Striving for Adaptation

Finally here. And I think my legs are going to fall off.

I was breathing heavily when I finally reached Ahirata's castle at the bottom of Tartarus. I had an old backpack on my back that I had found somewhere in the closet, filled with food and water. Where did I get the supplies? Well, I had some money left over from selling the first painting. After buying all this, it's gone.

After taking a few deep breaths, I threw my head back and shouted loudly: "Ahirata! I came, oh, learning!"

"LEARNING, learning, learning." My voice echoed up the great spiral staircase of the castle. The echo went higher and higher, but no one answered. Did I come too early?

"Huh? Oh, Arthur, get up! I'm on the second floor. Ahirata's voice answered me sleepily, as if she had just woken up. But it would be better if she didn't answer me.

The second floor. How many steps are there? A lot, considering I can't see any doorways from where I am. Just an endless staircase.

After a few more heavy breaths, I found the strength to adjust my backpack and start climbing the stairs. On the way, I took a quick inventory. The phone that Twilight kindly charged for me? There it is. But I'm not sure what I need it for. A few more acorns to make sure Ahirata will forgive me? There are some. Everything else is in the backpack. By the way, it's good when your back doesn't hurt at all.

"This way, Arthur." Ahirata called from the side. Turning towards the voice, I saw that I had almost passed a rectangular opening. Behind it was a room with several red cushions on the floor, a pile of books and Ahirata himself. An interesting observation. The castle walls and stairs are pitch black, but this room looks gray, like an ordinary stone. Maybe she create it recently?

Nodding quickly, I entered the room and immediately asked with some impatience, "Can we start learning magic already?"

Ahirata smiled slightly and said, "Well, first you have to learn how to control all this. If you're lucky, that will take a few minutes. "

"What if I'm unlucky? " I asked cautiously as I took off my backpack and placed it in the corner of the room.

Ahirata folded her hands and said with an awkward smile, "Well, if you're not lucky, then, well, probably never?"

It doesn't sound great at all.

Noticing the frown on my face, she quickly said, waving her hands: "But I believe you will succeed! After all, I've placed your soul in the most perfect place possible. Something like that."

What did she say? Shaking my head slightly, I decided not to pay attention and just walked over to the pillow in front of Ahirata before sitting down. For a few moments after that, there was only a silence in the room. I raised an eyebrow in embarrassment and said slowly, "I thought you were going to explain to me what magic is and all that."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I've never been a teacher. I need to collect my thoughts." She replied, scratching her cheek with a claw. I gave a quick nod without much thought.

Is it just me or am I pushing myself too hard today? Probably seven thousand steps plus a ladder makes me not very friendly.

Finally, Ahirata cleared her throat and said slowly, "So let's start with the basics. Magic is divided into two main groups. Ordinary and Natural. In our case, we will only talk about the first and its specific type. Runes."

Unfortunately, I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked: "Why don't we touch on natural magic?"

"Because it is impossible to use in most cases. Of all the creatures I know, only Daniel uses natural magic to the fullest. And maybe the ancient spirits do too, but I don't know. Just my theory. There are also special golems, but they have not been made in a long time and they only use natural magic for seeing. " Ahirata replied somewhat awkwardly. Probably due to a lack of data.

"Daniel has overtaken everyone again. " I said and rolled my eyes. Ahirata chuckled slightly and paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to continue the lecture.

"So how did that guy get another privilege?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Ahirata recoiled from my question for a moment, but after a few moments, she recovered: "Well, there is such a thing as a test of will."

It sounds a bit like an anime thing.

I was able to hold back a short laugh and Ahirata continued, seemingly unaware of it: "A test of will is when a person's body is on the verge of death and his soul tries to escape. However, if the will proves to be strong enough, the soul will remain in the body and begin to actively gain its power. I suppose this happens to try to escape the body again. Um, I'm distracted. The soul is expanding at such an active pace that the body can, well, burn out a little. Very strongly. Only after a few hours will the body be strong enough to keep the soul intact. And since the test of will most often comes in battle, those few hours may simply not be there. "

"And how does that relate to my question? "I asked a little embarrassed.

Ahirata quickly scratched her scaly neck before she said, "Daniel has been through this. Twice, as far as I know. And somehow, during that process, the orb of a golem connected to him. This allowed Daniel to feel the natural magic around him. It's much easier to use something if you can at least feel it, isn't it?"

I stared at her for a while, trying to make sense of it all, before I slowly asked, "There is one thing that bothers me. Daniel has been on the verge of death twice. And both times, he overcame this so-called test of will only to become stronger in the end?"

Ahirata seemed to sense my indignation and answered with an apologetic smile: "Well, if it's any consolation, Daniel is not the only one in history to have overcome death twice. Were there, uh, ten more ponies? About that. "

This is not very encouraging. This guy didn't deserve to be so lucky. And I definitely have no intention of repeating his exploits to match his strength. I will surpass him with my mind.

Suddenly, Ahirata clapped and said hurriedly: "So we got distracted. And I promised to teach you something! So, the runes."

She cleared her throat slightly and picked up the book with her hand before continuing: "Runes are actually a method of using spells for creatures without organs to focus magic on a single point. The essence of runes is to draw magic from the body, form the right combination of circles and make it work. Is that clear yet? "

I scratched the back of my head slightly before answering slowly, "Sort of. "

Ahirata nodded quickly and said, "So even the most basic rune requires you to form two circles and a symbol in the center using only your magic. So our first lesson is magic control!"

I think she's really nervous right now.

She put the book aside, without even opening it, and said slowly, "So, to learn how to control magic, you, Arthur, have to feel it. So, meditate and everything will be fine."

Hearing this request, I replied a little embarrassed: "Uh, I have no idea how to meditate. "

Ahirata stared at me blankly. It is very, very difficult to read emotions from her absolutely motionless eyes. Finally, she hesitantly offered: "Well, I could try to excite your nerves so that you can feel the magic flowing through your whole body. After all, our first task is to feel the magic. "

"A trick? " I asked cautiously, fingering my fingers.

"It won't be very pleasant. " Ahirata said very slowly, slightly covering her face with her hands.

It feels like this world is the epitome of no pain, no gain.

Snorting, I let myself think for a moment. What did I come here for? To learn magic. And for what? To become stronger and to defeat King Sombra when he appears. Why would I do that?

I want to rub Daniel's nose in it. And prove that this is the really world of the cartoon. That all the time I spend with my sister is not a hallucination.

I took a deep breath and nodded: "I agree. Start."

Ahirata stared at me in shock. I just nodded again, but lowered my eyes slightly, knowing what I would agree to. For a few seconds, there was just a funny fluttering in the room, before she slowly said, "Okay, everything will be fine now. And I'm sorry I can't offer you something better. I really learned meditation so long ago that I can't remember how I learned it. "

" It's okay. " I replied, swallowing nervously as I watched her slowly extend her clawed hand toward me. For a moment, Ahirata held two fingers on my left hand before slowly pulling it towards her. And so she pulled a line from my hand that glowed with a bright green light. It seemed to tremble slightly, as if Ahirata's fingers were holding some kind of rope in tension.

"My magic? " I asked, staring fascinated at the line that began and ended in my hand. Ahirata nodded slightly at me and released her fingers after a moment. Almost immediately, the magic returned to my hand. And I felt a terrible tremor throughout my body. It's as if there were a kilometer of wire in my body, swinging from side to side, touching literally everything.

I think I'm going to be sick.

When I reflexively put my hand over my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting, Ahirata tapped me lightly on the shoulder and said in an instructive tone, "Concentrate on the strange feeling. This is your magic."

Despite the instruction, I only felt a growing tremor inside. After a few moments, however, it began to slow down a bit, allowing me to concentrate at least a little. The wire, as I described it earlier, seemed to be intertwined in one place. Somewhere on my chest, next to my heart. And that place is so, so warm. I hope it is not because of the blood.

Slowly but surely, the sickening feeling disappeared, but I still kept my attention on the warm feeling in my chest. Ahirata slowly removed her hand from my shoulder and asked carefully: "Do you feel it? Your soul."

Taking a deep breath, I ran my free hand over my sweaty forehead and said, swallowing, "Y-Yes, I feel it. What's next?"

"Are you sure you want to continue? Maybe that's enough for today?" She asked with concern in her voice.

No, I have to keep going. At least so that my efforts to come here would not be in vain.

"Yes, I'm ready. What do I do next?" I asked, closing my eyes so as not to distract myself from the warm feeling in my chest.

Ahirata was silent for a few minutes, probably worried about me, but finally she said slowly, "Okay. First, try to feel your soul better. You have to find the part that's the least hot. There should be an exact line between dark magic and normal magic. "

I frowned, trying to find something like that. In the end, disappointed words came out of my mouth: "It doesn't work. The temperature is the same on all sides. "

"Okay, okay. Uh, let's skip this point. It's nothing serious. Just try to pull your soul out so that a small line comes out of your body. "Ahirata said nervously.

It seems to me that she does not understand what she is doing. And anyway, how am I supposed to get my soul out?

Almost reflexively, I tried to scratch the place where I felt my soul. Of course, nothing worked.

Frowning, I tried to mentally give the order. Like, move! And to my surprise, it turned out to be a warm feeling, as if the truth was stretching slightly towards my left hand! Delighted with the first successes, I gave another command, and another, and another.

Finally, I opened my eyes and focused on my left hand before giving the last command. Fascinatingly, a green glowing line, almost like a stalk, rose from my palm. My magic

Unfortunately, as soon as I allowed myself to smile, the stalk vanished into thin air. And very quickly, the warm feeling returned to my chest. But that didn't stop Akhirata from cheering: "Well done, Arthur!"

Now it seems to me that she treats me like a child.

With a slight snort, I asked with a grin, "Well, thank you. What's next?"

Ahirata picked up the book she had put down earlier and finally opened it before she slowly said, "Now we're going to make runes. I'll try to be brief. Each rune must have at least three elements. The outer circle, which stabilizes the magic and determines how the final run will work. Like a recording of yourself and so on. "

Clearing her throat slightly, she continued: "The second element is the central circle. It provides additional stabilization and an additional effect to the rune. For example, if the central circle has the effect of petrification, then an arrow will petrify when it is hit. That is, if the central circle of petrification exists at all.

Judging by the fact that she has already mentioned three elements twice, it is impossible to do less.

I nodded slightly and Ahirata, returning the gesture, continued: "And the third element is the symbol in the middle of the rune. It defines the action itself. Shield, arrow, invisibility and all that. It's simple enough."

For a few moments after that, she was silent, as if considering her next move. Finally, Ahirata placed her book in front of me, and I saw that there was an image on its pages, presumably runes. The outer circle had spikes pointing inwards, the middle circle had no pattern and there was a plus sign in the middle.

Ahirata cleared her throat slightly to get my attention and said: "This is the rune of self-healing. I thought it would be quite simple and useful for you. "

I frowned slightly and asked with some embarrassment, "And do I have to form all this out of my magic? "

"You don't have a time limit, don't worry. I'm in no hurry to make the changelings more, uh, safe. " Ahirata replied with a small smile.

Safe changelings?

"Can you explain?" I asked, not even daring to try to make a rune yet.

Ahirata rubbed her hands lightly and looked away without answering. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh and said, "I have experience casting spells in a large radius. And I have experience in, uh, radically changing living organisms. That's why the princesses asked me to figure out how to make the changelings safer, right after their army was captured in Canterlot. "

"But I am not in a hurry with this project! So don't worry, I can devote my time to teaching you. " Ahirata finished, raising her hands and forcing an awkward smile.

I stared at her for a while, not feeling particularly convinced. Suddenly, the words came out of my mouth: "You don't really want to do this, do you?"

Ahirata was taken aback for a moment. I don't blame her, I don't really understand how I could have guessed that before. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Ahirata who said with a heavy sigh: "To be honest, I dream of turning Tartarus into a garden and closing the doors forever. Besides, I don't want the last thing that will be remembered of me to be the reshaping of the nature of an entire species. "

This is quite understandable, I suppose.

Sighing, I looked at the rune in the book again and slowly said, "Okay, I'll try it now.

Taking another breath, I began to mentally command the warmth in my chest to move. After a minute or two at most, a line of green magic appeared from my hand. Frowning heavily, I began to push it further, trying to form a ring. But the process became slower and slower, and moreover, my magic began to sway like a stalk in the wind!

After a few moments of struggle, I exhaled and all the magic vanished into thin air. Ahirata noticed my mood and cheered me up: "Hey, don't worry, you still have a lot of trials left. In fact, it's almost infinite."

"Okay, okay. " I replied before taking a breath and trying to focus on the warm feeling in my chest again.

I feel like it's going to take a lot longer than I thought.

At that time, a sad and humiliating event took place in the Dragon Lands. A large lava lake was completely drained. In addition, many dragons, under the command of the lord himself, melted and moved rocks in the nearby mountains to redirect the flow of the rivers there. No one was happy about this.

The Dragon Lord, Torch watched all this with a frown on his face, his injured hand resting on his knee. He probably didn't want to do it any more than anyone else present. But the wound was a constant reminder of the deal he had made. With a short snort, Torch raised his whole arm to give the order to move the last stones.

But suddenly the dramatic silence was broken by a dragon hanging in the air next to him: "Dad, this is stupid. What can some outsiders do if you refuse?"

Torch glanced at his daughter Amber before sighing and saying, "I don't want to risk losing my other paw. Besides, it's just a lava lake. "

"Then let me go myself and find the creature that did this! " She replied irritably, flapping her wings to keep up with her father's head.

"No, you stay here. You're too small. " Torch replied before finally waving his hand. The dragons in the nearest mountain responded, albeit reluctantly, and moved the boulders. In the next moment, rivers poured into the drained lake, soon to fill it.

The battle for life in Tartarus is over. It remains only to take advantage of the victory.

However, the battle for life is just beginning very close by.

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: Noon
Location: Ponyville

Everything is going according to plan.

After shifting slightly on the stump, I couldn't stop looking at the thing in my hands. A bank statement. We can say that this is a beta version of paper money. If I take this piece of paper to a certain bank, they will give me as many bits as it says here. That is, ten thousand bits.

"Ha, when I was a captain of the guard, I got several times less in a few months of work. " I chuckled before putting the precious paper in my pocket and looking around. The ground was covered with the nutritious ashes of burned plants. Soon this plot will be a farmer's dream. All I have to do is hire someone to plow it and I can rent it out.

And then, ten years later, to build a house here and grow a vegetable garden yourself.

"Yes, in about ten years." I said as my eyes fell on the town ahead. Ponyville. The home of our fears and defeats. And above this place is Canterlot, perched on a cliff. The home of our rebirth.

Suddenly, my relaxation was interrupted when my eyes caught something black and moving in the distance. Quickly wiping my glasses with a finger, I looked again and saw the changeling. With a bunch of cups floating behind him. Flying. What is he doing here?

"Well, we ran out of wood to burn anyway. So I can engage in social interaction. "I said with a shrug before getting up from the stump I was sitting on.

Then I stood on my former seat and shouted with my only raised hand: "HEY, FLYING, COME HERE!"

Fortunately, I was loud enough for the changeling to stop and notice me. Then he shook his head and began to walk slowly toward me. At the same time, he did not release a whole collection of wooden cups from his magic.

They say that it is indecent to dig into other people's money. By the way, I have no idea why. But still, how much is he being paid for betraying Chrysalis at the most crucial moment? It feels like a credit card or something was invented specifically for him.

Snorting, I put my hand on my hip when I saw that Flying had come close enough for us to talk. But before my mouth could open, he said irritably, "You called me wrong again, madman. "

Rolling my eyes, I replied calmly, "We've already discussed this. It's much more convenient for me. I've been calling you that for half a year, and now I have to start calling you something else? "

"Yes," He replied immediately. Okay, let's solve this problem the same way any modern person would. I mean, just don't solve the problem. Ugh, what a disgusting mentality they are imposing on me. And with relative success!

Nodding slightly to myself, I asked with a raised eyebrow, "By the way, what are you doing in Ponyville anyway? I thought you'd prefer Las Pegasus or something like that. Tropical islands as a last resort. "

"Well, first of all, I came here for this. " Flying replied before raising one of the many wooden cups to his mouth and tilting his head back. His beetle wings fluttered slightly, seemingly with pleasure.

That's right, cider. It's the end of August, so some of the apples should be ripe. And some of it could be used for a drink.

"Would you like some cider?" He asked, suddenly bringing the mug he had just finished drinking from close to my face.

I pushed it away with my hand and replied: "No, alcohol only three times a year. And judging by the fact that you drink it at all, this definitely falls under that rule. "

"Ugh, but you say you gave up the whole thing with Perfection. In my opinion, only the level of pathos has changed. " Flying replied with a roll of his eyes and then took another big gulp.

Maybe it's been a part of me for too long. Maybe the idea of Celestia with redemption and the desire to teach me how to live in society is doomed from the start.

Shaking my head quickly, I asked with a frown, "So you said first. What other reason do you have for being here?"

"Oh, right. Celestia asked me to give you something. He replied before taking another sip from the cup. Yes, this Pony Beetle can drink an entire wooden cup in two sips.

I waited patiently for him to finish his drink and give me an answer. It seems that Flying sensed my mood, because he quickly turned away from the cup and said quickly: "No, Arthur still needs the assistance of someone more experienced. However, we can consider your request in a week when I come to Ponyville myself. That's what she said.

Okay, not everything is going according to. . .

Suddenly I froze as I felt something behind me. Something absolutely indescribable. The only description I can think of is dangerous. I quickly turned around and looked at the row of trees I hadn't cut down yet. Despite the lack of any obvious signs of danger, my whole body was tense. For a moment, I even wanted to lunge at those trees and destroy them all. A preemptive strike.

Gritting my teeth, I asked without taking my eyes off the tree line: "Listen, you're going back to Canterlot soon, aren't you?"

"Yeah. The clubs are supposed to open there tomorrow. Why do you ask? Do you want to come with me?" Flying replied in a cheeky voice.

I just rolled my eyes at his joke and said, "I need you to contact Rising. Tell him, as captain of the guard, to be ready to send tanks where needed. "

"Oh, I get it, you want to bring tanks into Ponyville again! Well, this time, when we have twice as many of them and there is no Discord, everything will definitely work out! " Flying laughed before suddenly becoming quiet as he started drinking his cider again. I did not respond to his remark. I know myself that Ponyville is my unlucky place.

Celestia really wants me to try to resolve conflicts peacefully. Well, I will definitely ask how it should have been resolved when it is all over.