FEB 21 Monday.

I laugh while staring at the slightly rough carved toy pony. "If you're going to just laugh I'll take it back." Blaz's slightly embarrassed voice calls out.

Right now I'm sitting in the breakroom with Maple, Daisy, and Blaz. Blaz decided to show us an attempt he's made at wood carving and while it made us laugh I waved off his words. "No, it's honestly not a bad attempt. You could use some sandpaper to clean things up, but overall not bad." I give some advice and pass it back to him.

He nods his thanks and takes the toy back with a slight smile. Daisy speaks up, "I still say it's absolutely adorable. Your grand foals are going to be thrilled." She smiles brightly and Maple just watches happily from the sidelines. "Still, you definitely need practice." She says with another chuckle.

He huffs at that. "Well not all of us are complete training fanatics like the Colt. How long have you been training Colt?" He asks as if to prove his point.

I smile seeing him trying to drag me into a friendly argument. "Depends on what you mean, I train in a lot of things." I derail the topic to avoid having to hear them argue again. Blaz and Daisy have a special way of arguing and relaxing at the same time.

Maple is surprisingly the first to answer. "Like woodworking and runic casting?"

Daisy sees an opportunity and picks up for her. "Or the healing magic, and even a little spell creation." She hints knowingly while the others brush it off as I've told them I aspire to create spells someday, but that's not what she's thinking of.

Blaz laughs and smiles at me mischievously. "Let's not forget the guard he trains with and his gardening." He adds and all three look amused at listing out my training. But I just look proud about it, "Seriously Colt, I don't know a pony more dedicated than you. It's ridiculous."

I smirk a little smugly. "No, everypony else just lacks the motivation to improve more," I answer completely seriously, which just confuses them as that makes no sense. I chuckle at the confused stares and continue to eat my food as Daisy dashes my attempts and starts bickering with Blaz again.

time skip

As I enter my apartment Entropy leaves my shadow and flies over to clean herself, she still insists on coming with me even though I feel as if she gets bored. I keep snacks for her and even pack a lunch for her, but it's yet another thing that might improve if I quit my work. I know she spends most of that time just napping but it still makes me feel a bit bad for her.

I shower quickly before sitting down to play with Entropy and read my spell book while sorting out some of my thoughts on recent and upcoming events. The first thing that comes to mind is the planned diplomatic trip, which will be set out on the seventh of March, and the end is not yet decided but is planned to be no more than four weeks.

That is to say, they don't know how long the trip will last, but a personnel transfer for those who need to leave early will happen after a little over two weeks, the twenty-second of March to be specific. It means I'll be returning a day late but Daisy was happy to give me an extra day of vacation time, hooray for nepotism.

I smile as Entropy places a toy in front of me to throw and play with, something I happily do while continuing to read over a spell matrix. Over the past few weeks I've finally made my choice on what element to focus on, I picked lightning. Mostly because I think it will fill two important gaps in my combat skills.

The first is a more nonlethal option for subduing others. With some testing and modification, and plenty of work, I feel it wouldn't be too hard to make something like a taser from my last life. But I'll need to take my time and do a lot more research because fucking up a spell like that means potentially accidentally killing somepony.

The second gap is range. I have a few spells with some medium range but nothing long range and a few lightning spells seem to fit that niche. Again it will take a lot of research and testing but it should be doable, and if done right I can make something long-range, accurate, and very fast to strike.

But before I can do any of that I need to learn a lot more, not only about the spells but how to properly use them and things to look out for. A good example is metal, it attracts lightning, and with metal armor and weapons being commonplace that could prove to be a problem.

So for now I'm going to spend a few months casually researching and remaking the lightning spells in this spell book before branching out to modifying and making new lightning spells. Which will take a while as these spells are notably more complex than others, not immensely so, but still, this will take time.

I leave my thoughts as Entropy drops the ball I just threw into the air for her to catch with a quick teleport. "Food? Hungry." She asks while trying to look cute with a head tilt.

I smile down at her and shake my head. "Soon, we need to wait for Avalon though," I advise and she starts to get more excited.

"Friend?! When?" I laugh at her as she seems to like Avalon a good amount, mostly because he draws her beautifully and Entropy seems to always love that.

I stand up and put the spell book on my bookshelf before moving to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. "Like I said soon, now you sit down and be good, and no stealing the leftovers this time!" I reprimanded a little as she apparently learned to open the cabinets or teleport inside to find treats, with or without my permission.

As I cut up the fish my thoughts wander again. Avalon and I have met twice after the new year and we realized during our last meeting that the prosthetic is done. We can't think of anything new to work on and it's complete, which led us to a question, what now?

We've talked about it before, but at our last meeting, we ran out of time to really discuss it, so that's what this meeting is for. He said we could just go out to eat, but I insisted on making a meal as I like cooking and rarely get to share my meat dishes with others.

However, this meeting took longer than we thought to set up because of our respective schedules. He often takes weekdays off and delivers on weekends as the pay is better on those days, at least that's what he said. This line of thought brings up something I've been thinking about a lot.

Celestia's words have proven yet again how I tend to overthink things and think myself into not seeing the obvious. I felt that changing my life would change my friendships, which is true it will, but that's ok. Things change and while it could be for the worse it could also be for the better.

Sure I'd see them less, but that just means that when we do hang out it will mean more to me. We will change, and we will adapt, I have to trust in my friends enough to know they will not let me drift away from them so easily. So I'm going to tell them about my choice, probably after my vacation.

I stir the fish cubes in my pan and check on the boiled red potatoes. But both my thoughts and cooking are interrupted by a knock on my door. I flip a switch under a wooden pot and the magical shield opens around my door, I cast a spell on Entropy as I walk over and slowly open it. "Avalon, thanks for coming. Come on in." I greet them after seeing him and move back from the door.

He smiles happily at the sight of me and walks in a moment later. He takes a moment to close the door before placing down his satchel bag next to the door and taking a deep breath. "Shade, thanks again for inviting me. Also, t-that smells really good, y-you didn't have to though." He's far less nervous than on his first visit and seems to be able to relax in my home.

Entropy under her illusion flies right over and lands in front of him excitedly. "Friend, Hello." She caws out and his smile grows at seeing her.

"Hello Entropy, I hope you've been a good girl." He teases her slightly as we both know she gets up to no good when I'm not looking. He sees my face scrunch a bit, "Or maybe not, what'd she do now?" He asks me with some humor while Entropy looks betrayed and flies off to brood on her perch.

I chuckle and drain the water from the pot boiling my potatoes. "She found out how to open the cabinets, it's been a learning experience for us both. How's your work been? The arm is still holding up well?" I start some small talk and take the fish out of the pan and start to toast some bread slices.

He lays down and plays with Entropy by throwing a toy and Entropy flies down after a moment, she does a good job not teleporting or letting herself be touched. I've spent a long time teaching Entropy the dangers of revealing herself around others, and I'm also keeping an eye on her to make sure she's ok and not having problems with all this, I do not want to hurt her in any way.

Avalon chuckles quietly and nods. "She is very smart, seriously, other crows I've met are far less talkative." I pause a bit at that as crows are not a common pet for ponies. He sees my look of interest and answers the silent questions. "W-well, some Griffons keep them as p-pets." He looks a little uncomfortable suddenly so I just nod.

I do know Griffon nobles keep them as pets, and Avalon is always nervous when talking about nobles, something I don't ask about, it's not my place to. "Yes she is an amazing bird, aren't you Girl?" She caws out and her tail starts to wag up and down. "Yes, you are."

Avalon holds up his wooden limb after a moment and I see that several pieces have been replaced. I raise a brow and motion to the limb. "Hmm? O-Oh. I had an... Accident, w-while flying." I give him a concerned look and he quickly shakes his head. "I-I'm fine! I-It was just a small fall. I even f-fixed up my arm." He tries to reassure me and looks a bit pleased while showing the new sections of the arm.

The food is done so after placing it on my table before I walk over and look at the limb, it's been repaired well and his skill in woodworking has progressed decently overall. "It could use a bit more work, but it's good work. Stay safe though, I would rather not have to scold you." I tease a bit and motion for him to sit at the table.

He looks embarrassed and rubs the back of his head. "S-Sorry." I chuckle at that and wave his concerns off with a smirk. "So, how have you been?" He tries to move past his embarrassment and I go along with it.

"Well, I'm going on a trip next month, and I'll have a lot more free time in a few months." He looks curious and I decide to just save the topic for a moment. "I'll get to that, for now, though I'm learning a few combat spells, mostly lightning spells." I reveal and motion to a book sitting on my bookshelf.

His head feathers rise a bit and he turns his head, a sign of interest that I've learned to interpret. "Can I..." I smile at his curiosity and nod. That's one thing I've always liked about Avalon, neither of us ever loses that spark of wonder about magic and exceptionally new magic.

He tries to get up but I just bring the book over with my field and place it on the table while making us both a plate of food, along with a bowl of food for an excited Entropy. "Knock yourself out, just don't try to cast any of them, they are dangerous and complex," I warn seriously and he nods with an understanding look before opening the spell book excitedly.

He immediately goes for the fish on his plate and to my amusement makes a pleased chirping noise while eating it, I hide my amusement by filling my mouth and watching him read. He starts to flip through a few pages slowly becoming more curious and also more lost with each page.

After a few more pages he looks completely lost as he's now looking at the more advanced spells. He places down the book after a moment looking happy and perturbed, "Hmm, those spells." He mumbles more to himself than me and blinks before looking back up at me.

I nod in agreement. "A lot of them are much more advanced and complex, you're a few years out from doing anything like that, I do know a decent Firebolt spell if you want something to defend yourself though?" I offer to see a slightly intimidated look after seeing such advanced spells.

He smiles again and I see that familiar look of determination. "That would be nice, thanks again. You've really done a lot for me over the past two years, it's... Thank you." I'm a little surprised at the emotional moment but smile back in turn as we both continue eating our meal.

"Like I always say, it's no problem. It's also good to remember this wasn't all me, you put in the effort, a lot of effort. Take some pride in it." I advise and he glances down at his arm while looking bashful at my complement.

"S'Still, thanks..." He trails off for a moment and finishes his meal, I offer him more by pushing over the serving bowl but he shakes his head. "I-I'm ok, thank you for the meal, it's delicious." He seems embarrassed that he keeps thanking me and moves things along. "So, you'll have more free time? That sounds nice." He tries to make small talk.

I've grown to trust Avalon quicker than I trust others, I think it's the simple fact that I enjoy his company, so I'm going to reveal a little more than I normally would. "Well, I need to give some context first." His head tilts a bit in curiosity but he nods and stays silent.

"I won't go into much detail, but I invested in a few of Veil Winter's inventions when they were released. Needless to say, those investments went very well, and I made a good amount off of them." He looks intrigued but not very surprised as I'm far from the only pony who's made money off of Veil Winter.

I smirk at him. "You know me well enough, I like simple stuff, so I live well below my means and I intend to keep doing so. But I apprenticed at the library when I was younger, I had a contract to work there until I was an adult, so I've had to continue working there. I'm excited to have more free time." Avalon is smart enough to see where this is going as he knows my age.

He perks up and smiles. "O-OH! C-Congrats! I hope you enjoy it. H-Honestly, some more free time would be nice." His excited face reminds me of another reason I trust him. He just learned I'm probably very wealthy, and he's just happy for me and accepts that I never told him, he's simply a good friend.

I give him a thankful smile. "Thank you, and I plan to. But this brings me to another point. The arm." He picked up my meaning quickly as we agreed on this meeting to discuss it. "I'll be blunt, I have enough money to never work again, and honestly I don't want or need more. And you know I don't like attention."

He's silent for a moment before nodding. "Ar.... Are you s-sure? It just feels, wrong? You helped so much, and to get nothing from it..." He seems to war with himself a bit. I give a firm nod in response and he starts to look uncertain. "Well... What do I do t-then?" He seems a bit lost.

I give him a reassuring look. "Well, as a start. You still want to release this spell right? And if you do, do you care about being paid?" I ask calmly.

His eyes get this slightly determined look. "Yes, I want to." He is far more firm in that word than normal. "And... No, I have a job. It might be nice, but t-this, it could help others, others like... Me." He admits with a slightly hopeful look. "A-And. Well, after last time I got an idea, but..." He looks both determined and uncertain, an odd contradiction. I smile and motion for him to continue as encouragement. "No one really knows who Veil Winter is r-right?"

I'm a little confused but nod in agreement. "So, what if I just released it under a f-face name? K-Kind of like a pen name!" He tries to explain as my face goes a little blank. "W-We just need to find out h-how? I know it's not the best option, but it's all I could come up with." He admits as my face shifts to one of surprise and contemplation.

:Why the hell are you so much like me?: I spend a few moments thinking it over before realizing this might actually work due to a few factors. One, you can just send a letter to Celestia, not many do it, but you can. Celestia told me about others sending inventions to her in the past, it's not common but there is historical precedent for it. But it's not through the mail, it's normally passed on through connections with powerful ponies like a noble.

After a moment I leave my thoughts having formed a decent plan. "We can do that." He looks surprised but I continue before he can speak. "But, it won't be simple. I've worked in the library for a while now, and as you'd imagine I hear a lot about spell inventors."

He looks cautiously optimistic at hearing that but also confused. "I've heard about inventors sending their inventions to the Princess, it's not been commonly done in recent times, but it's still possible." He looks a bit daunted at that. "So, your best bet is probably to send a letter giving it to Her Majesty and asking to remain anonymous."

He looks shocked at my words and his feathers pin back a bit. "We... W-Would. H-How?" He's obviously a little overwhelmed so I pass him some fresh tea and give him a moment. He takes a few deep breaths, "I... If this will help others. I w-want to do it." Again that look of determination.

I smile at him. "Good to hear, and I can even help you do it. Normally you can't just send the Princess letters, except on the Summer Sun Celebration." He nods but looks a little uncertain hearing that, so I move to reassure him before he can falter. "But, I work in administration at the library, and I know a pony I know who could get it to Her Majesty." Technically only a half lie, Entropy can get a letter to Celestia after all but she isn't a pony.

He still looks uncertain but that determination and hope is still there. "I-Is that... you know?"

I smile. "Legal?" He nods. "Yes, I can't give away names, but they work for the Princess as a researcher of some sort, even though I don't know much beyond that. Anyway, adding it to a report wouldn't be too hard, and they owe me a favor, while I trust them." I lie a bit but try to keep the story mostly truthful.

"We can look for another way if you want? Companies might take a deal, but they might not be as good at using what we give them or helping others with it." Celestia has a good reputation, not undeserved either, so if she got this spell it would be much better than some guild or company.

He stays silent for a long movement while looking at his arm before clenching a fist. "L-Lets do it! Right? W-We can do it?" I smile widely and stand up to pull some paper along with a quill and inkwell out of my saddlebags. 'W-Wait, r-right now?" He sees my actions and guesses my intentions.

I nod. "Why not? I can pass it on tomorrow and the sooner the better." He looks at the pieces of paper for a bit. "How about you focus on the message and I copy all our notes and instructions?" I give him a way to focus on the important work of writing a monarch.

He takes the quill after a moment and nods slowly. "Ok, y-ya, let's do it. Umm, and... Thank you Shade, all this is, It's a dream come true." He smiles a little while looking at the paper as I start to copy our notes over from our notebooks.

It seems I'll need to send a letter to Celestia, and I know her well enough to know Avalon is going to be getting a face-to-face meeting, I think she'll like him. I smile widely, "You're welcome Avalon, and hey remember to keep me out of there. I'm too introverted to have the Princess notice me." I take a joking tone as he nods with a slight chuckle before we get to work.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 995

I still haven't decided where we are going for this trip, but I think I have an idea, still, it you lot have any suggestions feel free to share.