The Basics of Magic
Magic is fundamentally systematic. Take cooking as an example. Each chef may follow a different recipe for the same dish but what is important is that they have a due process. Magic can be viewed in the same light. Every spell is made up of different forms of magic combined in a certain order. There are there are different ways to cast the same spell and different ways differ in quality and difficulty. However, unlike cooking, every magic user has the same ingredients.
"What?!" you say, "Then how come I can't cast that enchanting spell that I tried a few days ago?"
As I said earlier, spells are made up of different forms of magic. This is exactly why you may not be able to cast certain spells. You will be able to produce different forms of magic with practice and study. I hope that this journal will help enlighten you on the path of the arcane.
Patrick leaned over the cafeteria table "So what do you think?" he had a hopeful look on his face, like that of a child.
"It's interesting... are you sure you want to commit to something as elaborate as this?"
"C'mon, it'll be an experience."
"Alright then, is there anything I can help with?"
"No, you'll just take all the credit. You douche."
"Do you really think I would do that? I just have a couple of small things I want to produce to help with this."
"I do think you would do that. You started the profile on FimFiction.net. You chose your pen name to be the G&PT. I am pretty sure you would do that."
"Harsh. Whatever, here's what I wanted to do: I want to make a spell list and-"
"Spell list? Are you a wizard Harry?"
"Just go with me on this, I want a set list of spells, naturally there would be many, many possibilities, but I would like to have just a few as a outline."
"How many?"
"Not many."
"How many?"
"Oh say... a hundred."
"A hundred? Really? That's quite a commitment."
"I know, but that isn't all. I plan on writing a story for it as well."
"And a story? What about everything else you are working on?"
"I can finish that up fairly soon. The story will be grand, trust me."
"If you say so, what is it going to be about?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why not? It's my magic journal."
"I know, but it needs a story to go up on the website."
"I can just write my own."
"You would never finish it. It's like that Flim Flam fic you are still 'planning'"
"I'm going to write it."
"Next year. C'mon, Just let me help. Your name will be on it, my name will too, but it will just say:'spells, suggestions, and story by The G&PT."
"Fine."
"That's the spirit!"
And with that they separated. Troy gathered up his materials and began work on this new project. He new this would be big. There's nothing better than a system. Especially a working system, and with this magic journal, it would be made. Troy pulled out some loose leaf paper. He had forgotten something. He needed to study the beginnings of this magic journal.
Magic
Magic can travel through almost any material, though there are materials it can't move through and ways to influence magic's direction.
Types of Magic
To ease the mental burden of memorizing all the types of magic, I have put together a simple system that will help classify and organize the magic types.
Magic Type - Difficulty
Appearance:
Purpose:
If you are looking for how to 'cast' certain types of magic, then look at the spell format. Spells are formatted to show what to combine with what to result in a spell.
Pure Magic- Beginner
Appearance: Beam or an aura around horn (color depends on pony).
Purpose: Built up in a unicorn's horn before being converted into another form of magic (known as a spell). Mostly harmless unless in extreme amounts.
Floaty Magic- Beginner
Appearance: Aura around focused object.
Purpose: Levitation, is not fast. Is safe for everyday use.
Flash Magic- Novice
Appearance: Sudden light flash.
Purpose: Teleportation (when used in conjunction with burst magic). Other spells.
Heat Magic- Novice
Appearance: Invisible, or as a beam.
Purpose: General heating purposes.
"That's enough for now, thanks again for letting me borrow your journal for a moment."
"It wasn't a problem, you do need to know the base elements to create spells."
"Well now I know. And knowing is half the battle."
"G.I. Joe!"
"I'm going to go start work on those spells then. I'll see you later."
"See ya."
Troy returned to his work, retrieving the piece of paper to write down the spells. He thought about beginning with some he saw the previous day on a re-run episode. Instead he decided to just make up some magic spells.
- Fireworks= burst+heat+flash+burst+pure
- Fireball= heat+burst+floaty+pure
He couldn't continue like this. He needed the other base elements of magic. Without knowing all of it, he couldn't create a fairly balanced spell list. With what he currently knew, he could only make an arsonist's dreamland. He needed the notebook. Where was Patrick though?
Patrick sat casually at a desk. He picked up his yellow spiral and flipped open to the notes he had made on magic. It was incomplete. He needed to make more sense of magic. How did it power machinery like the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000? He thought for a moment. Staring at the blank walls around him, he looked for an answer. Instead, he decided to play League of Legends because he's lazy like that.
The Chapter Where The Story Gets Somewhat Interesting
Several weeks later...
"I've done it!"
"Done what?"
"I finished the spell list."
"Cool, lemme see."
Troy handed over the three and a half page list of one hundred spells. He surveyed the list and came to a conclusion "Ees sheet."
"What do you mean it's shit!? Do you realize how long I've worked on this?"
"I'm messing with you. It's great. Now to get started on writing the guide."
Patrick strolled over to his computer. He opened up Fimfiction.net and logged in under their shared username. "You wanted to write the story right?"
"Yeah."
"Here then. I'm going to sleep."
It was 2:00 am when Troy started writing. He finished at 4:00 am, ending with a poke at Patrick (y'know, his laziness.).
Troy went off to bed, and to dream of ponies.
Types of Magic (cont.)
Chill Magic - Novice
Appearance: Spray, Cone, or Beam
Purpose: General cooling or freezing.
Fling Magic - Novice
Appearance: Invisible
Purpose: Throwing or tossing, since force can't really be put behind Floaty Magic.
"What did you think of the story, Patrick? I portrayed you correctly?"
"Yes you did. It was perfect. I don't know where you are going with this, but I like it."
Troy was unsatisfied at the reaction to his joke, but Patrick was good natured, and couldn't really be bothered by the poke between friends. Patrick turned back to the computer and pressed the submit button. Chapter one was uploaded. The duo grinned to each other and continued thinking up more for the magic journal. They came up with better ways of explaining it, what gems were used for, and generally very good ideas.
Troy entered Patrick's abode. He roamed about Patrick's house, looking for the chap. Patrick sat at his desk, playing League of Legends. Troy said to him "Patrick, do you ever get anything done?"
"Nope." (This is why the chapter took so bucking long)
"Did you read the draft for chapter two? Did you insert the parts of the magic journal where I asked you to?"
"Nope."
"Dammit Patrick. People can't wait forever. They need to know that we are actually still making this!"
"How long is this story going to be anyways?"
"A good length, but the magic journal won't be in all of it. I imagine the story will be longer than the parts of the magic journal."
Troy continued with the conversation "Why don't we check and see how many views it has gotten?"
"Okay" Patrick opened up his browser and logged into Fimfiction.com. He clicked the 'My Page' button and scrolled down to where the story was. He clicked on the story and looked at the views. "Thirty views."
Troy looked at the screen "Thirty views?! Hah! My stories are better than yours!"
"But you wrote this one too!"
"Oh yeah...damn."
Troy slouched in the rolly chair he sat in. This story wasn't doing so hot. In his mind though, this was going to be the best one yet, unfortunately, he had only written chapter one. He spoke to Patrick again "Well then, work on chapter two begins immediately."
"So did you insert the parts of the magic journal where I said to?"
"No."
"That's what I was afraid of. You realize if this becomes a solo project for me, I will take all the credit."
"No. It was my idea. I knew you would do this."
"Dammit Patrick, I'm doing this because nothing is getting done!"
"Whatever. I'll get it done, eventually."
"You are like Snails. It takes you forever to do anything. Can you imagine if Falllout:Equestria updated at this pace?"
"It's finished though."
"That's beside the point. What I mean is, it would not only take an eternity to read a chapter, but it would also take an eternity for the next chapter to come out."
"I'll get it done."
Troy finished work on chapter two. In the next chapter, shit was gonna get real. Troy could feel his plan coming together. Oh, what a glorious fic this would be. His best one yet. All he needed now, was to publish chapter two.
Patrick finished putting in the magic journal parts. Troy's hand hovered over the publish button, he turned to Patrick "Are you ready?"
"For what? We're just finishing a new chapter."
"Yeah I know, but the suspense makes it sound cooler. Just go with it."
"Yes, I'm ready."
"Alright then."
Troy clicked on the icon. Uploading...uploading...uploading...done. The chapter was up. Now to sit back and wait. Work on chapter three was now in Troy's mind. What would happen next? Would something totally crazy just fly in and-
Whoosh
CLIFFHANGER
And there she was. Holy shit. The goddess herself, Celestia. Patrick was awestruck.Troy spoke first "Wat."
"Ah yes. I forgot I hadn't visited this world before. Sorry for the shock."
"Umm...yes, it's fine." Troy turned to Patrick "Are you seeing this?"
"I am Troy, I am."
Celestia was kind of large compared to Patrick's small bedroom. She looked all the more godly. Her stance commanded attention and Troy and Patrick submitted. She spoke to them "I understand you boys have a great understanding of Equestrian magic."
Troy replied "We know a thing or two. I'm all about the spells. Patrick is the creator of the foundation. We made a system. Of course, this is when we thought this was all fictional. You all must already have a system and spell list and what all else."
"Sadly, that is untrue. We have no catalogue of spells nor system for spells. I am aware that Humans observe Equestria, and if you remember, Twilight Sparkle attempted such a list, but ended at around 20."
"So you want us to write this for you and you can bring it back?"
"No. I feel you will make many, many discoveries, and I need you in Equestria so you can study the art of magic."
Troy and Patrick looked at each other. Going to Equestria sounded cool, but what were the consequences? They had a family, and school, and a lot of other things. Patrick spoke up "What's the catch?"
"As you may expect, Humans don't live in our world, so you two would no longer be humans. You might have the mannerisms of them and the same attitude as a Human, but you would be physically a pony."
Troy added more to the list of things he would miss. Hands, meat, standing on two legs. Troy gasped and clutched his favorite hat. "My fedora..." while it shouldn't have been an emotional thing, the thought of losing his hat brought tears to his eyes. Patrick tried to console him "We can get a new hat. It isn't that bad."
"You don't understand! It's my fedora. It's special. It's got dreams and aspirations. I remember all the fun times we had together. I'm like Indiana Jones man! What am I gonna do without it? Even if it's just temporary."
"Troy, this is ridiculous."
"You can't say that! You don't know the joys of having an awesome hat. The bond we share is immeasurable."
"Troy, really?"
"Dammit Patrick I'm busy grieving, just talk to Celestia for a moment." Troy realized what he just said "Wait...I'm actually considering passing up talking with THE princess. Even though my hat is special, I'm conflicted on whether or not it would be worth it."
"It wouldn't be worth it Troy. We can bury your dead hat later."
"It hasn't died Patrick, that would be preposterous."
"Fine. We can say goodbye to it later."
Celestia interrupted. "You can't really do anything 'later'. I can't stay here forever, we have to leave."
Troy gave his hat a hug. He wiped a bit of fuzz off the brim. He stood up and placed it on his chair. "I'm ready." he said, his voice faltering slightly. Patrick also stood up. He told the Princess he was ready as well. Celestia nodded to them both, then her horn began to glow. A pink aura surrounded the trio as they became suspended in midair. Patrick and Troy could feel Celestia's magic growing stronger, as well as her concentration peak. The pressure from the aura was incredible. Patrick and Troy felt their ears pop. They looked around the room one last time before the clear pink aura solidified into a sheathe. They felt themselves move slightly, but not anywhere to far, like maybe a foot from where they previously were.
The sheathe hadn't dropped yet, though. There was one more thing Princess Celestia had planned. They still needed to be transformed. Troy and Patrick watched the inside of the sheathe fill with a light pink liquid. Like a caterpillar, they slowly soupified. Turning into a sort of Human goo. The inside of the sheathe reshaped itself. Now it was in the shape of a pony. Celestia put the rest of her energy into making them solid again.
Turning from solid to liquid and back to solid was an indescribable feeling. It wasn't painful, it was more like stepping into a bath, but then becoming part of it. It was strange. The liquid inside the sheathe began stirring and rearranging into the correct position. Like a flash freeze, they suddenly became solid, in the shape of the sheathe. This was incredible magic, Troy made a mental note to write this down later. Then they felt their eyes grow heavy. This was an amazing experience, but also very rigorous and tiring. They felt their new limbs grow heavy like lead, before they finally blacked out.
Troy's head hurt. He felt like he had been asleep for days. He wasn't even in a bed, he was on the ground. He rubbed his forehead, but bumped into something. "What the...Oh sweet Celestia!" Troy hopped to his hooves. "Patrick! Patrick! We're ponies Patrick! This is incredible!" Patrick was still unconcious. Troy thought for a moment, he had made a spell list, he could use something from that. How about a come to life spell? Troy concentrated into his horn. He felt different buoyancies inside of it. He picked the lightest one, which he figured was life, and then combined it with ice, which felt cold when he focused on it. He prepared to use the spell on Patrick. The spell manifested. A snowball. Troy flung a snowball at Patrick, hitting him in the side. "Oh horseapples." Troy stopped. "Wait...was I just censored? Is this world censored? What the buck? There it is again!" Troy smiled at his new found discovery. He knew he would never accidentally curse at somepony. Troy tried focusing his magic again. It mad sense that fling magic was lightest, so he tried focusing on the next lightest one. He felt the warmth from the spell and canceled it. He didn't need to set Patrick on fire. He tried the next one down. He felt...happy. Odd. He decided to try that one. Troy recited the spell in his head okay so...life...combined with ice...plus pure magic...equals. Troy tried the spell again. An orb of white light flitted from his horn. It slowly approached Patrick, entering his head. Patrick's eyes fluttered open. "Uhhh...who are you?"
"Patrick! We're ponies! Also! I figured out magic! I woke you up with a come to life spell!"
"Don't experiment on me. You didn't mess up, did you?"
"No, Nope, never."
"So, should I try magic?"
"Actually, now that I think about all the dangerous spells, no we should not. I think we should try that someplace safer."
"But you tried it on me!"
"That's because I wanted to share the joys of being a pony with you! This is important, just 'trying out magic isn't"
"Where are we?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"No."
"Yeah, you're right. Give me a moment to look around."
Troy gazed about the room. It was a large empty room. There weren't any windows, but the room was still well lit. A circular light hung from the ceiling, the source of the light. The walls were a pinkish color with a small pattern running along the lower edges of the wall. Troy looked at the ceiling again, the ceiling was almost a dome, meeting at a point in the middle. Troy looked at the floor, the carpet was plush, and the same light pink color as the ceiling, it felt nice on his hooves. He returned to Patrick. Instead of telling him the conclusion he came to, he asked Patrick a question "Would you like me to describe what you look like?"
"What about where we are?"
"Don't you wanna know?"
"I tend to rely on mirrors to tell me these things."
"Mirrors don't talk, you silly."
"Fine, describe me."
"Alright, I'll put my literary skills to work : Your mane is curled, short and messy, almost like your human hair. It is two colors, pink and a shade of magenta. You are slightly taller than me, like when you were human. You are rather slender. Your coat is the same magenta color as your mane. You have kind of strong looking legs. That must be from your time playing soccer. Oh hey! We have wings too! We're alicorns, that's neat! Okay, well, your wings are lush, they look freshly groomed. Your horn is sharp as well." Troy moved to Patrick's rear "Okay umm...Your tail matches your mane style. It isn't as short though. Your cutie mark is...well it's a wand."
"A wand? Really? Cool."
"Alright now. Describe me."
"Umm...well you have a red and slightly less red mane. Your wings are feathered. Your horn is pointy. Your coat is a tannish color. Your cutie mark is a quill and scroll."
"I'm unimpressed Patrick. I suppose I'll have to find a mirror."
"Thanks. Remember, I'm not the writer, you are." Patrick returned to his initial question "So where are we?"
"Well, based on the room's design and layout, I'd say we are in an empty room in Canterlot Castle."
"Cool. So what should we do now?"
"Let's go meet some ponies!"
Troy took to the air, he felt very light. He flew over to the door, hovering just an inch above the ground. His mind came to the conclusion This is great! I never want to leave! He bent over and grabbed the door knob with his mouth. Patrick looked confused and asked Troy "What are you doing?"
"We aren't ushing mashic, remembah?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full."
Troy opened the door and released the knob. "After you." He said, motioning a hoof out the door. Patrick obliged, eager to explore the castle with his friend. Troy ran out the door after Patrick. He wanted to find a mirror before anything else. He had to know he looked good. He approached a door with a picture of a stallion on it and knocked. Nopony answered, so he opened the door. He dashed over to the mirror and examined himself. He was a cream colored pony, with a red mane and streaks of darker red in places. His mane was styled much like he had it on Earth. His tail was curled in the same manner as his mane. His wings also looked freshly groomed and his horn looked sharp as a tack. He grinned to himself as he thought now all I need is a fedora. He returned to the corridor and met Patrick. Patrick asked him "Satisfied?" Troy nodded his head vigorously. He abruptly stopped and asked Patrick "Shouldn't we have pony names?"
"Now that you bring it up, yes. I do think we should have pony names."
"Okay...what will our names be?"
"Well, they should have something to do with our special talents, I suppose."
"So you would be...Ita Dick?"
"Very funny Troy, no it would not."
"So then what would it be?"
"What about... Doctor Mundo?"
"That's taken Patrick. Come up with something original."
"Fine. What about..." Patrick paused for a moment "This is a lot more difficult than I thought. Do you have any ideas?"
"Yo name Toby."
"No."
"Then I got nothing."
"Well come up with an OC name. Treat me like I'm a new character."
"Oh okay! I can do that. Let's see, you are pink. You have a mellow personality. Your talent is magic. What about... Magical Delight?"
"Gay."
"We are in Equestria."
"Good point."
"Let me try again... what about Strawberry Cream? Since you are pink, which is a mix of red an white."
"That'll have to do."
"Don't worry Patrick I'll come up with something."
Troy continued walking through the corridor. He wondered what his name should be. What would best fit him? What could describe him? What about..."I've got it!"
"What? My name?"
"No, my name."
"And?"
"Lucidity."
"Why?"
"Because, it's what I try to reflect in my writing. My better stories usually have moments of great imagery, sights, smells and sounds."
"Alright, I can see that. (Not really.) but what about me?"
"I think I might have it!"
"Let's hear it then."
"Shining Beam. I went for the magic approach this time. What do you think?"
"Meh. I guess I like it."
"That's good enough for me."
Troy proudly strutted down the hall, Patrick following behind. Minus the strutting. Patrick wondered if his family missed him. Troy wondered who he would meet here in Equestria. They were both excited for their new lives ahead of them, but also worried about the Earth. It didn't matter now though, there was no going back.
The hall came to an end. The opening of it gradually sloped up into the ceiling, eventually merging with a massive dome, encompassing the room. This must be the throne room. There were banners with the sigil of Equestria emblazoned upon it. The throne sat at the head of the room, a regal blue carpet trailed from it to the door. On the front end of the hall, stained glass windows covered the wall, depicting moments of triumph in Equestrian history. The room was truly awe inspiring.
Celestia must have known they had awoke. She teleported into the throne room, greeting them. "Hello, how did you enjoy the trip?"
Troy replied first "Honestly, it was a bit traumatic."
"Yes, I can understand that."
Patrick replied next "Why were we unconcious?"
"Such a transformation is stressful on the body, you were simply very tired."
"Is there anything we need to do before we immerse ourselves into Equestria?"
"First, you will need practice. Both with magic and with flying."
"That makes sense" Troy joined in
"You will also need ponyish names. You can't use your human names."
"Already taken care of."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Patrick's new name was Shining Beam, and mine was Lucidity"
"Well, I see you boys are on top of things. There is one more thing though, I will need to introduce you to the public before you can go out into the world."
"Yes Princess."
Troy smiled to the Princess. Even though they were now in the same form, Celestia was still larger than them, but not by as much. Troy figured they were both about the same size as Princess Luna. Troy and Patrick both waved the Princess goodbye as they were escorted to the training rooms by some guards. They were each given a room to sleep in, as well as some light training armor (in case of accidents). They were shown to their rooms and asked to relax for the rest of the day. There was no time for training that day, so they would have to wait until tomorrow. Troy hopped into his bed and relaxed. The sheets were freshly cleaned and the linen smell was divine. He closed his eyes and took in the feeling of his new body. It was definitely more comfortable than his old one. It was like he was wearing a Snuggie. His fur felt soft and his feathers were like down. He liked this feeling. He hoped it would never go away.
Meanwhile in Patrick's room. Patrick was trying to figure out how he could actually write anything down until he had mastered levitation. He sighed. Troy had practiced his Earth/Pegasus style writing on Earth. Patrick, however, had not. He had quite a predicament on his hooves.
