AUG 17 Thursday.

I stare a little blankly at the two packages set on my kitchen counter.

I just got them both from the building manager after asking about mail, apparently they got one a few days ago but had something to do so didn't get it to me when he got it. Which was a little worrying, this particular package is important and I was getting a little concerned that it was a few days late.

I was planning to go to the forging guild tomorrow if it didn't arrive but it seems things worked themselves out. I sigh a little and open the box after seeing the sender's name, Metal Quake. Inside is a large amount of paper cushioning and a smaller box, the small box opens to show a tiny green band of metal.

One thing I have found interesting about this world is that ponies are much better at detail work when smithing than humans ever could be, I blame magic and spells. Ponies are able to forge things that shouldn't really be possible with nothing but a hammer and anvil. And yet they do so anyway.

The small band of greenish gray mithril, studded in a ring of twenty-seven small very pure diamonds, the entire thing is tiny, small enough to not weigh much on Entropy's leg. The mechanism to latch the band to her lag is very simple, two tiny rings of metal sit to one side with a third piece of metal dangling to latch them together on one side of the band.

On the other side is a hinge, a really fucking tiny hinge. This is what really fucks with me, how the hell do you make a hinge that small with a hammer? Did they use metal manipulation spells? Actually, Metal Quake is a master smith so she'd probably know a few, though, metal manipulation spells are not an easy thing to learn or use and takes a lot of magic. Maybe that's something to look into later?

Either way, I didn't specify how the band should attach and detach, I don't know enough to know what is truly possible, but still it came out really good and should be easy enough for Entropy to take off and put on. I glance into the box and see a small card inside, which I pick up and read.

This was interesting to make, come see me again if you have something fun that needs smithing.

I chuckle a bit and keep the card as it might have some use to it. I study the band for another moment before glancing over at Entropy atop her perch as she sleeps. I want to open my other package, but I need to do this before she wakes up and notices. I cast a spell to quiet my movement and make my way to my workroom without her knowing.

I sit down and take out some notes to start the process in full. Over the last few weeks, I've continued to steadily work on my three spells. The Love Gathering Spell, or LG spell for short, is still being worked on and I'm definitely taking my time to do things properly.

It's a balance between complex and efficient, and it's taking time, but that's not a bad thing. The other two spells, the illusion for Entropy, and the Changeling Sensory Attack, C.S.A spell are done already as it proved pretty simple to make. Let's start with the illusion spell though.

It really just was me improving on what was already there, and after the improvements, it costs less magic while looking even more accurate to an actual crow. I'll probably work on it more at certain points to try and improve it further but there really isn't too much to say about this spell.

Meanwhile, the C.S.A spell also proved to be surprisingly simple to make, all I needed in the end was the emotional shield spell I already had and a bit of creativity.

Now instead of keeping the emotions inside, it prevents emotions from passing through it in either direction at all. It should prevent a Changeling from absorbing or sending emotional magic out of their body. I will need a test subject though, I might have to convince Celestia on that one as it's not exactly a nice thing to test on them, it's also not dangerous though so I think she'll agree.

After sorting through my notes I start with enchanting the mithril band. I start by enchanting each small diamond and the band to gather and store magic, then I link each diamond to the band before enchanting the illusion spell onto the band, along with a very simple Scanning spell to locate where Entropy is for the illusion to be placed properly.

I stare at the band and try to do the mental math after the quick enchanting process, I'm not entirely sure if this will be enough to power the illusion continuously, but it should be from what I can tell. The band is mostly ready so I leave it here to keep it a surprise while I go satisfy my curiosity and retrieve Entropy.

I walk out of the workroom and leave Entropy alone for a moment to open the other package I got today, this one makes me blush a bit after remembering the whole mess it took to get it. It's not really Rarity's fault, she was doing her job and was pretty professional while dealing with a stallion who couldn't fully control themselves.

As for the staring? Well, I do the same from time to time, even if I try my best not to, it's not exactly easy to do when nopony wears clothes. I shake my head a little and get those thoughts out of my head before I have to deal with another thing today. I open the box and see a small note inside.

This suit came out fabulously, I hope you like it. No need for payment either, I insist.

I left Rarity with my address so she could just have it delivered to me instead of me coming to pick it up, I would rather not see her for the next few weeks by which time I will have mostly made myself forget that event. It did mean though that she got away with me not paying her.

Maybe I could drop some bits off next time I'm in Ponyville? Thoughts for later. I open the larger box more to see a nice suit neatly folded up inside, the deep black fabric contrasting with lines of silver that glint a little in the light. She must have really been motivated to get it done so quickly.

I pick it up with my space magic and get a better look at the entire suit. The suit itself is like the others I've owned, but the pattern stitched into the black fabric brings a whole new feel to it. The silver thread fomes vines that crawl from the bottom of the suit up, splitting into leaves and flowers as it rises.

I don't recognize this type of vine, but above the last of the vines and covering the top third of the suit sits many pinpoints that mimic star constellations in the night. The quality is as high as I expected with not a stitch out of place, it's honestly impressive how well-made this is. It might have actually been worth the embarrassment, hmm, on second thought no.

Still, it is a very good suit, I do think it could be less flashy though. On the other hoof, it is the Gala so not too many ponies will really notice another fancy and unique-looking suit, or at least not notice it for long until they see something even more interesting. I pack it away again taking care to not crinkle or mess it up, it will certainly look interesting, I wonder what Celestia will think?

I leave it be for the moment and focus on giving my family member a gift, along with some experimentation afterward. I had an interesting idea that I'd like to test, but this comes first. I walk over and stand at the base of her perch. "Entropy?" I call out quietly while shaking her a bit with my field instead of my space magic.

She pulls her head out from under her wing and looks down at me with a slight grogginess. "What?" She caws softly while stretching out her wings.

"Sorry to wake you, but I need your help with something." I keep my normal tone and she doesn't need to hear more than that before flying down to stand on my back while I walk back into my workroom. When we make it to my desk she takes notice of the band and hops onto the desk to look at it closely.

She doesn't peck it and keeps a little distance, I long ago taught her to not touch anything in this room without asking first. "Pretty, why? Do what?" She looks back at me with her slight head tilt she often does.

I pet her and feel my hoof shift through the warm feathers made from pure shadowy mist and spines. "You'll see, for now just watch for a bit." I lead her curiosity on and retrieve another item I'll need, I use my space magic to bring over a small pot with a single tiny plant stump in it.

I cut off the upper part of the plant in preparation for this. I place the metal band atop the plant's stump and keep it as still as possible while I focus on my work. I watch and sense as the small plant of Iron Oak starts to grow to cover the band in a very thin layer of bark-less wood.

I cover all the diamonds and only leave the latch and hinge free from a coating of wood. Then I dump more life magic into the wood and turn it into Steel wood. I could stop there but I really want this to be durable so I decide to just dump all my life magic inside and watch the wood slowly become more and more gray.

I never tested how far I could really push the Iron Oak with how much life magic I have now, another thing to test later. I don't really know what to call this new form of Iron Oakwood, it's still similar enough to Steel Wood to share a name for now. It's grayer than Steel wood and even makes a slight metal sound when it falls against my desk.

I decompose the band from the plant stump and put the pot to a side before casting a spell and enchanting the thin layer of wood now on the band. It's now thicker in some places and rounds the band out to hide the diamond's shape from the outside, a few spots of the mithril still stick out but they are minimal and I doubt anypony would recognize it easily.

Entropy watches the entire process patiently and gives me a curious stare as I smile at her. I pick up the bands with my space magic before maneuvering it to her left leg. She lets me do so and watches on as I latch it in place. "You know how I was making a Gift?" She bobs her head a bit and I notice her tail feathers wagging. "I hope you like it."

She starts mini-hopping from leg to leg and looks up at me again. "Me?" I nod and chuckle a bit as she rubs against my hoof while chirping happily. "Happy! Pretty! Stay?!" She hops around on the desk testing if it will stay on all the while her tail acts like a fan going up and down.

She looks thrilled before looking up at me and doing something she hasn't done before. She quickly teleports with the band still on her to the floor in front of me and wraps her wings around my belly as best she can. "Love you!" She caws excitedly while hugging me. I sit surprised for a moment before wrapping my forelegs around her.

I smile wider down at her and push her away a little after a moment. "I'm happy you like it, but it gets better. Up." I command and she teleports back on top with excitement clear in her body language. "Ok, now, peck on it gently." She almost looks a little offended at the suggestion and I laugh a little. "It will be fine, go on, three times quickly." I encourage her.

"Ok?" I nod with a smile. She tilts her head down and does as asked, a moment later light shimmers before she transforms into a completely different look. I take a moment to look it over, I'll have to keep an eye on it to see how long it will last. Hopefully, it's fully passive, but it seems to be working currently for now.

She turns her head back towards me but stops when she sees her body. "What?" She holds out a wing before looking over her body, seemingly amazed. I also tell her how to turn it off but she beats me to it, she pecks the band quickly, off and on again and again.

Once she's got a hang of it she shifts from foot to foot rapidly before leaping at me. "LOVE!" She caws out while tackling me to the floor and hugging me again. I laugh as she rubs against me and hug her back for a moment before standing up and placing her down on my desk again.

I feel a warmth in my chest. "I'm glad you love it, but we'll be having a talk about the rules when using it ok?" She rapidly nods her head and I pet her again. "Good, now there is something else I wanted you to do, up for some experimentation?" She tilts her head a bit and it seems to dampen her excitement a small bit, still, she nods quickly.

"Yes." She looks at the band again. "Happy, happy." She says while I flip the switch in my bracelet and activate my illusionary notebook in preparation.

"Ok, try to move into a shadow while keeping it with you," I ask and she closes her eyes for a moment, but expectedly the band drops to the floor as she slips away. "Do you feel like you can take it with you?" She leaves the shadow and shakes her head a little, looking disappointed. "It's ok, a different approach is all we need."

While pondering this problem I had an idea, Entropy is able to move any part of herself into a shadow, so what about parts of herself that aren't actively part of her?, anymore I bring over a cloth-lined wooden box that contains a cracked egg blacker than anything you could imagine, and a single feather made from the shadowy mist that shifts constantly from it, coming from nowhere and vanishing to nowhere.

I take out the feather, and even after a few years, it remains the same shadowy item. I wonder what causes it to retain its magical properties? Either way, I pass it to Entropy. "Remember this?" I ask and she tilts her head again.

"Yes, gift, like?" She asks me excitedly and I give her a smile in return.

"I love it, Girl. Try to move it into a shadow with you, just don't let go if it works, ok?" She bobs her head and picks up the feather in her beak. A moment later I feel my smile stretch widely across my muzzle. Entropy shifts into my shadow and I see her still holding the feather in her beak.

She comes out a moment later with the feather and I shower her with scratches. "Ok progress, good job." She preens at the praise and I put the feather down before passing her a smaller fragment of her egg. "Try with this," I ask and pass it to her.

"What, is?" She asks curiously at the small fragment absorbing all light.

I pause at that. I never did show Entropy her egg, but then again I've noticed she doesn't have the best memory of her first year or so of life, she was young then though so it makes sense. I move the box over to her and show the full egg. "This is your egg, you hatched from it," I explained calmly.

She looks closely at the void in reality that her egg makes. She sits silent for a moment before looking up at me. "Where from?" She asks curiously and my brain stops short.

"I... It's complicated, I found your egg at an auction, a shop. I, I'm not sure where it came from Girl." I try to be gentle with my words. I still remember the conversation I had with my uncle and aunt when they told me about my birth parents and what happened to them. I shake those memories away for now and focus on Entropy. "And I could never have been happier to have found you." I use kind words in hopes of visiting this topic later when she's older.

Her tail wags again and she chirps. "Yes, happy." I move the box away and pet her more before motioning to the fragment again. She picks it up and just like with the feather it enters her shadow with her. After she's done with that I pick her up and give her the band again.

I set her down on my back while walking to the workroom's doorway. "Thank you for the help Girl. Here, you can play and use it as much as you like, but don't lose it, when you're done leave it on my nightstand, ok?" I use a firmer tone to make a point, the normal tone I use to let her know I'm serious.

She takes it from me and puts it on happily before bobbing her head and rubbing against me again. "Ok, thank, love you." I smile as she flies off to the bathroom to probably look in the mirror. I leave her alone and started to organize everything I used while making some more notes.

Entropy, who would have guessed I would be raising a sapient crow when hatching that egg? Not that I have a single regret, Entropy is a light in my life. I place her feather and egg back with a thoughtful look. I'll need to look into magical uses for magical creature parts.

I think that anything she takes with her needs to have a shadow magic affinity to it, the affinity definitely exists out there even if I can't find proof of it. Why do I believe that? Well, if there is an affinity to life and space, why not shadow? The point stands though, it looks like I'll be doing some research.

I smile at the box again and put it back on the shelf. Entropy is such a good girl.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 995

Not a whole lot in this one, but I thought it would be nice to have a birb focused chapter, we haven't in a while. Any ideas for how Shade could go about adding shadow magic to the band?

Also, a little fun fact about entropy. Her feathers are made of shadow mist, but not the spines of those feathers. So, birb porcupine. That! is some eldritch fuckery.

Also, I'm taking tomorrow off, I know it's a day early but I got stuff that needs doing. Have a good day.