then smiles warmly. "I am glad to get to talk to you again, and yes I've had my eye on you. Though it was through something else's eyes." she replies as her hoof points towards my shoulder and a small seed on it. "Well it's more like sense you, but I still can detect danger soo... Anyways, I see your magical potential is pretty amazing. You're doing complex spells only prodigies would accomplish in the time you have spent towards learning magic. Just to make sure my old student is teaching you correctly, please inform me about spell commands." Obsidian says in a very serious and mentor-like tone.

She.. Taught Zecora? Well that is.. Very interesting.

"Well, as far as I understand it.. Spell commands are various instructions you can give to spells in order to push them to do what you want. For example, telling a wall to move sideways in the air is a simple command I can give to the spell I create. Doing this however increases the amount of time it takes me to cast a spell. Honestly when it comes to lifting objects I see no reason to use these spell commands when I can simply pick up rocks with telekinesis." I say with a frown.

Obsidian gives me a knowing grin and comes towards me quicker than I imagine her floating legs could move her. I jump back a bit when she stops immediately in front of me, with the same grin.

"I want you to show me then, lift a stone with your basic telekinesis." she says abruptly while staring into my eyes.

I feel a bit of anxiousness take over me but nod to her request. I lift a rock with my telekinesis from my right over in front of me. She looks at it and nods right before she thrusts one of her legs hard into my left arm, sending a sharp pain up and down the left side of my body and I flinch immediately looking at her in anger.

"Why would you do that?!" I yell in frustration.

She smiles and points to the ground, where the rock I was lifting is now sitting. I look up in surprise where I had it in the air and notice it was missing.

Wow... A good punch will break my concentration huh?

"Now, try it with spell commands." she says seeing the realization on my face.

I cast a simple spell to lift the rock in the air about four feet and add a command to last for ten seconds. After the rock shoots up and stays in mid-air I immediately feel the same jab wit her hoof into my other arm and the same wincing pain. I look quickly back to the rock and notice it is still in the air, unmoved.

"As you can see, spell commands are definite while telekinesis isn't. Any interruption to your subconscious thoughts and ta da! You lose the ability to keep it in the air, at least right now. Perhaps you could train your subconscious to take pain while still maintaining basic telekinesis, but that is a lot of work. Spells commands just need to be set and released and they will do what you tell them to do, with the right amount of magical power that is. For example, if you try to send a rock into the air at high speeds, it will take more magical power than if you wanted it to just float upwards slowly to the same height." Obsidian says while floating the same rock around her head with no effort.

So that means.... If I want something precise to happen without my concentration to be used I can spend the extra magical power to make it happen. Interesting... That makes spells much more useful than I thought.

I look around to talk with Zecora about it and notice that she is gone.

"Hey where did Zecora go?" I ask Obsidian.

"Oh she is probably going to get supplies. She needs to make supply runs to Ponyville sometimes, mostly to look for specific herbs that grow in the ground there. Ponies usually avoid her though, sad really. I bet she's happy to have you around." Obsidian says with a somber-like smile.

Right... I suppose this is the day she meets them and gets accused. Well, I said I wouldn't interfere unless I thought it was necessary.

"Alright, let's practice some more Devan. I might not be able to be your mentor but I can give you a few tips." she says while moving back and lifting some rocks in front of her.

This will be fun... and painful.

Author's Note

Another one? So soon? Yup! The magic training continues!