Striving for Adaptation

Oh, another failed attempt. What's the score? Fifty-sixth? I've already lost count, to be honest.

I sighed in disappointment and shook my head slightly. I have tried to make this one rune so many times that I have managed to eat a little, get tired, sleep, and try again. Even Ahirata has gone somewhere. I'm already starting to feel like I shouldn't have decided to develop magic.

"Come on, Arthur, everything will work out. " I encouraged myself before taking a deep breath and starting to think. Am I doing something wrong? I can't be completely incompetent, can I? And Ahirata said that it was a very simple rune.

Suddenly, a lonely idea flashed through my mind. What if you had to release magic from several places at once? Like releasing a line from each finger and weaving them into the circles and symbols needed for the rune.

It sounds just fine. I'm so smart after all.

"Excellent. " I murmured with a smug smile before starting to implement my idea. I stretched out both hands and closed my eyes to mentally command the magic to move. With a slight frown, I managed to make the magic branch out into ten streams and move towards my hands. When they reached my fingers, I opened my eyes to better follow the progress of the process.

I blinked and started to connect all ten green magic streams. Surprisingly, it worked quite easily, and as soon as the inner spikes of the outer circle were finished, I moved on. Lines of magic flowed out of the spikes and began to form a central circle without any symbols. As I understand it, this is only necessary to stabilize the magic in my rune. No effects.

Ahem, I almost got distracted and broke the rune! I took a deep breath and directed the green magic lines to the final stage, which I had never reached before. The symbol in the middle. At that moment, goosebumps ran down my skin and began to crawl over my body, and the structure I had already built began to waver. However, the magic was still able to form into a plus sign. Right in my hands, there was a bright glowing green rune. I could do it.

But how do I activate it?

Realizing my ignorance, I exclaimed nervously: "Ahirata, I was able to make a rune! What's next?"

Silence. At the moment of my small triumph, only silence answered me. As if to complete my mood, the rune began to swing even more from side to side. I sighed in disappointment, realizing that I couldn't hold it, and just relaxed. No, I don't want to cry. Well, maybe a little.

However, my eyes fell to the ground and I noticed a strange detail. The bright green light had not yet disappeared. Looking up, I saw that my rune was still in the air, even though I had stopped controlling magic. But no sooner had the questions left my lips than it disappeared in a flash.

But I feel better. It's like I've never walked seven thousand steps.

For a while, I was just trying to figure out the whole situation. I used magic. Very simple magic, and I put an absurd amount of effort into it. But the main thing is that I used magic. Without any intention, my hand went up and I solemnly said, "YES!"

For a few moments, I just sat there, enjoying my triumph. But in the end, I lowered my hand and muttered as I stood up: "Well, this is no longer funny. Where is Ahirata?"

Stepping out of the door of the red pillow room, I looked around. Hmm, an infinitely long staircase up and a slightly shorter staircase down. What should I choose?

Snorting at my attempt at a joke, I leaned over the edge of the stairs to look down. And I wasn't wrong, because somewhere below I saw a green figure. Bingo.

But, what is Ahirata doing there anyway?

Confused, I started walking down the stairs, which felt extremely easy after my spell. When the distance between me and Ahirata was a little more suitable for conversation, I asked, "Hey, why are you here?"

Silence. Is the distance still too great? Despite my growing embarrassment, I walked further down the stairs and said with raised hands: "By the way, I made my first rune! I still can't believe it, to be honest."

Silence again. Well, this is weird. Frowning, I continued down the stairs and soon reached the end. Cautiously reaching out to Ahirata, who was standing at the threshold of her palace, I touched her shoulder and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Suddenly, she jerked her shoulder away and inhaled sharply before turning to me. Slightly taken aback by this reaction, I stepped back and raised both hands in surrender. Ahirata sighed after a few moments and said apologetically: "I am sorry. It's just that I was staring at the view, a little. "

Staring at what?

My gaze shifted for a moment to what was behind Ahirata. And I saw the water. The place, which, I remind you, is called Tartarus, now had many streams through which water flowed. To be honest, it's a bit fascinating.

Shaking my head quickly, I said with my hands down: "Uh, yes, apology accepted. I understand why you were staring at the view. You don't see a dried-up underground place filled with so much water every day. "

Ahirata smiled slightly and nodded at me before returning his attention to the view. However, I couldn't help but ask, rubbing my hands lightly, "By the way, are you planning to do something about the local cold? While I was busy studying, I didn't pay attention to it, but Tartarus really isn't a very warm place. "

"Mmm. " She muttered aloud, not looking up from the view. I'm not sure if that counts as ignoring or not.

I shouldn't spoil my relationship with her either. So far, she is the only person I know who is not a canonical character.

I nodded slightly to myself, and as if in response, Ahirata said after a few moments: "I could try to keep small streams of lava under water. But it will take a lot of effort. And I'm not sure if there are any suitable lava lakes around Tartarus."

"I see. " I replied slowly and decided to look at the views of Tartarus with Ahirata. But my mind immediately turned to more important things. What is happening on the surface? How polluted is the air around my house? Or has Daniel found a new way to annoy me?

I took a deep breath and asked Ahirata, "Um, can you explain something to me? About Daniel?"

She looked at me and replied kindly, scratching her cheek lightly: "Well, we're not super close friends. But I might know something. What are you interested in? "

I closed my eyes for a moment to collect my thoughts and finally asked: "Do you remember when he fought the Dragon Lord? How he, for the life of me, destroyed his palm?"

"Oh, that's what you mean." Ahirata said slowly and turned away slightly.

I really need to find out what it was.

Ahirata adjusted the wreath on her head before answering uncertainly, "He doesn't talk about it much. Probably for reasons of secrecy. But as far as I know, Daniel gathers natural magic around him and fills it with his own. Because of the severity of the technique, he can only keep it stable for a moment. But in that moment, the natural magic, charged with Daniel's magic, becomes an absolute defense. "

"Only for a moment. " I said, looking far away at the rivers flowing through Tartarus. Absolute protection, damn it. Judging by what's left of the Dragon Lord's paw, it would be more accurate to call it a parry. Or an absolute attack. Anyway, another reason to stay away from Daniel.

Rubbing my frozen hands, I asked, deciding to change the subject: "So, I made my first rune! What's next on the plan?"

"Well, I think we can move on to. . ." Ahirata started, but suddenly stopped. Then she turned her head to the side, as if she had discovered something much more important than me. My eyebrows raised in embarrassment, my gaze followed hers and found almost nothing.

Is there a chance that my eyesight has deteriorated but I haven't noticed it for a long time?

I don't want to think about it. Sighing, I asked with a hint of embarrassment in my voice, "Ahirata, what are you looking at?"

In response, she slowly raised her claw to point up, and after a few moments, she replied with her own embarrassment, "There are roots. I am sure they are not meant to go so deep as to reach Tartarus. "

I looked again where she was pointing, but still did not notice anything sticking out of the conditional ceiling of Tartarus. I quickly looked at Ahirata in case she was joking. Judging by her face, she was serious. Looking up again, I frowned and tried to think of something.

Tartarus is under the Everfree Forest, right? This is absolute nonsense, of course, but what if the seeds that Discord planted decided to grow now and not at the beginning of the fourth season? What if Daniel's burning of the trees had somehow provoked them?

I think the only explanation for why this is happening is Daniel's antics. Like, he awakened the seeds at the cost of danger. They're probably magical or something.

We still have to check it out. Besides, it's really cold in here. Exhaling, I quickly asked, "Uh, can you give me some books about runes and stuff? It seems like I need to get to the surface to at least get a little warm. "

Ahirata nodded quickly and said: "Okay, I'll take you home. I don't like these strange roots. And you're my responsibility now. "

Frowning, I said with a hint of irritation in my voice: "I don't..."

". . . A child. "I finished, but at that moment, Ahirata had already teleported away from me with a red flash. Yes, it's unpleasant. On the other hand, I have no right to complain. After all, she's teaching me magic.

As soon as I let out a reluctant sigh, another red flash appeared in front of me and in the blink of an eye, Ahirata appeared in front of me. She held my backpack in both hands and patiently handed it to me.

Is it just me or has it gotten bigger?

I grabbed the backpack with my hand and immediately let out a shocked breath. It's gotten much, MUCH heavier. Ahirata smiled apologetically and said, covering part of her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry. I decided to take all the books with runes that I found. Well, so you don't have to come back to me too often."

"It's not that I'm against your company! I just know that you don't like to walk up the many stairs of Tartarus. " She quickly corrected herself.

With a heavy sigh, I hung my backpack on my back and said with a slight wave of my hand, "It's okay. But it seems to me that you are really worrying too much about nothing. "

"Probably. "Ahirata replied, forcing a small smile. After that, there were no more words. Not from her, not from me. The only thing that diluted the awkward silence was the flow of the newly formed rivers in Tartarus.

So, who's going to speak now?

After a few seconds of growing awkwardness, I rubbed the back of my head and asked, "Shall we continue?"

Ahirata nodded quickly and asked with a polite smile: "Shall we take the stairs, or shall I teleport you closer to the exit? I guess you're not used to teleportation yet, so I'm asking. "

Almost immediately, I set my priorities and answered: "Anything is better than climbing seven thousand steps. Anything. "

She just nodded and her eyes lit up with a bright red aura. For a while it didn't go much further than her eyes, but suddenly it began to expand rapidly. Almost instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut, but that did not save me from the next moment of severe dizziness and trembling all over my body.

I'm not sure you can get used to it at all.

After a few seconds, I finally dared to open my eyes and saw the familiar corridors with glowing crystals in front of me. And to my right, I could hear a chilling snore. Cerberus. Yes, I'm still afraid to walk next to him.

Ahirata tapped me lightly on the shoulder and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath and answered in a whisper: "Yes. But why did you have to teleport here? Right next to this? "

She quickly followed my gaze, which was focused on Cerberus. Then she grinned and said, "Well, for one thing, he's asleep now. And secondly, I was afraid that teleporting further would be difficult for you. So I decided to stay here."

It seems to me that one day I will have to point out to her that I am not a child.

Stifling a snort, I adjusted my heavy pack and asked for a bit of a hurry: "Can we just go? I really don't like this dog."

Ahirata shrugged and said as she walked past me: "I was going to give him something to eat, but I guess that can wait till later. After all, Cerberus has somehow managed without me for centuries. "

My eyebrow arched in curiosity as I began to follow her, and the question came out of my mouth: "What do you mean, centuries without you? "

Almost immediately, Ahirata replied in a dejected tone, "I, uh, lived longer than I should have. Much longer. And, well, Cerberus was created by me. A long time ago. If I remember correctly. "

I blinked a few times in embarrassment before asking a seemingly too simple question: "How old are you? "

She let out a heavy sigh and said, looking straight ahead, "I have no idea. It's been too long to remember. "

Wow. Like, it was probably on the surface most of the time. But still. Wow.

As more questions began to form in my mind, my eyes noticed the natural light coming from the front. However, there was something strange about it. It's like it's darker than usual. But maybe it's just evening now? After all, I had no way of knowing the time down there.

"Wait, I have a phone." I muttered before reaching into my pocket and pulling out my phone. Ninety-two percent. On the one hand, it's good that I forgot about it. I was completely focused on the runes. And on the other hand, damn, at least I could look at the time! Why else would I set my watch to local time when I was in Ponyville?

Shaking my head in disappointment, I looked at the time. Ten o'clock in the morning. Frowning, I looked at Ahirata and said with a slight smile: "I thought you would react somehow to modern technology?"

"Huh? Well, I'm sorry. I don't like technology at all. An old habit. " She said with an awkward smile as she continued walking forward.

Heh.

In the end, I put the phone back in my pocket and the two of us walked through the gates of Tartarus. And on the street I found a landscape that had changed significantly. More roots were sticking out of the ground and the trees seemed to be growing taller. Or are there more of them? Or are both options even true?

"You can see that something has changed too, right?" I asked nervously, leaning into Ahirata's ear. Not very easy, considering she's a head taller than me.

"Yes. Any idea what it is? " She answered slowly, looking cautiously at the trees in front of us.

Despite the relatively simple question, I thought hard. Last time I showed that relying on knowledge of the series is very risky. Basically, I can use it for chronology. But judging by what is happening now, the chronology is completely broken!

But you can't just take a step back. I just want to prove my point. I want to, and that's it.

After a very long silence, I finally said: "I have an idea how to solve this. But I need to see Mane Six."

"The sixth mane?" Ahirata asked, confused. Oh, oh!

"I meant the heroes of Equestria. Twilight and her friends, you know?" I quickly corrected myself.

Despite my correction, she studied me for a while, as usual without blinking. But in the end, she nodded slowly and said wearily, "Okay. I'll take you to Ponyville. Just, well, try not to let the last time happen again, okay?"

I promise. I'm not going to make plans based on knowledge of the series. Just chronologies, suggestions and be sure to get an exhaustive source.

"Yes, let's go. " I said quickly, nodding decisively. Ahirata stared at me for a few moments, as if to make sure, but eventually she walked forward through the endless trees.

I put my backpack back on my shoulders and followed her, trying not to trip over the many roots along the way. But with each step, it was less up to me and more up to my luck. Finally, it was getting really dark in the forest. And significantly so.

Suddenly I heard a click behind me. It was as if something had snapped. Startled, I quickened my pace to get as close to Ahirata as possible and asked nervously, "Did you hear that? A kind of click. Like a branch snapping or something."

"Hmm?" - She mumbled, turning her head towards me - "I didn't hear anything. "

Am I losing my mind already? Have I cast the first spell of my life and am I already turning into a mad wizard?

Then at least give me a cool suit, a castle or something. To match the picture.

Despite my joke, I couldn't even manage a grin. Each step through the dark forest seemed more and more tense. Especially since there was nothing alive except Ahirata and me. Usually, there are at least birds in the forest, right? Well, they're not here.

Suddenly, I heard a kind of grinding behind me, as if someone was sawing wood. Swallowing nervously, I moved to the same level as Ahirata, so that at least my left side would be completely protected. Not that it could distract me from the complete silence.

Arthur, try to calm down. There is, uh, a wingless dragon next to me that can do all sorts of magical things. Everything's fine.

"Yes, it's. . ." It came out of my mouth, but I was cut off.

"RAAAAAWR!" There was a sound behind me that made me turn around quickly. And as if in slow motion, I saw a very strange wolf had already managed to jump towards me with its mouth wide open. It was literally made of wood, but there were protruding roots like thorns on its back and paws. In my opinion, there were such wolves in the series, but definitely without thorns.

The time for reflection ended when the wooden wolf finally covered the remaining distance and jumped on me, knocking me to the ground. Its claws dug into my flesh, making me scream in pain. Almost instinctively, I grabbed the wolf's open mouth with my hands, a moment before it could bite my face off.

"RRRRR." It burst from the wooden wolf's mouth as it continued to try to get to my face. Realizing that I would not be able to hold the wolf for long, I was able to kick it away with my foot. Although I was able to move it less than a foot away, I was still able to gain the opportunity to roll to the side.

Where the hell is Ahirata!?

By the time this thought crossed my mind, the wolf had already recovered from my resistance and was preparing to attack again. But as if in response to my question, a red glow suddenly appeared beneath it. In an instant, the earth bent and a wide stone spike emerged, impaling a wooden wolf on it.

I took a few heavy breaths and looked in the direction I had last seen Ahirata. She was standing with her arms outstretched, covered in a bright red aura. I was about to say something, but the wolf, despite his position, let out another growl and even began to scratch at the thorn with his claws. In the next few moments, several more stone spikes emerged from the ground, leaving more than one whole spot on the enemy.

"I don't think we should stay in the forest." I suggested before I put my hand on the ground to stand up and immediately hissed from the pain in my shoulder.

Ahirata held out her hand to help me up and said in a strained voice, "That's a good idea. I'm afraid there might be something more dangerous in this forest. "

I don't even want to think about it.

As I stood, I rubbed one of my injured shoulders lightly. My blood was there. And it continued to flow, albeit slowly, from the wounds. Swallowing nervously, I said in a hurried tone: "Can we go now? As fast as possible. "

Ahirata nodded and suddenly grabbed my hand. Before I could even squeak, she ran forward, pulling me with her. It was probably a miracle that I managed to stay on my feet and not trip over some random root.

It seemed as if the Ahirata was accelerating as the wind began to ruffle my hair and the trees around me became blurred. The only thing that stayed still was the light coming from somewhere ahead, like a light at the end of a tunnel. But in the end I shouted nervously, "Too fast! Slow down!"

To my surprise, unlike Daniel, she actually started to slow down and asked when she had reached the speed of a fast step: "Is everything okay?"

She really messes with me like I'm a kid. . .

I sighed and adjusted the backpack on my shoulders: "I'm sorry. I was afraid of the speed. I don't want to trip over a root and rub my face for a few dozen foots, you know?"

Ahirata let go of my hand and said with a slight nod, "It's okay. I don't blame you. Oh, and look, we're almost out of the woods! "

"Good," I replied, nodding back and quickening my pace slightly to catch up with her. After just a few moments of walking, we finally came out of the dark forest into a bright light that made me close my eyes for a moment.

After a few moments, I looked around. Despite the bright light, the atmosphere was still tense. There were a lot of felled trees around, symmetrically placed at the same distance from each other. To be honest, it feels like Daniel is preparing a new field for flamethrower lovers. But this time it's as if he's put in twice, if not three times as much effort.

Is this psychopath really going to destroy an entire ecosystem? And no one wants to stop him!?

As soon as I thought about him, I saw Daniel sitting on a tree stump, staring at me intently. Or the forest? Uh, it doesn't matter. Almost reflexively, I walked over to him and yelled irritably: "Stop cutting down trees! You know, in modern society it is customary to respect nature at least a little! "

Daniel blinked several times and said calmly, raising his left hand: "Good morning, Arthur. And you too, Ahirata. "

"Yeah. " She replied somewhere behind me. She didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation. Or did she just sense my mood?

Shaking my head, I finally got close enough to Daniel to have a dialog. But my attention was suddenly drawn to something else. Next to the stump was a huge square with antennas, switches, light bulbs and the like. Before I could ask a question, Daniel had already answered: "This is a walkie-talkie, in case the forest will do something dangerous."

So you KNOW that something is happening to the forest, but you KEEP burning trees!?

I snorted irritably and said, clenching my hands into fists: "Daniel, don't you think there's something wrong with the forest just because you're burning it in large chunks?"

He scratched his chin and said, "Well, first of all, that is a very dubious assumption. Second, Luna asked me to deal with a potentially dangerous forest, so if it starts to actively resist, then I can use more radical methods. And finally, all of Everfree is now my property. I do what I want. "

I gritted my teeth and demanded, "Before things get really bad, tell me where the elements of harmony are. So that as soon as your mistake bites your side, I can. . ."

Suddenly Daniel interrupted me with a calm voice: "The Elements of Harmony have been destroyed. Probably the data in the book you could have read is already outdated. "

Wh-What!?

Daniel stretched slightly before continuing: "And if you planned to turn the whole forest into stone, then it will hardly fail. I've never seen Elements of Harmony cover a large area. "

I tried to recover from the shock for a while and finally managed to formulate a short question: "How did this happen? "

He crossed one leg over the other and looked thoughtfully into the distance: "That depends on who you ask. Let me tell you Celestia's version, because it is the most kind to me. "

Daniel took a deep breath and said distantly, "An evil, terrible being captured Daniel during the invasion of Canterlot. This being was so powerful that it was able to defeat Celestia in battle and destroy the Elements of Harmony with its magic, copying their principle of operation. However, Daniel was able to defeat the being and expel it from himself. "

Then, he sighed and finished, "A very sweet fairy tale. "

Really 'cute'. But I don't think I'm going to feed your narcissism with more questions right now.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to figure out what to do. There are no harmony elements to put in the tree. All right. Uh, Discord! Right, he was the one who planted all those seeds, if I remember correctly.

Inspired, I said with a wave of my hand: "Then we must free Discord!"

"Well, that's not for me. I only know how to petrify things. " Daniel said and pulled his hand away. Seriously? Uh, I really hope he's just lying. Because otherwise this guy is just absurdly given a lot by fate.

But if there is no Discord, no elements of harmony, what should I do?

I have nothing. The chronology of the series is completely broken. All the necessary elements are blocked. I have no physical strength. I have only recently begun to study magic. I have no idea how to deal with Everfree with my meager skills. Maybe that is not possible in my case.

Maybe this whole idea of wiping Daniel's nose was a mistake? Did I ever believe in myself too much? Maybe I just have to be an artist and consider it my maximum to become an art teacher one day. . .

.

.

.

No. I want to do it. I'm not sure I've ever wanted anything so much in my life. Everyone around is acting like Daniel is some kind of god who can't even be touched. I want to shake it up.

I took a step toward my house and said firmly, "As soon as the forest starts moving toward Ponyville. . ."

"I'll beat you in everything," I said and gave Daniel a predatory look.

Daniel smiled back predatorily and said, licking his lips: "I expect the best from you, Arthur. Don't disappoint me. "

Try not to look too weak when the forest starts to run amok.