Author's Note

First time writing out the exposition as one big thing like this... um, go ahead and tell me if you like it or don't like it! I actually do love to read the feed back, even if i don't reply to every single comment.

Chapter 7: On Life And Magic (Exposition)

It was later on in the night, Twilight and Arkantos were alone (as much as the guards and constant presence of doctors and nurses would allow) in the room. By now, the basic introductions for all of her friends (including Pinkie who had just shown up out of the blue, though thankfully she entered normally for once), as well as Twilight explaining what they did.

Now that the two of them were alone, and he at least had something to eat and drink, he felt a bit more peppy and open to talking. At least to her, it seemed like her initial interaction with him did a number on any walls he had built for strangers. Though, that was far from reality.

“So… um, Arkantos, since you’ve learned a lot about us…” Twilight began.

“You want to know a bit about me.” Arkantos said. “I… guess I can give you a little. What did you want to know?”

“What did you do for a living?” She inquired.

“I was a professional soldier. Mounted division mainly… I guess it’s similar to a knight… but we felt that sort of classification was outdated hundreds of years ago. My specific division were trained for heavy city and town combat… We’d fight through cities and towns, rescuing civilians, and fighting our enemies where they’d least expect it to happen. We’d also carry around lightweight artillery… namely hand cannons, a… recent ish invention.” He let his head fall back.

“Professional… soldiers? Why would you need such a thing?” Twilight asked. “I mean… sure, our guards are trained to fight but… the last time Equestria fought any wars were years and years ago… Hell, I was sure there was some sort of push to do away with combat training entirely...”

“That’s a horrible idea… sorry, it’s just, if no one can fight…. Then your enemies who can still fight and will fight may face little resistance if they decide to attack…” Arkantos said, eliciting a few laughs from the guards. “Despite the peace back when my home still… existed… we had something similar, a few towns out in the wildlands tried going without a military presence to protect them… a neighboring empire believed that was what all of our nation was doing…” He began quietly. “It… we were far too late to save any of them.” He shook his head. “Peace doesn’t mean a damn thing unless the entire world is united. Even then… there will always be those who want something. They’ll always find a way to get it.”

“You… must think about that a lot.”

“I had to. My parents… toted me around like a puppet. Since I had the trust of the military… rising through the ranks before it was revealed who my parents were…” Arkantos said.

“Who… were your parents?”

“It means nothing here… or anymore, but they were king and queen. It was under the behest of my uncle that I not be raised in the palace… and well, it saved my life more than once. And it gave me a perspective that helped to make me beloved by a lot of people. I guess… a prince acting like a common person… it was something new and strange. But… that’s my past life, the only thing that matters from that is what I’ve learned… and what I can do.” He shook his head.

“Wow…” Twilight muttered.

“It’s… eye opening. Seeing the world from both sides… climbing to the top… only to be dropped right back down into the pit.”

“I guess so… Um, if you don’t mind me asking… what’s magic like in your world? I see you don’t have a horn…”

“There’s various ways actually.” He began to sit up, resting his back against the headboard of the hospital bed. “Nnn…” He groaned. “Some use staves… wands, I’ve seen magic cast through weapons. Shields can even help with some spells. The most common ways though are hands… vocal magics, spell books, and scrolls. There’s also drawings and incantations but… those are too similar to vocal magics and spell scrolls that I’ll just lump them together.” He explained.

“Hands casting magic… vocal magics… I mean some races in Equus use wands and staves… I’ve seen some old spell books that can be used to cast magic… and scrolls are a no brainer but… is it… possible? Don’t you need a focal point?”

“For some magics I’ve been taught… yes. Most though, as long as you know the proper amoung of energy to expend… you can use your hands to cast it. And… hands is really a light term. You could use your entire body to cast it. I’d… show you but, with blood loss comes a severe lack of mana for me…”

“Mana?” Twilight inquired.

“It’s an innate magical energy. There’s… different types of energies. It is theoretically possible to transfer one type into another but… that’s out of my grasp. Even in my prime… I’m not a mage. Not by a looooong shot.” He laughed.

“But… that fire you used to…”

“Mages study magic their entire lives… well, mages and wizards both do. But mages are more… practical. Putting their magics to use, as opposed to just studying it for gods know how long… I think there was a wizard that was ‘employed’ and I use that very lightly… he was at least… nine hundred years old? Hadn’t done a single good thing for the empire since I was born… just sort of drained resources and kept himself alive.” He shook his head.

“Mmm… sounds completely useful.” Twilight laughed. “So… what does that make you then?”

“Sometimes I was called a spellblade… But I prefer the classical term of ‘Elementalist’ the… natural elements just sort of ‘spoke’ to me on a deep level. The passion of fire… the unmoving stoicism of the earth, the smooth rhythmic dance of the water, and the all encompassing freedom of the air. It’s… something unreal when you feel it all for the first time.” He sighed, remembering a fond memory.

Twilight bit back her first instinct. She wanted to see it, to… actually experience another race’s magics. But she knew that was out of the question right now.

“Tell me something… and I want the honest truth. Not… a half truth.” He looked to her.

“Hm?” Twilight looked up at him.

“What do you plan to do with me?” He asked quietly. “Not… just befriend me, or helping me get better… You’re smart. I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“I… don’t really have a choice in that matter.” Twilight sighed. “I’m going to have to mute your magic… one of our rulers feels as though it could be a threat. And…”

“I don’t blame her really.” Arkantos said, looking up at the ceiling and trailing off. “Not… at all. I… need some sleep. Thank you for spending so much time with me Twilight…”

Twilight’s face fell slightly. “I…”

“Will I see you again tomorrow?” Arkantos turned to look at her.

“Of course! I’d be happy to come see you again. Hopefully tomorrow you’ll be closer to being able to leave the hospital.” Twilight smiled.

“Hopefully.” Arkantos chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow then Twilight.”

“Have a good night.” Twilight waved as she left.