Enough time has passed since I willed Ambrosius’ castle out of existence that the novelty of moving Barrad’s seat of power to the newly christened Viirium has become the endless drudgery of the logistics of moving. Of course I could work out of my tower but I’d prefer to keep that my private space. Viirium will be the hub for everything to come, and therefore, busy. In fact, it already is.

The rest of the Pentarchy has ceded their authority to me, but I still need to bring some of Ambrosius’ old lackeys to heel. Maybe I should have kept the old captain alive. Well the point is moot; I already talked to Ceadda, and he assured me he would have the army under control within the month.

While that’s all well and good, this is moving slower than I had hoped. The Machine’s energies have bestowed upon me unfathomable power, but yet I still cannot reliably control Barrad or the ponies within it at my whim. The inverse square law is a cruel mistress, but in lieu of omnipotence I shall endeavor to create a worthwhile facsimile.

The first order of business is to ensure obedience from the little commoner ponies of Barrad. They disgust me. If they were so unhappy with Ambrosius they should have seized power themselves. The fact they didn’t is enough evidence that they are useless for anything other than being an extension of my will. If I am to keep the engine of Viirad moving ever forward, all of them will need to be willing to live and die for me. I’m not so naive as to assume they will simply work 16 hours a day and charge enemy lines if I just ask them to. Most probably don’t even know my name and even under threat of death, they’ll simply do the minimum. I need something more.

Mind control presents itself as the obvious solution, but I’ve read enough on the subject to know that it will be a bit more complicated than casting a spell and having an army of loyal followers. I’ll have to check my library for spells on the topic.

I’ve found 2 books in my collection that have records of mind control spells. A paltry find, but the Royal Canterlot Library my tower is not. The first was an advanced textbook I took from a university in the Riverlands that covers the subject, but the page long ethics disclaimer preceding it was quite the bore. In the end it only describes one spell with enough detail for me to cast it: Pusuadere. It is an enchantment spell that causes those affected to be more likely to be persuaded of ideas and thus then to follow in action. A weak charm, but it is a place to start. Perhaps amplified it could have some benefit to me, but I worry about the lack of safeguards as to who is persuading the target. From my reading, anycreature could go up to someone under the influence of Pusuadere and convince them of whatever con they fancy - not ideal for my use.

The next book was from the collection of the former occupant of my tower. I never knew them, but it does seem like they were also of the penchant to collect rare magic tomes. I know not of the origin of the book, but it claims to be the journal of some Equestrian mage. More importantly, it seems the author had a habit of transcribing rare spells when she had the opportunity to. An important habit to have when such spells often draw the ire of authorities. Alongside them are notes after what appears to be a wholly insufficient amount of testing. Drawing broad conclusions after one or two tests? Absurd, but it fits with the author’s lack of skill made apparent from the banality of some of these observations.

That aside, it appears she has managed to copy down an interesting spell: Cogeria. According to this description, it induces a state of stupor in the subject, suppressing free thought and allowing another (any other creature, once again no safeguards) to command them as they please. She then notes frustration at trying and failing to get somepony to blend in as their normal self while still performing her commands. The subject understood the commands, even complex ones, but she had to clearly describe exactly the behavior she wanted. “Acting normal” comprises of a plethora of microbehaviors that she clearly wasn’t able to vocalize. An obvious drawback to the spell evident in its description, but the author of this journal wasn’t the brightest. She also notes a persistent vacancy to the eyes of the subject regardless of what she tried to command the subject to do, suggesting to me that subconscious behaviors are beyond the purview of this particular spell. Again I find the spell lacking. An army of drones could have limited applicability, but I don’t have the time to micromanage the multitudes individually. Adding safeguards so they only obey me is possible, but fundamentally, the axis in which this spell operates is incompatible with my vision. I require useful slaves who can act independently, not whatever this spell creates.

The variety I have found has been unsatisfactory. Unfortunately mind control spells are few and far between, and those I have read about I have not had the opportunity to transcribe. If only there was a better developed body of deer magic research, but alas, seers are far and few between. I would hazard a guess that even the libraries in Hjortland or Ostkranbi would be insufficient. I will need to widen my search. Perhaps Silver Star’s library will have something mine does not. He’s good enough company, but getting him to let me search his library for forbidden knowledge and then transcribe it for myself may be too much for his paranoia. I could simply misdirect him as I did before. A simple “They’re back!” would be enough to make him cower in his bathroom for enough time to find what I’m looking for. After all, a useful side effect of apotheosis has been speed reading. No that won’t do. He already agreed to step aside for me at the reactor. This will merely be a test of if he respects my new power.

Author's Note

I took these first spells from the episode "Every Little Thing She Does" as a starting point.