APR 22 Sunday.

I breathe out slowly as I sit inside the pavilion at Gaia's Eden and meditate.

I have plans for later today but for now, I'm just spending my time relaxing and enjoying the good sunny weather. Especially after the events of that one night. It's still fresh in my mind but I've found myself being very calm about everything that happened, at least to some extent.

For the first few days, I spent a little more time with my friends than normal, going out to eat, and game nights, along with getting a study session in with Avalon. It all helped me unwind and gave me time to think things through slowly while also giving me some distractions from my own thoughts.

After that I started getting letters from Celestia, every other day I got a letter like clockwork. Normally it is short and just asks me to write out and talk about my feelings on what happened, along with questions for me to think about. At first, I found it mostly a little amusing how much she worries over me, it has helped me get through my thoughts on everything though.

She's already sending a few but I think it will slow with time, it is nice to see my friend making such an effort to make sure I'm ok with her limited time. As for my thoughts on everything? Well, they haven't really changed much at all, I'm just sad it ended as it did, but that will fade with time.

On a more positive note, I've also spent my time going about my normal life and projects. First and foremost I've started preparing to crossbreed the Copper Lily with a new plant I got recently, a normal Water Lily. I picked this because I realized I have a better way to go about strengthening the Copper Lily.

I was planning to just crossbreed it with several other water plants that are more durable, but that has a small problem with it. It takes a lot of time to do that and as a result, the resulting Copper Lily would also lose some of its magical ability, which has happened with all other crossbreeds I've made.

That probably happens because the plants I'm crossbreeding are so different, either way it means I'd need to spend even more time working on the Copper Lily to improve its abilities back to where they were. So instead, I'm going to be selectively breeding a regular Water Lily.

Using regular selective breeding along with Guided Evolution I will make a very survivable and adaptable Water Lily, then I will just crossbreed that with the Copper Lily. It should work better than crossbreeding the Copper Lily with several other plants and my hope is that only a little of each plant's abilities will be lost as both are very similar types of plants.

As for why I'm currently meditating, I needed time to simply clear my head before dealing with other Ponies. A few days ago I got a letter back from Twilight, having sent her a letter of my own a little after the wolf incident, and we agreed to meet later today at the park.

Apparently, she also needs to watch Spike so he's once again tagging along with us. Not that I mind after all the time I spent with Dragons I am beyond used to them, but then again Spike is no ordinary Dragon. I did get a few small gem shards so I can surprise him with a little snack, but all that is for later right now it's just me and the wind.

Well, there is also another small but slightly concerning thing of note. The Timberwolf pack that moved in right across the river a while back is still there, having grown to nine adult members and three pups. It seems that the presence of Celestia has caused most large predators to leave this place alone.

It's given the Timberwolves room to hunt and grow without too many threats, they have even ventured to this side of the river a few times. I caught a small group of three hunting on this side and inspecting the shield around Gaia's Eden a little, but they didn't get close or do anything to it.

I do find them very interesting and I have a rough understanding of how they operate as a pack, but I am missing a lot of the finer details that can't be caught from far away. It doesn't help that they have the ability to blend into the life magic of the forest forcing me to rely on my Spatial Senses.

I have been working on something that might make close observation more practical though. For several months now I've been slowly making an Invisibility spell, and there is a good reason it's taken me that long to build something that really I could have done in two or three weeks.

One, I didn't really need to rush it as I have little demand for an invisibility spell, sure it's useful but not actually needed. The second reason is that I went way overboard on the spell itself, taking my time to push my spellcraft to its limit and really see what I could do.

For some context, the B.L.P Spell was the most complex thing I've worked on before, a spell with a total of three matrix rings and several runes, while the Flame Shield spell I made was less overall complex but still an Advanced spell. This Invisibility spell has four rings, twelve runes, and probably some of the most complex math I've worked with yet.

It doesn't need to be nearly this complicated or well-built, but I made it like this for good reason. An invisibility spell normally consists of two main parts, the part that makes you invisible from sight, and the part that makes you invisible to detection spells.

The second one of those is much rarer among Invisibility spells like this, but I really wanted to add it in as I didn't want to deal with that in the future. I also wanted my invisibility spell to be very robust and be able to stand up to even advanced scanning and detection spells, which meant I had to really make a powerful spell.

The magic cost is obviously higher than preferable but I have more than enough magic and this is really only for personal use so it doesn't matter as much. The spell itself works by forming a body-tight shield around the caster that hides them from both sight and magic.

Combined with a few other spells, like the Sound Canceling spell and the Scent Shield spell, and without an affinity it would be very hard to detect me. Overall it's the fourth advanced-level spell I've worked on and some of my best work yet, it's also let me dive more into advanced magics.

I once again breathe out slowly before standing up and opening my eyes, letting them adjust to the light for a moment before looking over at Entropy as she looks back from atop a railing on the side of the pavilion. She's been great the past week and seems determined that I take care of myself, and is very vocal if I even look like I'm not doing so.

I smile as she flies over to me while I check the time. "Time to head home." She bobs her head and a moment later we are gone, with me looking around my apartment for a moment and going into my workroom after not seeing any new letters. I walk inside and look over the new additions to my collection of gems.

The Diamond Dogs delivered the gems to the storeroom I rented and I got them all back here with little difficulty. After counting and reorganizing everything I can tell you I have quite a collection of gems. I bought eight medium Diamonds, and three large diamonds as well.

I was able to get a two-foot-wide sapphire with some great clarity. I also got twenty more medium gems, half ruby and the other half sapphire, along with five large rubies and six large sapphires, and finally a three-inch wind affinity gem. A truly insane amount of gems to have lying about on my shelves.

I am definitely going to be getting my uses from them though as I have a somewhat insane project I'm planning for. On a certain shelf are a few boxes containing the gem seeds I got from the Dragon Lands, I did try to research it but predictably I came up with nothing.

To even begin making a place to grow the seeds I need a magical shield that can withstand and contain the heat that I will need and that's a small project all its own. I also want to use some of the Fire Gems I have to generate the heat needed as they will be the most efficient, but doing that means I need a source of fire affinity magic.

I could just use normal magic but I have the fire affinity gems needed and it would take way more gems to get the same result as me just using the Fire Gems. I also think it would be a good way to use them, luckily I do have something that might work. The Fire Blossom Tree actually makes Fire affinity magic, so I've started breeding them to convert more natural magic into fire affinity magic.

The problem is I don't have a way to sense fire magic, so I've been temporarily using my smallest fire affinity gem to test the amount of fire magic. A simple spell that just makes the Fire Gem glow brighter the more fire magic there is near it, nothing that accurate but it works well enough for my needs.

I'll need to make the Fire Blossom Tree efficient enough and then plant several before funneling it all into a Fire Gem at the center. It should make for a good project and a great way to generate the rock melting temperature I'll need to grow those seeds.

I make a few notes about the Water Lily I was breeding earlier today and store the newest batch of seeds away before heading to the bathroom for a shower and to clean myself up. It doesn't take me long to make it look like I haven't been messing around with plants and magic all day.

I gather a few other small things and as I'm moving to the door Entropy lands on my back with her illusion already on. Entropy really has been more active and happy since that band was made, I should look into rituals a little more when I get the chance. I make a mental note of that as I leave my apartment.

I could fly but I feel like enjoying city life a bit and walking, and it seems good that I did because not long after leaving I see a newspaper stand. I normally only pay some attention to the news, enough to know the general goings on but not be caught up in it all.

I nearly walk past but stop as I notice the unusual number of Ponies reading and glance at the cover of one of the newspapers. NEW, A book on the lives of Dragons? :Oh, OH SHIT!!: I quickly move over to buy one and spend a moment moving out of the way and continue to walk while reading.

It's on the front page but isn't the headline still, this is more attention than I thought it would get right off the bat. I wonder if Celestia did this? No, she might be... Well, herself, but I don't think even she would, do, that... No, she would, actually she definitely would if given the chance. I chuckle a bit at the thought as I start reading.

A book about the lives of Dragons? Rarely seen outside of the coastal regions, Dragons have long been a source of fascination for many Ponies. Little has been known as they rarely speak and often don't interact more than necessary, but this inventive new book provides a look into their lives and sheds light on many things previously unknown.

I have had the pleasure of getting an advanced copy from the crown and the opportunity to review it before it was even released. To be blunt, it is by far one of the most comprehensive books on Dragons ever made and provides a great many insights into questions that remained unanswered for centuries if not longer.

From the Dragon's home lands all the way to their lifestyles, written and laid out in detail. A combined work of many Ponies working under the crown and what will surely be a new popular text for many researchers and those wishing to learn about Dragons and their lives.

However, many Ponies may find the book to be fairly graphic so readers are advised to keep in mind the content of the book. In conclusion, this is yet a book that very well may be referenced and studied, and read for centuries to come and is a landmark achievement of all the Ponies involved.

Article written by Page Light.

The article wasn't very long but the topic itself isn't massively interesting beyond those researching it and those who are curious about Dragons. I think it being published by the crown will give it some more popularity as the crown only directly publishes books every year or two. There are plenty sponsored by the crown but few are published directly from the crown.

I fold up the newspaper after reading a few other things and stuff it inside my saddlebags as I approach the park. It doesn't take me long to find Twilight but I notice something a bit more upsetting by the time I arrive. I see Twilight sitting alone on a bench with Spike, and a few other Ponies in the area looking at them from afar.

As I approach closer I notice that Twilight seems a little uncomfortable with the stares and I can't blame her. It seems my publishing that book has caused her some trouble unintentionally. "Hello, Twilight, Spike, it's good to see you both again. Too many eyes?" I ask in a friendly tone as I walk over.

She jumps a little and snaps her head in my direction with wide eyes, but smiles widely when she sees me. "Shade!! Sorry it's been so long, I've been dealing with my studies and my brother moving away. I also had to read through a few books for a big test. Anyway, did you see the news?" She rambles off quickly in an excited tone.

I can already tell she's trying to ignore the looks of others by talking to me, and I start to feel worse about putting her in this situation. Spike's eyes also light up when he sees me and he waves happily, completely ignorant or uncaring of the stares. I wave back a little as he chews on some type of snack.

I smile back and nod slowly. "I did, I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, if I could find one, I think they will sell out for a little while." I lie to avoid commenting on it. "You ok? I know what all their stares can feel like, and it's not pleasant." I start things off a little heavy but it is important she's ok.

I see her try to look strong for a moment before sighing and sagging down a little. "Right, the whole dance thing. I- I'm fine, it's kind of like when he first hatched, just without my dam, or brother." She looks around for a moment and huffs. "I couldn't even read at the library without, them!" She lets her frustration out a little before shaking her head. "Oh, sorry. How have you been?" She drops it as she seemingly doesn't want to vent to me.

I nod and give her an understanding look. "I'm doing well enough. And, we don't have to stay here, we can go somewhere else if you want? Or even just pick a different day?" I offer as she's a little tense. I'm not the type for attention but I can handle it with my age and experience, Twilight is actually a young mare of fifteen and will likely not do as well.

She shakes her head after a moment. "No, I can ignore a few nosy Ponies, and we haven't met for months. They will just stare wherever we go anyway. At least I got to learn more about Spike, did you know Dragons have markets? Like to trade? And even a language!" Her tone is still a little bothered but she seems happy with seeing me again.

I smile as her excitement increases over the topic, and then an idea strikes me. "How about going to my home then? Or better yet yours?" She pauses and looks confused for a moment before smiling. "Off to your home then? I'll admit I'm curious about where you live." I say and she gets off the bench with some quick movements, picking up Spike and placing him on her back.

"That's perfect we ca-..." She takes a step and stops, looking a little embarrassed. "Right, umm, my dam and sire are busy right now, remodeling. Sorry, I forgot." She tilts her ears down but pecks back up. "Wait, let's go to your home then! I-I mean, if that's fine with you?" She questions and I chuckle a little, increasing her embarrassment.

Twilight seems to have grown some, both physically and mentally. She seems more, sure of herself, at least at a surface-level glance. I nearly asked about her telling a family member, but she's an actual mare now. "Sure, it's not far from here, a short walk. Hello, Spike, how are you?" I ask the little Dragon as we start to walk side by side.

Spike looks back up to me and smiles widely, showing off his teeth and looking absolutely adorable. "Hi, Shad, Twi gave me co-cookies!" He says happily and seems more vocal since the last time we met but still hasn't gotten his speech perfect, missing a part of my name. He looks up at Entropy on my back, "HI! Birb!" He somehow smiles even more at the sight of Entropy.

Twilight giggles a little and I just laugh at the little hatchling. "Hello." Entropy caws back and uses a small bit of an excited tone, not something she does often with others beyond me. "Little." She caws out while flapping her wings a little and jumping onto Twilight's back.

Spike looks thrilled at being close to a crow two-thirds the size of him and tries to reach out, Entropy keeps her distance though, and just starts chirping tunes at him. Twilight keeps an eye on them as we walk and after a minute of Entropy entertaining him with bird calls I pick her up and move her back. I laugh again, "I never knew she liked foals. who knows?"

Twilight seemed to be happy but reacted with the care and caution I was expecting of her when taking care of a baby Dragon. "She really does, you trained her right?" I nod as I've mentioned it a few times before. "Entropy, wait?" She takes a moment and pulls a plain-looking book out of her satchel as we approach my apartment building.

I raise a brow and she looks nervous for a moment. "Umm, it's, well..." She leans in a bit. "The Princess gave me a book on Dragons," she says quietly as we pass into my apartment building. She looks around the lobby forgetting the book for a moment. "You live here?" She asks with such genuine curiosity that I laugh a little again. "Hey, I was being serious?!" She complains.

I nod and smile more. "I know, that's what makes it so funny." She just glares a little, but it has no heat to it. "I do, we still have to get to the third floor, I hope you like stairs," I say and continue to lead us. "So an early copy? I guess being the Princesses student does have some benefits." I tease her a little but react with a calm tone.

Twilight seems pleased at my calm reaction and starts to flip through the book. "She is the best! I even got... Well, it's a new copy." She says vaguely, trying and failing to brush it off as unimportant. "But, Entropy, I think it's a Dragon word." I raise a brow and show a little shock, both that she remembered that and that she read that much of the book so quickly.

Either way, it helps me cover up my unsurprised face at the information though. "Huh, I just thought it was a nice-sounding name. Who could have guessed? Does it mean anything?" I play along as we reach the door to my apartment. I flip a little switch and deactivate my apartment shield fully, not taking the chance she might detect it in some way as I have no idea what Celestia may have given her.

She flips to the right page and nods. "It does, apparently it's... Oh. A god? Of d-death?!" She seems a bit perturbed and closes the book shaking her head. "Sorry, I guess that's not the best comparis- ... Wow!" She trails off as she follows me inside my apartment and looks around.

Her eyes are drawn to the few small things I have around my home, but mostly to the plants I have, especially the glowing ones. "Make yourself at home, I'll get some tea ready," I say while Entropy flies off my back and lands on her perch. Twilight closes the door a moment later and continues to look around.

She looks at the small birdbath and the plants growing on Entropy's perch with curiosity. "I- I like your home, I didn't know you liked plants so much, are these magical?" She is drawn to the obvious magic in the room immediately and I chuckle quietly as it's very on-brand for her.

I bring out my teapot and a pair of cups before getting some normal mint tea from my cabinets and sitting down at my small table. Spike reaches out a claw as he stares at the glowing vines wrapped around the perch. "Pretty." He mumbles and Entropy caws above in agreement.

I chuckle as this little dragon proves to entertain me time and time again. "I do like gardening, those are Solar Vines, A desert plant that absorbs solar magic to expel at night." I share a little of my expertise and point to the small tree I have. "That is Iron Oak, very durable and it gets more durable with age, not as flashy though," I explain and enjoy the look of genuine curiosity Twilight has while listening. "Tea?" I offer and activate the enchantment on it.

She nods and stares at the plants for a few more moments before hearing the water boiling inside the teapot and looking curious about that, locking onto a new discovery. "Did you get an enchanted teapot? What type of tea do you have?" She asks and moves over to the table while glancing at the bookshelf behind me.

I tilt my ears and shake my head. "Just normal mint, I'm not sure you'd like the stronger flavors I do. As for the teapot, I did that myself, it's actually a spell I modified to work a bit better for this purpose." I've been showing my skill a little more even to my more distant friends, mostly so I don't have to lie as much.

Her eyes light up and she pulls out a quill and some paper. "Really?! That's awesome! Do you think you can write it down? I've been looking into spell modification but its, really hard." I smile at the slightly tired look she has at the thought. I take the paper and instead of giving her the actual spell just make one up.

The warming spell I use is a little too advanced, so I make something better than normal but not too impressive. It only takes me a minute or two as a subpar warming spell is far below my skill level by this point. I rub the back of my neck as I pass it over, "Thanks, but it's not that impressive, mostly a rune swap." I downplay things regardless as I don't need more praise.

She happily takes the piece of paper and looks it over. "I don't recognize that rune. Hmm, can you-" I get where she's going and write out the Runic Context. "Thanks." I just nod and pass it over. "Oh, this is a really old rune, where did you find it?" She asks something else as we settle in and I relax with a friend to nerd out about magic.

As I settle in I put all other things aside and just enjoy myself, and enjoy the time I have with the ponies around me. Death is hard, and everything ends, but that doesn't mean the points between the beginning and end don't matter.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 996

I'm not sure I'll continue this one, we'll see. I do still find it a bit hard to write Twilight, but that will come with practice.

Also, I have achieved my ultimate goal in writing. I got one of my characters to say birb and make it actually fit and make sense. I am very happy.