Verve

Rainbow Dash yawned tiredly from a seriously comfy branch she found hanging around the throne room or… whatever. Deer castles are weird. Curvy halls, big bucks jumping in trees, rattling her branch - at least she managed to convince some doe… they’re doe's, right? To give her an awesome blanket and pillow. She totally needed to catch up on some heavy z’s, and there wasn’t a better spot than either a cloud, or a branch, or… well, anything off the ground. Pegasi loved heights.

Well, maybe except Fluttershy. She was afraid of flying, clouds, her own shadow, lightning, foals in Nightmare Night costumes, Princess Luna…

Really, if she had to make a list of ‘things Fluttershy would wet the bed to’, she’d need a scroll from Canterlot to Ponyville long, and probably like… ol’ egghead to write it all down.

Regardless, Dash was hungry. And bored. And sad. And a lot of emotions she didn’t wanna talk about to anypony but her favorite Tortoise at home. What really got on her nerves was that the cold made Tank hibernate early! Lousy good for nothin’ Nightmare Moon.

Flapping down from her super secret hiding spot in the Throne Room’s branches, she could only wonder what time it was. Definitely food time, so really - question answered, now to kick back with some donuts and teach some deer how awesome she was.

Her awesome ears you wrote that down, right? Yes, I did, Dash - oh pumpkin seeds, I’m writing my thoughts down again! picked up on some pony talk, and she swooped in for some eavesdropping. Something about… snooting, and books. But one voice caught her ear in particular; Princess Celestia! Celestia was kicking it with that weird pegasus, and she just had to know what was going on.

“Hey Princess!” Dash called from above, flapping her wings quietly to stay afloat, “Didya miss me?”

“Shhh!” Celestia’s horn flicked gold, as she quickly tugged down Dash with a glare. “We’re trying to be on the quiet side, Rainbow - but yes, I did. Thank you for stopping by. You missed breakfast.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault that weird-o kept slapping me with her wing in my sleep! It’s like, totally not fair!” She pouted, crossing her hooves - but with another tug of golden magic, the Rainbow maned pegasus was forced to walk by her side.

“What are you even doing, anyway?” She quickly fell in line with the now regalia-less Princess What’s a regalia? Dash, please - keep on track. Ugh! Not again! This is the final draft! Her shorter hoofbeats cantering to keep up to Celestia’s longer stride.

“We’re after some research materials, and Vee needs me to distract the librarian and translate the books… so things are about to get a little flashy.”

“Flashy? Hehe, if you needed a distraction, you should have just asked me, Princess! Expert flier, second in command to the Wonderbolts - did I mention awesome?” Rainbow polished her hoof against her chest, as the Princess shushed her - entering the library properly now. Can we just skip to the part where we kick Nightmare Moon’s flank? I am going to… I don’t know what, just please - FOCUS! Cloverhoof Publishing, please expunge these quips as you see fit.

The librarian doe - a bit too scrawny, really, she needed to work on that - looked up from her books at the large Princess. What do you mean, describe her? Ugh, fine. She had like… a short mane with curls, and stuff. And… What if I can’t remember what she looked like? It’s not entirely accurate, remember what you can ...glasses? Yeah, she totally had egghead glasses.

“Can I help you?” she asked, as Celestia cleared her throat.

“I am Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria and its provinces. I have a vast array of books in my castle, and I wondered what kind of knowledge bucks and does have gathered over the decades to amass such a large selection?” The Princess smiled, as Vee quietly snuck past her and to the far shelves.

“Yeah! I bet you guys have a ton of action adventure stuff! Have you heard about Daring Do?” Dash chirped, geeking out maybe just a bit.

“Daring Do?... You mean Daring Deer, right? Our selection doesn’t carry much in the ways of young deer books, but I do believe we keep a copy for notoriety sake. I’ll find it in just a moment for you. But to answer your question, Princess, our library includes hundreds of tomes from the Old Courts, some written by ponies themselves! I think I have my favorite, right here-”

The doe turned around to the selection she kept behind the counter, giving Celestia a chance to turn and flash her horn in a wave of radiant light. A soft “neigh” followed, as Vee gave her thanks - plucking books to shove in her satchel. Who needs that many books? Vee didn’t seem like an egghead, more like Pinkie Pie on coffee.

The doe returned, after scanning her inventory to find a small diary in her red glow. She plucked a book from the shelf, smiling as it floated to the counter.

“I found this old journal in one of the unpacked storage chests. It’s been sitting here for centuries, and for good reason! It’s written in Equestrian, and not many deer care, need, or know how to read it. Looks like somedeer dropped it in a fire, so I spent dozens of twilight’s eves patching it together, to broaden our stock on pony affairs. I’m afraid that very few deer have any interest in the matter, though. I think only a few dozen actually read Equestrian, and there’s no big rush to hunt down knowledge on it, anyway. It’s my favorite because I did a good job on patching it up, and I think it looks pretty good on a shelf.”

Celestia looked curiously over the blue diary, inspecting the star on the front. It was a rather beautiful book, too - in fact, it reminded her of…

She flicked the cover open, her eyes widening in shock. ‘Property of Starswirl’.

“I don’t suppose I may check this out, Miss?...”

“Bramblebush! And I don’t see why not; just promise to bring it back in good condition. Now, let me find that copy of Daring Deer for you, Miss?...”

“Uh, Dash! But don’t tell anypony I stopped by. I don’t want ponies getting the wrong idea. Uh, or deer. By the way, you heard of the Wonderbolts, right?”

“The what?” Bramblehoof prodded, as Celestia clutched the missing piece of her life to her chest. This could explain everything.

“Oh c’mon! They’re like, the coolest and fastest pegasi on the planet! How have you not heard of them? What kind of rock do deers live under?!” Dash clopped her hooves on the desk, the doe shushing her with a glare. As Rainbow began to yammer on about flying and airshows, Miss Bramblehoof’s eyes wandered; disinterested in the topic.

Vee quietly attempted to tip-hoof her way out of the Library’s door - probably ‘cause somepony put some iron bars on the windows, for some reason - when the Librarian caught sight of her.

“HEY! YOU! YOU BROKE MY WINDOW!” Bramblehoof shouted, Vee giving a quick d’ohoho to compensate.

“Young doe, don’t you mean to keep quiet? This is a library after all.” The Purple chirped, wiggling her fake moustache before attempting to sip her coffee - wait, she didn’t have coffee coming in, where’d she get that from? Anyway, she sips the coffee - Dash, please word this better - stupid quill! Stop writing! Don’t - ugh!

...The pegasus sips her coffee, forcing the moustache to fall right off into her cup. Vee whinnied, somehow not recognizing the now incredibly mysterious mug in her hooves - and tossed it behind her into the safety of the nearest bookshelf.

“PREEN IT!” the Purple yelled, much to the ire of the doe - who leaped the counter to give chase as Vee darted through the halls. Celestia and Rainbow Dash just watched the two as they rounded the corner out of sight.

“What?...” the confused Rainbow whispered, forcing a sigh from Celestia. With a gentle pat on the back from her majestic wing, the Princess decided on the best way to explain what she just witnessed.

“Imagine Vee is like Pinkie Pie, except Pinkie Pie never sleeps, drinks coffee, and preens. That’s all you need to know, Rainbow Dash.”

“T-That… Princess, that sounds like a nightmare.” The awesome pegasus nearly cowered at the thought. Pinkie Pie was already a hoof full and a half - now she comes in purple flavor? Definitely a scary idea.

“Maybe it is, Rainbow Dash. Maybe it is.” Celestia turned the book up in her grasp, thoughts whirring at the possibilities of the truth. The history. The light this book holds; once she reads this, she can finally finish the mystery of her past, and uncover the truth of Equis’s forgotten years.

Arin sighed; by now, even King Aster - the epitome of patience among his kin, had sat down. He held a book quietly in his magic, reading through the old pages seemingly out of boredom. The Seraph continued to waste his magic, swinging his hand around like an… Well, really, he felt like an idiot at this point. A very frustrated idiot.

“What am I doing wrong? Like, is there some kind of glyph you’ve forgotten to teach me? Or is this some weird exercise to test my patience? If so, I’m not sure how this is supposed to help me be a better healer.”

Umbra, who was rather patient herself regardless of the creeping boredom - sighed. “Even I had the potential to master this spell by instinct, Arin. When I was still an Umbrum. And as I recall, Umbrum don’t have souls.”

“That is still debatable, Umbra. It is likely you had a soul, it was just extraordinarily faint and weak. It’s unnatural for a full Umbrum to bear any spirit at all, this is true - as they are at the total command of Shadow Queen Rabia. From my assertions, she follows the Entity’s whims - so likely speaking, you were a newly formed Umbrum. Quite possibly a pony that had their soul drained, but not fully consumed - leaving you nothing but a wisp of your soul’s former glory. Arin’s healing magic likely anchored the piece of your spirit to the Prime, and reformed your body and soul on the spot of your demise. Or, your experiences had led to that piece of soul growing large enough to make you whole. At least, this is what I can assume from Arin’s tale.”

Aster turned a new page in his book, as Umbra prodded his vast mind for new knowledge. “Then am I truly the same being I was before the change?”

“That is entirely for you to decide. Do you believe your soul swelled with light and hope, or do you believe the light was given to you by Arin’s magic? It could very well be both. It isn’t an exact science; there are many possibilities to consider.” The King sighed, closing the pages before flashing his magic across the surface. “Perhaps I will schedule another day of training, Arin. In four hours, you achieved nothing. And there is still much to cover.”

“Well, why does this even work? Why is it easier to cast magic on the ‘astral’ body, over the material one? When I cast Resurgence, the magic hardly breaks the skin - and it patches up wounds just the same, albeit slowly. What’s the difference?” Arin crossed his arms, but not before finding a seat on the meadow floor to relax.

“The astral body mimics the physical one, and vice versa. Your body is merely a husk; it is flesh and bone, and is naturally inert without an ember residing inside. Your astral body, on the other hoof, is essentially raw magic - and represents your memories, your emotions, and the shape your physical body would be inclined to take with time, if possible for it to do so. The astral body can not be destroyed; not by normal means. It can be damaged, or banished - but outright destroying it is near impossible, as it represents a piece of the Fabric of Reality. It can have its essence drained and consumed, or the form of it can be claimed - but it can not be broken, only temporarily disabled.

“A spirit promotes many things; it naturally boosts healing and growth. It ties your mind to the physical realm. It nurtures your very existence, and it's magic fights to hold on to its shell - for magic based creatures, this increases their life span, and helps repair catastrophic damage as quickly as it is able. This is why a pony like Princess Celestia can recover from starvation in a few weeks time - her spirit is powerful and rich. You, as well, are quick to recover, as your astral form is empowered compared to something like a less sentient creature; a bird maybe, or perhaps a feral deer. From my understanding, Seraph’s have grand souls - this is why wounds can knit in minutes for you, or less when under duress.

“By empowering the spirit, not only can you heal wounds from a far greater distance - but you can do so without direct knowledge of their damage. This allows a druid to weave mending spells in mere seconds, without putting themselves in harm’s way. An art likely forgotten by ponykind, in favor of more traditional medicine - as Unicorns often wasted generations of magic turning the Sun and Moon before the Twin Princesses rule. Very few had the magic to spare to study healing, even in times of great peril.

“Thus, you avoid brute forcing the spell, allowing natural magic to perform at its own volition. I will note, however, that healing in this method can not restore loss of limb; not without an exceptional power source. Furthermore, long lost appendages can not be restored without a fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh level Resurrection spell - of which are near impossible to perform without the right reagents, and the remnants of the limb or corpse itself. Only a seventh level Resurrection can restore a body with no piece or corpse on hoof, and that only applies if the spirit is available - and agrees to the resurrection. Typically, one can assume one hundred years to be the absolute limit in restoring a creature.”

Arin sighed, waving his hand around again like it would help. At the trees, where the bucks were likely hiding - at Aster, Umbra…

...Umbra. He felt something. Like a warmth inside of the dark mare’s body. Curious, his mind wandered over this feeling, as his lover perked up in confusion. Rubbing her chest.

Gently, he held on, and gave it a little pull - expecting his telekinesis to probably tug on her hoof, or her tail - instead, he nearly stumbled. His eyes snapped open as her emerald magic grasped his form, righting him in mere moments.

“What? Huh? How?” Arin looked to Aster for confirmation, the buck giving a nod.

“When you touch another creature’s astral body, you are essentially holding a fixed point in space; the spirit can not be ripped from the flesh without proper spells and rituals. Your ember expects to cast Levitation on the object - instead, it fails, and you are instead moved to the soul’s location. Of course, this only functions if the spirit is willing, the distance is close enough, and you can ‘cusp’ their soul. Only those adept at healing can perform such magic. Before you ask, Resurrection is a ritual that attempts to bind the creature’s spirit back to the flesh; if successful, the soul snaps near instantly in place; like a puzzle piece. You are not moving it, it is moving itself. Which is why it’s difficult for the uninitiated to perform.”

“So when you fail a level three resurrection…” Arin began to ask, but the buck was faster.

“You sear the binds with magic, and the soul is unable to be called again.”

Right. He knew that. But as he understood it, his people believed that the soul could be moved - it was much the opposite. The soul moves itself, you can simply beckon it. The differences in understanding were rather… severe.

“Tell me Arin, what other spells do you know - and their purpose? Since the definitions may be different here.” Calmly, he approached the Seraph - towering over him by a solid head, his green eyes tilted down to meet Arins, not more than a few hooves away.

“Uh… Well, you know Resurgence and Antithesis - I have Blessing, which is supposed to clear curses and improve healing. It’s a sigil spell, too, so… if sigils work as I think they work, then uh, yeah.” He scratched his head quietly; he really didn’t like being put on the spot like this. “I kinda know Mana Barrier. It’s supposed to be like… a shield of sorts, not a channeled barrier like the Princess can cast. But it’s hard to do for me, and not very effective. I basically have to be standing on top of the target for it to work. Then there’s… Mending Wave? It’s like resurgence, but for a group. The thing is, I have to channel it on myself, and it’s hard to do when I’m stressed.”

“Blessing sounds like an incomplete spell, at least to me. Much like Antithesis, you should be able to invert it to stun your enemies, and weaken their concentration. My version is called Mirrored Light, and follows much the same sigil - but simply inverted. I have it here, in my old study journal. I used my magic to translate it to Equestrian, since I have a history of writing to-... To the ponies of old. The rest, we can simply combine with Soul Sense, the name I gave for finding another’s spirit. My notes contain many more useful spells, as well - that you should practice during your tenure here, if you find them compatible. The point of this training was to see if you could reach out to another spirit other than your own. And now that I know you can, I am able to trust this knowledge to you, Arin. As I know it is in good…”

Aster paused, thinking quietly. “...They aren’t talons, are they?”

With a stretch, Arin waved his hands around, much as he’d been doing all night. “No, they’re hands. Nifty things, though it’s weird how pony and deer hooves can just… grab stuff, without fingers.”

“Ah yes, hands. Of course. And that is again, at the touch of magic. Simple, correct?”

“Yeah… simple. I guess.”