Anon's Venture into Runic Spellcraft

> You are Anonymous.
> You are also angrily trudging through the Everfree Forest.
> And why are you angrily trudging through such a dangerous place?
> Well, simply put, you're angry at Twilight Sparkle.



> It all started when you overheard Twilight talking about you just an hour or so ago.
> You had been looking for her to ask about how your new house was going.
> As much as you enjoyed living in a giant crystal tree castle, you wanted your own house.
> However, when you had found Twilight, she was listening to her student, Starlight.
> "I mean, it's nice he wants to be independent, but I just don't think he can really make it out in the world without magic, you know?"
> You were obviously angered by Starlight saying that, but not enough to start throwing things.
> It was Twilight's reply that set you off.
> "Yeah, he's nice and all, but he needs to accept that, as a completely magicless being, he just isn't cut out for a lot of things."
> When you heard that, you had just entered the room, entering their line of sight.
> Their eyes grew at least 10 sizes when they noticed you standing there, a scowl developing on your face.
> After seconds of tense silence, Twilight began to speak.
> "A-anon, hi!"
> Your scowl deepened as she began to appear more and more nervous.
"So I'm not cut out for things, eh Twilight?"
> There was a visible wince on both their faces.
> You turned and began heading for the main hall, where the door out was.
> "Anon, wait!"
> You paused for a moment to say a shitty final line, because you thought it would be cool at the time.
"You know, Twilight, I should have expected something like this. After all, friendship is magic."
> If you weren't angry at her, you would have stopped and apologized, because when you said that, her face contorted into such a hurt expression, one would think you stepped on a puppy in front of her.
> However, you were angry, so you just turned and left, eventually leading you to the present, angrily trudging through the Everfree.
> Your destination was the old castle.
> You figured there would probably be an intact bed or something somewhere, Zecora taught you how to identify a few of the edible plants in the Everfree once, and the walls hadn't fallen down yet, so why not stay there?
> In the back of your mind, you were honestly hoping that by the end of this, there would be a big friendship lesson thing, making things go back to normal.
> Even now, your anger was ebbing away, leaving the depressive aftermath of it all.
> But you knew it would look bad if you just showed back up now.
> You couldn't stop now, you had to keep going.
> Besides, it would be okay in the end.
> You hope.

> You are now Twilight Sparkle, and you are feeling terrible.
> You had talked about your friend Anonymous behind his back.
> And then he heard you.
> At first, you hoped the scowl on his face was just because of something else that he was going to complain about.
> But as the saying goes, if wishes were fishes...
> Although honestly his last line was the kicker.
> Using the phrase "friendship is magic" in a context that made it negative...
> That definitely hit home.
> You would like to go looking for him, but you know that wouldn't be good.
> In the meantime, you're feeling a bit tired.
> Perhaps a nap will help with that.

> You are once again Anonymous
> You are also at the ruined gates of the Everfree castle.
> To be honest, it looks surprisingly intact for a thousand year old structure in the middle of untamed woodlands.
> Walking in, you smell dust and a hint of mildew.
> Ruined tapestries hang from the walls like criminals, tattered and dirty.
> Many loose stones and rocks litter the floor, along with a strange faded stain in the corner.
> Perhaps blood from some creature?
> Regardless, you continue through the ancient hallways, observing details and looking for any rooms with useful things.
> You also scan the floor for any suspicious tiles, as you've heard of there being trap doors and rooms all throughout the castle.
> You continue walking and searching for at least an hour, finding no beds or blankets, but a few useful trinkets such as rusted knives, frayed ropes, and even a small gemstone hidden in one room.
> By now, you are quite tired, and as such begin looking for a place to convert into a dwelling.
> You end up finding the library, and a small bedroom, possibly a servant's quarters.
> Thankfully, the bed and blankets of the quarters aren't in too bad shape, so you decide you can just sleep there tonight.
> You would go to sleep now, but you were curious as to what books survived in the library.
> After a minute of going back and forth as to weither or not you should go in the library now or tomorrow, you give in to your curiosity and decide to go now.
> Thankfully, it's only a few doors down on the other side of the hall.
> Entering, your nostrils are overpowered by the overwhelming smell of mold and mildew.
> You now doubt that there are many books left.
> Just glancing around seems to prove your theory: most of what's on the shelves is just unrecognizable piles of black and brown.
> Of course, the best things are hidden in sealed rooms, and this castle has more than it's fair share of secret passages, so you figure you may as well look around some more.

> Let's see here, rotten paper, rotten paper...
> Oh look! Rotten paper!
> Sighing, you begin to give up, when you notice a very small indenture on the shelf.
> Upon closer inspection, it's a very small switch.
> You imagine that it would be nigh impossible for any pony other than a unicorn or alicorn to flip it.
> You, however, are no pony, and you have fingers.
> *click*
> Your ears are then met with the sound of stone grinding on more stone.
> Using your ears to pinpoint the location, you manage to find what opened up.
> It was a very small compartment on the other side of the room.
> And it had a thick book inside of it.
> It read, "Runic Spellcraft by Primus Chanter".

--~~~~~~~~--

> You are staring at the cover of "Runic Spellcraft by Primus Chanter", so you must be Anonymous.
> You know it's more magic mumbo jumbo that you can't use, but you just can't help but be curious.
> Against your common sense, you open the book and begin to read.
> Flipping through the Table of Contents, you skim over the introduction, which was mostly just an account of the author finding out about the runes in the first place, accasionally mentioning a ban.
> You got a bit worried at the mention of a ban, but it's probably nothing, just rich people throwing a hissy fit so they can make more money.

> Be Murphy.
> You just had a sudden sneezing fit for some reason, and you're not quite sure why.

> Be Anon again, this time just flipping onto Chapter 1.
> "Chapter 1: Basics of Aspect Runes"
> "All aspect runes describe specific aspects of the world, however they also come in "generations", with Primal runes being the first.
> "In total, there are 86 total discovered aspects, and six Primal aspects: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Order, and Chaos."
> "These six aspects make up the first generation of aspects, such as Crystal, Life, Storm, Void, Light, and several others."
> "In turn, these first generation aspects can combine with other first generation and primal aspects to create a second generation."
> "This process can continue for a theoretically infinite amount of time, and it can be difficult to determine just what each aspect is made of."
> "All aspects are described as aspect runes, which in turn can harness said aspects and use them in order to form spells."
> "An interesting prospect about aspect runes is that they do not require the crafter to use any inherent magic of their own, as the runes draw upon energy from whatever they are written on."
> That last sentence raises your eyebrows.
> No magic required from the writer?
> As in, even a being completely devoid of magic such as yourself could use them.
> You begin to smirk.
> Then full on smile.
> And then stop when you realize your smile begins to turn manic.
> You begin to leave with the book, intending to stay up reading it.
> All you've wanted from these ponies is a little respect, but their upbringings have made them so reliant on magic that they reject anything without it.
> But soon, you won't have to worry about that.
> No more insults behind your back.
> No more ovens "accidentally left on".
> No more getting left behind on trips.
> As you sit down on your bed, you open the book to continue from where you left off.
> "However, even though no magic is required from the user, a constant supply of magic is needed in whatever the runes are on."
> "Higher generation runes require more power, while lower generations require less."
> "The simplest way of creating runic spells is by writing them in charcoal on live wood."
> "Any living thing that has magic can have runic spells written on them, however depending on the drain, it is possible that the creature will die due to having all it's magic drained."
> Right. That rules out writing runes on yourself then, both because you don't want to die, and because you don't even have magic in the first place.
> What idiot would even do that in the first place?
> "Dead creatures do not contain magic, and as such it is impossible to use corpses or dead wood for runes."
> "While aspect runes were originally used on live trees and written in charcoal, such spells were weak and inefficient, usually killing the tree within a week."
> "Later discoveries found that gemstones and metal could both channel and store magic, meaning it was possible to inscribe runes onto metal plates with more metal, or with charcoal, however as mentioned earlier, charcoal is an inefficient channeler."
> "However before such knowledge can be useful, one must know how to create a spellcircle."

> "Chapter 2: Basic Spellcrafting"
> "The Primal Spellcircle is the simplest form of spellcircle, and is not one, but in fact 13 circles, and one square."
> Under the sentence, there is a picture showing an empty spellcircle template.
> "While later circles that are more efficient than the primal circle exist, the primal spellcircle is still useful in that it can be cast either continuously, when a condition is met, or at the caster's command."
> "In the empty central circle, a variety of runes can be placed there to indicate the spell's shape or target."
> "Acceptacle runes for this are Sapient, Beast, Self, Tool, Laser, and Imbue."
> "Sapient will affect sapient creatures, Beast will affect non-sapient creatures, but not plants or sapients, Self will affect the caster, Tool will affect whatever the caster is holding in whichever hand they are not casting the spell with, Laser focuses the effects into a beam of light which is shot out from whichever hand the caster is not activating the spell with, and Imbue will temporarily imbue whetever the caster is holding in whichever hand they are not activating the spell with, or if the caster is not holding anything, the caster themself."
> "There are technically three forms of the primal spellcircle, each of which are exactly the same with the exception of slight modifications to the center circle inside the primal star."
> "The first kind is the normal variant that casts once and then stops, which was shown earlier. The other two forms are the Continuous and Detection froms."
> "Their names are self explanatory: Continuous will constantly cast the spell when activated, with a second activation stopping it, and Detection will automatically cast whenever something comes near it."
> "In order to actually cast a runic spell, one must simply touch the circle in the center of the primal star."
> "One of the limitations of the unmodified primal spellcircle is that is can only have a maximum of 4 effects and 1 modifier."
> "The four small circles in the bottom circle are the effects, which are casted starting at the top and then moving clockwise, and the tilted square in the middle of the effect circles is the modifier, which is applied to all effects as they are casted."
> "If the same rune is placed more than once anywhere in the effect circles, the effect will be casted only once at the first time the rune occurs, but it's power will be increased."
> "Acceptable modifiers are any primal rune, Motion, Power, Magic, Anti Magic, and Holy."
> "Primal runes imbue the spell with it's corresponding aspect, making them more or less effective against certain things, Motion makes the effects take effect faster, Power makes the effects stronger than they would normally be, Magic makes the runes use more power, but makes them more magically attuned, Anti Magic increases power usage by a fair bit, but makes the spell completely ignore other forms of magic in it's way, causing it to bypass wards and magic shields, and lastly, Holy will cause the spell to harm anything attuned to dark forces, such as the undead."
> At that point the chapter ends, leaving you to ponder what you'd just read.
> Holy shit, that anti magic rune sounds useful as fuck.
> Hell, even if ol' Sunbutt herself decided to come down on your ass [spoiler]possibly in the literal sense[/spoiler] you'd probably be able to just hit the MacGuffin button and nosell her magic bullshit.
> You would like to try and get started on this stuff, but you're fucking spent, so you set the book next to your pillow because you're too lazy to get up to put it on the table, and drift off to sleep.

--~~~~~~~~--

> You raised the goddamn sun a minute ago, so you must be Celestia.
> You're currently on your way to breakfast to join your sister, Luna, for dinner.
> Yeah, the whole dinner and breakfast are swapped thing can be wierd, but it helps to just not think about it and go on.
> Entering the dining room with grace only a thousand years of practice can grant, you sit down at your place across from Luna.
> Ohh, you can't wait for your breakfast cake.
> Thankfully, the staff know how much you like your cake, so it is put out in front of you almost right when you sit down.
> Ohh yessss, that's right, come to momma.
> "Dear sister, durst thou remember that old rune book you locked up in the old castle?"
> ffFFUUUU-
> So close.
> So close to your mouth, but you have to respond to your sister now.
"The one by Primus Chanter?"
> Weren't you supposed to, like, do something with that at some point?
> "Didst thou remember to destroy it?"
> ...
> Oh shit.
"U-uh, yeah! Of course, you think I'd forget something as important as that, sister?"
> Oh no, this isn't good.
> WAIT!
> You can just pawn it off to Twilight!
> Like you do with almost everything.
> Problem solved!
> You lift your cake slice back to your mouth.
> "So, how was your rest, sister?"
> Breathe, Celestia, breathe.
> Breathe, and don't forget to tell Twilight to destroy that old book.
> Here's hoping she doesn't let her love of books and magic get the best of her...

> You just had a strange dream about three changelings sitting in a car and dancing to What is Love, so you must be Anonymous again.
> Most ponies would probably question Luna about such a strange dream, but you are not a pony, and you have no magic, so moon horse has no control over your dreams.
> 100% natural dreams here.
> You yawn and stretch before slowly building up the will to get your lazy ass out of bed.
> The fact that you're hungry helps.
> Wait.
> Shit, you forgot to bring food.
> See this is where storming off angrily gets you: hungry and in the middle of a ruined castle that itself is in the middle of a creepy forest.
> At least you have a bed, a table, and an old tome on runic magic.
> Well, you guess you could always go back to ponyville at least long enough to get food and them bring it out here again.
> But some short, angry, and slightly edgy part of you doesn't want you to.
> But you're not short and you don't think you're edgy, so you don't have to listen to that damn midget.
> Of course, you only had about 13 bits with you, the other 32 bits that you have are still in your room back in Twilight's castle.
> You would say "fuck it" and get them, but a part of you is desparately hanging onto your anger, screaming at you for even thinking of doing such a thing.
> You decide to take the book with you, because you have a thin jacket with fairly large pockets on it's insides, and it's one of the few things you have with you.
> You have a nice black wool jacket, but that's back on Earth.
> It was actually pretty damn expensive too; the only reason you got it at all was because it was majorly on sale because it was summer at the time.
> Walking through the hallways of the old castle, you start heading to what hopefully is the entrance.
> You need to mark paths soon.
> Perhaps you could grab a piece of charcoal from a brazier or something, there are a few of those in Ponyville.
> After several minutes, you make it to the old throne room, and notice a spot off to the side of the room where some of the stone tiling on the floor is loose, and dirt seems to be below.
> Perhaps you could start a garden there?
> Wait, why are you planning something like that out?
> It's not like you're going to end up living out here like a hermit or something.

> You are purple and smart, so you must be Twoleit Sporkle
> Wait, that's not right...
> In any case, you just recieved a letter from Princess Celestia a minute ago, asking you to go to the old Everfree castle and do the unthinkable:
> Destroy a book.
> You're getting sick to your stomach just thinking about it, but if Princess Celestia thinks it should be done, you trust her judgement.
> You close the large front doors to your crystal castle and begin down the road leading towards the Everfree.
> As you walk, you can't help but think about poor Anon.
> You must have completely betrayed the poor human's trust by talking behind his back.
> He's probably out there somewhere, alone and hungry, feeling hurt.
> You end that train of thought before you start getting too upset.
> At last, you've reached the start of the Everfree's most used path, not to say that it's actually used much period.
> You begin to walk forward when you see something that stops you in your tracks.
> Or rather, someone.
> "Sparkle."

> You are tall, green, and hungry, so you must be Anonymous.
> And for once you're thankful you have absolutely no magic in you.
> See, most of the main predators of the Everfree either know Fluttershy or rely mostly on sensing magic to tell where things are.
> Manticores usually know Fluttershy, and as such leave you alone because they know Fluttershy knows you, and don't want to get stared down, as do Cocatrices.
> Even if you come across one that's not, Cocatrices rely on the victim's magic to turn them to stone, so you usually just kick them in the head and send them off crying, and Manticores usually aren't aggressive unless you get close to their home or offspring, and then they tend to leave you alone if you get far enough away.
> And if the Manticores are angry for no reason, you usually run like hell to either Zecora's or back to Ponyville.
> Everything in the Everfree knows not to fuck with Zecora, and most things in the Everfree don't like to leave.
> But then there's things like Timberwolves.
> No, not actual timberwolves, actual timber wolves.
> Wolves made of timber.
> They can't really see, hear, or smell that well, and they rely mostly on detecting magic to find prey, so they usually don't even know you're there unless you're within a foot or two of them, and even then, they usually don't attack because they can't sense magic in you.
> Some do, but a good solid stick usually deters them, and if not, you run away like a little bitch.
> You know all this because the Everfree doesn't seem all that creepy to you, because again, no magic.
> According to Twilight and harious books, the Everfree creeps ponies out because the wierd magic there messes with the magic of just about everything else.
> You don't have to worry about that, thankfully.
> ...
> Thinking about it, not having any magic can actually be a boon sometimes, especially when things underestimate you and you blow them the fuck out, like those damn Cocatrices.
> Well, at least you won't be forever giving it up with that rune stuff, because you can't put them on yourself.
> But if you do make magic things with it and carrying them around, it'll definitely attract attention to you.
> Definitely making a magic flamethrower for the timberwolves.
> You still sometimes get comfused about timberwolves, because they have them and actual timberwolves that aren't made of timber.
> You sometimes want to smack whoever named timberwolves that when there was already something called a timberwolf.
> Aaand you're confused now.
> And right when you reach the edge of the forest, too.
> At least you're he-
> Oh no.
> It's Twiggles McSpiggles.
"Sparkle."
> Twilight begins to speak nervously.
> "H-hey Anon, how are you?"
> You hold up your best bordering-on-irritated/angered pokerface and reply.
"I'm alright."
> A tense silence follows, and Twilight's strained smile begins to quiver and falter.
> If she ends up crying you might not be able to continue being cold to her.
> "THAt's good!"
> Yeeowch, slight voice crack there.
> Oh no, you're feeling bad already.
> Damn these ponies, you can't even stay mad at them without them making you feel bad enough for you to forgive them!
> Well, there are a few that are mean enough for you to stay mad at...
> Okay, there's a lot, mostly Canterlot nobles.
> And nearly everyone in Manehatten.
> And Diamond Tiara, you being the only legal adult that sees her for what she is: a spoiled brat who thinks she can get away with anything because her mother was one of THOSE rich people.
> Not the nice ones that give out good candy on Halloween, one of the ones that angrily tells kids off in a rude way when they come to their door because they have the porch light on.
> But enough letting your thoughts wander, because you have a sitation here.
> You could walk past her without saying anything before she cries, but that would be a dick move and would probably make her cry faster.
> You could wait for her to cry and give in shortly thereafter.
> You could also give in and apologize now, against the wishes of the parts of you that want to stay angry.
> "I-I'm sorry, Anon, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings..."
> Woah, what?
> Fuck, she apologized, it would be rude to brush her off now.
> Oh shit, you need to respond now, she's looking worse off the longer you sit there.
> THINK GOD DAMN IT, THINK
"It, uh, it's good you're sorry, Twilight, but-"
> [spoiler]COME ON ANON, THINK[/spoiler]
> Aha!
"-I'm afraid I will be staying elsewhere for a bit. Need time to cool off, and stuff."
> Smooth moves, Anon, smooth fuckin moves.
> Yeah, smooth as fucking sandpaper, you autist.
> God damn it, you can't deal with that sad face.
> Those damn eyes, man, they make you feel like you accidentally stepped on a small dog.
> At least it lets up a bit after she hears you.
> "Well, umm, I'll see you, whenever you get back! Maybe!"
> Jesus, even after becoming a hotshot "princess of friendship", she still fumbles with conversations that aren't purely intellectual.
> Well, that's your cue to leave before those sad eyes make you just go back to that eyesore of a castle.
> You continue walking on the path, heading for Ponyville's market.
> Now that you've actually gotten out of the fire and the subject is brought back up, you begin to think a bit as you walk.
> You seem to be doing that a lot.
> Twilight never really said anything about your whole magicless thing, and if she agreed with some ponies' general consensus of "he's useless without magic" all along, she did a really good job of hiding it.
> Maybe she was just responding to peer pressure?
> I mean, most of her friends are nice, but Applejack makes a comment or two occasionally, and Dash sometimes does as well.
> Pinkie wants to be friends with everyone too much, and Fluttershy is too damn nice.
> Rarity probably wouldn't say anything to your face, and you haven't talked to Glimmer all that much.
> The two of you may have lived in the same place, but you slept later than her and it's a big castle.
> Because it's, you know, a castle.
> You stop thinking on that because you've entered the market.
> You don't see any out of place looks, so Twilight probably hasn't said anything yet.
> At least that means there shouldn't be any awkward conversations as you're spending your 13 bits on food.
> Lord knows you already fucked up the day's first one.
> You see Applejack's stall and head on over.
> She may occasionally make comments about you, but her honesty applies to her pricing as well as her telling it like she sees it, and for that, you're thankful, because you're not going to get an entire bucket of apples for 4 bits anywhere else.
> "Howdy there, Ahnon."
> If there's one thing about Applejack you find annoying yet familiar and conforting, it's her southern accent.
> It's a bit different from the accent common where you were from, but you can hear the similarities.
> But all your hard work neutralizing your accent tends to wear down the longer you hear her talk.
> The first time you accidentally spoke in a southern accent in front of Twilight's friends was interesting, to say the least.
> At first they thought you were making fun of her accent, but Applejack, used to said accent, recognized it's legitamacy.
"Good morning, Applejack. I'll take two buckets full please, and a bag to carry 'em in."
> "That'll be 13 bits total, sugarcube, 8 fer the apples, an' 5 fer the bag."
"Thanks."
> You handed over your 13 bits, thankful the bag wasn't more than 5 bits, and grabbed the bag once it was filled.
> "Don' hurt yerself carryin' them apples, now, yhear?"
> Your lips twitched downward in irritation.
> The bag was kind of heavy, but it was manageable.
> You continue onward to the Everfree.

> You are Twilight Sparkle, and you are trying to find that book.
> Princess Celestia said there was a shelf with a small switch hidden behind it, so that's what you're looking for.
> After a minute or two of searching, you manage to find it, only to find it's already been flicked down.
> Oh no.
> You remember the letter telling you the chamber that opens up is on the opposite side of the room, so you look around for it.
> Sure enough, there is a small compartment in the wall, just big enough for a book to fit.
> And it's empty.
> Oh no.
> Ohh noo.
> This is bad.

> You are once again Anonymous, and you are almost to the Everfree castle.
> You recall seeing Twilight on the path here, but once she apologized to you, you figured the only reason she was on her way here was to find you, so you figure she went back home.
> Walking through the halls, this time you use a piece of charcoal you grabbed from a small fir pit you found along the path on someone's yard to mark arrows, erasing them if you went the wrong way.
> You also mark where pressure plates and stuff are, just in case you're not paying close attention on day.
> After a while of this, you make it back to the library, where you hear frantic speaking.
> "Nonononononononononono!"
> "Where is it?!"
> Hey, that sounds like Twilight.
> Did she come out here even after she found you?
> Peculiar...
> And what's this about not finding something?
> You enter the library, still carrying your apples.
"What are you doing all the way out here and why are you wearing a groove in the stone?"
> "A-anon? What in Equestria are you doing out here?!"
"That's what I just asked you, Twilight."
> "Wha- Bu- Yo- Huh?"
> You sigh, frustrated at the mare's antics.
"Calm down, breathe, and please answer my questions."
> She blinks, then does so.
> "Well, Princess Celestia asked me to come out here to, er, dispose of a dangerous object, but I can't find it anywhere even though I followed the Princess' instructions exactly, because the compartment where it's supposed to be was already open when I got here, and it's empty!"
> You sigh, putting your bag of apples gently down by the door in a mostly dust-free spot, before walking to Twilight.
"Where is this compartment thing at?"
> She points to a small area that goes inside the wall a bit, and you begin to internally scream.
> That's the compartment you found the rune book in.

--~~~~~~~~--

> You are Anonymous, and you are internally flipping the fuck out.
> Of course ol' Sunbutt would want to get rid of something as big as this. You should have put it together sooner.
> All this disdain for anything without magic had to come from somewhere, right?
> And if the "glorious, eternal ruler of the sun" disagreed with racism against magicless beings, wouldn't it make sense that "her little ponies" would cut it out?
> Obviously, Celestia is racist.
> You're definitely not just giving yourself a reason to keep the book, that would be silly.
> "Anon?"
> Oh shit, keep calm, any sign of weakness could be your undoing.
> It's like any time the police knock on the door and ask to come inside.
[spoiler]> Not that kind of "come inside".[/spoiler]
> Just keep cool, quickly and inconspicuously hide the evidence, and BE COOL.
"Oh, yeah, uh, look like something might've been there at some point, yep."
> ...
> God fucking damn it.
> Why do you have to fucking flip out when you're under pressure? Why can't you have Death Note levels of coolness and manipulation?
> "Anon, are you feeling okay?"
> Your face hurts from how fast you turn and smile in a wide, fake way.
"Of cOurse I am!"
> "Did... Did your voice just crack?"
> ...
> Fuck it, I'm gonna go feed myself to a manticore.
> Your clear your throat roughly.
"My throat's just, uh, parched. Kinda thirsty."
> "Oh, I have some water. Have to be prepared in case I get horribly lost and am unable to find civilization for a long period of time, after all."
> This horse, man.
> You kinda were thirsty, but you figured the juice in the apples could fix that.
"Thanks, Twilight."
> You vaguely remembered you were supposed to be mad at her, but you can't really find the willpower to continue anymore.
> This is how it usually is with you; once you've had time to rationalize to yourself what you think the reasoning behind the other person (or pony)'s actions were, you usually get over it because there's a good reason.
> Of course, sometime's there's not a good reason.
> And that's when you stay mad.
> Swallowing the mouthful of cold water you sipped from Twilight's offered canteen, you hand said canteen back.
> "So, er, I'm guessing you've been staying here?"
"Yep."
> "Did you happen to notice anything strange in the time you were here?"
> Well, there was that etching of a dick in one of the rooms, but that could have been done by some juvenile delinquent recently.
> But for some reason, the thought of one of the princesses going around drawing dicks on their castle is amusing to you.
"Nope."
> "No strange sounds or sights?"
"A-nope."
> Twilight's brow furrows slightly.
> "Are you trying to be Big Mac?"
> You slowly turn to face Twilight with the straightest face you can muster.
> And you stare for a moment.
> Then you use your southern accent.
"Eeeeeee-YUP!"
> Twilight sighs and facehoofs, muttering about your shitty humor.
> You on the other hand revel in your terrible humor.
> "Seriously though, have you heard anything strange?"
"I have not. I'll tell you if I do notice any strange activity, though."
> Twilight blinked at that.
> "Bu- You mean you're still staying here?"
"Yep."
> Twilight's eyes began to get big and watery.
> Fuuuuuuck
> You can't give in, though.
> At this point, you'd risk being caught with the book, and that wouldn't be good.
"Well, Twilight, I'll leave you to trying to find that book."
> "... How'd you know it was a book?"
> Oh
> SHIT
"Err, well, this is a library, so uh..."
> "Ah. I suppose that makes sense."
> Whew, shit, that almost went bad.
> You skedaddle out of the library, grabbing your apples on the way out.
> Heading back to your chosen room, you set the apple sack down in the corner of the room, and plop down.
> The book, which is still inside your jacket, digs into your side a bit, so you shift around slightly.
> You want to start reading it again, but you don't want to risk Twilight barging in and seeing it.
> Ponies may not have much common sense, but you probably can't talk your way out of that.
> You instead content yourself with munching on apples.



> After nearly an hour of sitting around and eating apples to beat back your hunger, you decide to check the library again to see it Twilight left.
> Thankfully, she had, leaving you free to go back to your room and continue reading the book.
> The current chapter you're reading goes over some tips and tricks for making metal spellcircles and runes without needing a heat resistant material, a forge, and either magic or incredible skill.
> Of course, it requires runes.
> You spend around half an hour leaving the castle, getting some wood off a live tree, burning a bit of charcoal from a stick on the ground, and copying the spellcircle shown in the book.
> It used an imbue rune for the focus, and used a Water rune, a Travel rune, a Metal rune, and a Channel rune, with an Order rune for the modifyer.
> The circle itself is a Continuous circle.
> Now you need some kind of metal, preferably gold, and something the book mentions called "gem paper".
> Looking back to the book, it explains that it is made by using magic to force gemstone dust into a solid paperlike sheet.
> It gives a spellcircle that can help with that, also a Continuous circle, but you don't have anywhere near enough gems for that.
> You have A gem, singular.
> So you need metal, gems, and another piece of live wood to make the new spellcircle on, and then you'll be good to go.
> On earth, this would be practically impossible without being rich. Thankfully, on Equestria gold and jewels are fairly common.
> You figure you'll try to dig up some gems in the forest, and then quickly run back to Ponyville and go to your room in Twilight's castle, hopefully unnoticed, to grab the rest of your bits, which are mostly gold.
> You'll have to go to Ponyville first, actually, because you don't have a shovel.



> As you exit the forest and enter Ponyville, you notice it's past noon now.
> You walk the roads toward the giant eyesore known as Twilight's Castle, in all it's tree shaped, reflective crystalline glory.
> Crystalline...
> Maybe you could use that to make gem paper?
> No, Anon, don't vandalize.
> Just get in, grab your money and hopefully a shovel as well, and get out.
> And if there's not a shovel in a closet somewhere, you'll think of something.
> Approaching the door, you carefully try to hear inside to make sure nothing is waiting for you.
> Although if Pinkie is there, you're screwed no matter how much to try to make sure no one's there.
> You carefully open the door, wincing as it's quiet creaks echo throughout the crystal interior.
> You shut it behind you and walk briskly but carefully through the castle towards your room, doing your best to step as lightly as you can without being too slow.
> Finally, you reach the door to your room, and enter.
> Nothing seems to have changed, which is good, because that means you should be able to find your money with little problem.
> Grabbing the small coin pouch hidden inconspicuously underneath your mattress, you also grab a spare set of clothes from the closet.
> Before exiting your room, you listen through the door to make sure you don't bump into Starlight or Twilight upon exiting.
> When you believe the coast is clear, you exit the room and begin your journey to the door.
> Partway through, you hear two voices talking through a door in the hall.
> One in definitely Twilight, but the other sounds more... Regal.
> Letting curiosity get the best of you again, you carefully lean towards the door and listen.
> "You're sure you didn't find it?"
> "Yes, princess, the compartment was already open and empty when I got there."
> "Was there any dust inside?"
> "No, it looked like it had been sealed until recently."
> "And you say that Anonymous has taken up residence in the castle recently, and has not seen or heard anything unusual since he had entered?"
> Uh oh.
> "That's right, Princess Celestia."
> "Twilight, I'm afraid it's possible that he found the book, and is hiding it."
> FUCK
> "W-what? Why would Anon do something like that if the book is so evil?"
> "Perhaps Anon wasn't quite so nice as we seemed."
> Oh
> Oh really
> You'll have her know you may be an asshole at times, but you're not some virgin-sacrificing religious zealot.
> Except for that one time, but we don't talk about that.
> You can't see anything through the closed door, but you've heard enough, so you should abscond while you can, and use this knowledge to circumvent getting busted with the book.
> It'd be nice if you had your own house with a hidden booze cellar that you could use.
> That'd be great.
> However, you'll have to make do with whatever is hidden in the old castle for now.
> Before you make it to the door, you remember you needed a shovel, and looked around for a closet, thankfully finding one.
> Looking inside it, you don't see a shovel at first, but then notice the small gardening shovel in the corner.
> Carefully getting it out, you close the door and continue leaving.
> Just as you open the door to leave the castle entirely, you hear a door open somewhere nearby in the house.
> You close the door quicker than you should have, and it makes a small bang as it closes.
> Well shit.
> You quickly get away from the castle's doors and out of sight, knowing that whoever came out of that door probably heard that, and you didn't want to hang around in case they got curious or had to leave themselves.
> Spending another half an hour getting back, you pick a good spot just outside the castle and begin to dig.
> And dig.
> And dig some more.
> After hours, and 3 fairly large holes dug, you sigh in frustration and throw the small shovel down at the bottow of your current hole.
> Clink
> Hold on...
> It could just be a rock, but...
> If it actually is gems, you don't want to leave them there so close to victory.
> You pick the shovel back up and remove some of the dirt where you threw it, revealing...
> A mother fucking diamond.
> Which is already cut, for some reason, just like all the gems in Equestria.
> You dig around some more, finding more gems.
> A lot more gems.
> You ended up having to quickly run back into the old castle to empty your apple sack onto your bed so you could fill it with gems.
> Eventually, you didn't find any more gems in the hole, so you filled all your holes as best as you could and carried everything back to your room in the old castle.
> You also grabbed a chunk of live wood again, for the new spellcircle.
> You may not know how to charge the gem paper yet, or know what kind of spell to make, but you'll get to that.
> For now, you're going to sort these gems by color.

--~~~~~~~~--

> DO NOT WANT
> BAD TOUCH
> OH GOD
> WH-
> Wait...
> Oh thank the lord, it was just a dream.
> A horrifying dream about Princess Celestia giving you "reformative spankings".
> Which is to say she slapped your ass in increasingly rapey ways.
> At least you woke up before anything that would give you PTSD happened.
> In case you haven't guessed yet, you are Anonymous.
> The only good thing about that dream that you can remember is that it brought forth a good point:
> You need a good place to hide this definitely illegal rune shit, because you're an obvious suspect.
> You can't use anything pre-existing, because chances are Celestia knows about it.
> You're going to have to make your own place to hide out and do magic shit.
> As much as you'd like to begin the process of making gem paper and metal glyph shaping right now, this is top priority.
> It can't be too close to Ponyville or the castle, because the closer to civilization they are, the greater chance they have of being discovered.
> But you ask yourself, do you really need magic?
> Sure you're tired of everyone thinking you're weak and pitiful for not having it, but you'll have your own house soon, so you can just shut yourself away except for when you go to collect food or something.
> Or you can man up and not let these small colorful horses successfully tease you.
> If you just got rid of the evidence and turned in the book, say you found it while exploring the nearby forest, say there was a partially eaten corpse nearby, you could probably put this all behind you.
> But something inside you just wants to do this.
> And you're kind of curious as to what you can do with this.
> So you decide to continue.
> No going back now.
> Once you start making new spells with this, you can't go back.
> So you decide to carry what you can and hide anything else that's incriminating before leaving to explore.

> You are suspicious of a certain human, so you're obviously Princess Celestia.
> You talked to your faithful student, whom is technically not your student anymore, Twilight Sparkle yesterday about the book.
> Needless to say, you were not at all pleased by the current turn of events, and were currently on your way to investigate Anon.
> [spoiler]Nopony ever expects the Solar Inquisition.[/spoiler]
> Trotting through the Everfree towards your old home, you only have to blast one Timberwolf in the face before you reach said home.
> From how Twilight said he was still carrying a sack of apples when he found her in the library, you assume he chose to dorm somewhere nearby.
> If memory serves, there were a few quarters on both ends of that hallway, and a few past it.
> Heading to that hallway, you check every room, looking for signs of recent activity.
> Your search is eventually met with a room containing several piles of gems, sorted by color, and a mostly fixed up bed, complete with a blanket that you believe was from the visiting dignitary quarters.
> Piles of gems, assorted by color...
> On it's own, it would be easy to assume he was just collecting them, possibly to sell.
> However, if he did indeed have that rune book, it would be clear these gems were for a different purpose.
> You inspect the room closer, checking in corners, under pillows and covers, and even the mattress.
> All you find is a bunch of apples on the table, and a sheet of paper containing a few drawings and scribbles.
> The paper was probably just an attempt at amusement, considering most of it consists of exaggerated imagery of heads and faces made to look comical.
> Just as you were about to call it quits, you realized that some of those gem piles were big enough to hide something.
> You lift them up and carefully inspect each pile, finding only a few bits of dirt.
> Drat.
> Er, not that you WANTED the human to be practicing illegal magic, or anything.
> You place everything back to mostly the way you found it, and stepped out of the room.
> And bump into none other than Anon.
"Ah, good afternoon, Anonymous. I trust you are enjoying my old home?"
> "Oh, uh, sorry Princess, yeah, it's okay, I suppose. Or rather-"
> You giggle lightly at Anon's embarassment.
"It's fine, Anonymous, nopony has lived here for a thousand years, and I doubt many would want to. No offense, of course."
> "Ah, yeah, none taken. I just needed a place to go and clear my head for a few days, but it's been kinda fun exploring the place."
> At the very least, he doesn't seem like someone currently practicing forbidden magic. But you've seen some good actors over the course of your long life.
"I would assume so, considering the amount of traps and secret rooms hidden here. My sister and I were quite fond of pranks and such back then."
> "Yeah, I've almost fallen prey to some of those traps myself."
"And I saw you had marked a few of them."
> You could see him begin to grow tense. Perhaps those markers lead to some secret room he had discovered where he hid things?
> "Y-yeah, I kept forgetting where traps were and didn't see them when I wasn't paying close attention, so I decided to mark them and a path to and from here."
> He's been saying "yeah" at the beginning of his sentences an awful lot. Perhaps a nervous tick of his?
"Well, dear Anonymous, it has been a pleasant talk, however. Good day."
> As you begin to turn the corner, you hear him say something about "spankings".
> This obviously makes you turn around.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
> His face turned a shade of red greater than that of a tomato, and he began to stammer.
> "N-No, no, uh, I just said... SPARKLING! Yeah, talking about these gems here, hehe."
> Right, and you don't like cake.
> "I don't have weird sexual fantasies, I promise."
"... Right."
> With that, you decide to leave before he started making an even greater fool of himself.

> You just made a fool of yourself in front of Princess Celestia, so take a wild guess at who you are.
> Why did you even have to say anything about that weird dream?
> And why did you have to flip out like that?
> Well at the very least it might make her think you came out here for some weird sex fantasy instead of practice illegal magic.
> Better than getting jailed, unless she thinks your fetish is illegal.
> Like if she thought you were luring fillies and colts out here to give them some "reformative spankings".
> OH NO, STOP THAT TRAIN OF THOUGHT NOW.
> That's a dark road you do NOT want to travel.
> No >rapeing the small horses.
> You really just came back to get the rest of your gems and move them to the cave you found almost 30 minutes away from the castle.
> You thought about making some markings on the walls, but you decided against it now that you realize just how obvious they are.
> You'll have to either commit the path to memory or find a subtler way of marking paths.
> For now, you take as many gems as you can and head to the cave you found.
> There was a short encounter with a manticore along the way, but thankfully it decided to leave you alone.
> You're guessing Fluttershy is responsible, and you love that little buttery thing for it.
> Eventually you make it to the cave, and resort the gems you took with you into the new piles you made.
> The cave itself is lit up by some strange crystalline mineral that glows just enough to see inside.
> You would be worried about radioactivity, but you remember that radioactive materials only glow under ultraviolet light.
> Of course, it could still be radioactive, but still glowing because magic.
> But if you do get cancer from it, and you can't find a way to get rid of it through magic, it's a problem for Future Anon.
> ... It's going to give you cancer, isn't it?
> Regardless, after you sort the gems again, you begin finishing the spellcircle for making gem paper.
> It takes a bit because the lighting is so dim, but you get it done and begin crushing some gems with a diamond for dust.
> After a very long and tiring process, it gets done, and you activate the spell to begin shaping the dust into paper.
> Usefully, the spell links to you after you activate it, meaning you don't have to constantly hold the circle to use it. Instead, you just picture how you want it to move, and it shapes the dust while also imbuing it with magic to partially rebind it while also making it more paperlike.
> It takes a while, and you can tell the wood the spellcircle was on is now dead, but you finally have an average-sized sheet of paper that sparkles faintly when you move it in the light a certain way.
> You decide the first spell you should make is a more permanent gem paper making spell, so you gather a handfull of gold coins and fire up the other spellcircle.
> It's a bit wierder than the gem paper spell, because the gold coins literally liquify as you pick them up with the spell's magic.
> It's kinda trippy, really, and while you would normally spend several minutes playing around with it, you remember that your current circle doesn't have much life in it, so you hurry up with the circle making.
> It takes all of the circle's power and a few near failures, but you manage to finish making the spellcircle on the gem paper just as the wood dies completely, stopping the spell.
> You would have been done quicker, but because the spell was channeled with charcoal, it didn't move the gold very quickly.
> You would like to continue working some more, but it's probably late, so you put everything important, as well as a few gems, into the sack, which you brought with you, and then hid the sack behind some rocks in the cave.
> Satisfied that your stuff will hopefully not get stolen, you leave and head back to the castle quickly, because it was getting dark.
> And you didn't want to be wandering the Everfree in the dark, even if most of the normal dangers there didn't affect you because you had no magic.
> Upon getting back to your beloved hobo hole, you eat a few apples and then lie down to sleep.
> To be honest, you were kinda thirsty, but the apples helped.

--~~~~~~~~--

> You just woke up at the crack of dawn with a mouth made of sandpaper, so you are definitely Anon, and you're also regretting not getting water when you went back to Ponyville the day before last.
> You need water, and you need it now.
> Unfortunately, it will take some time to get back to ponyville, so you eat some more apples to tide you over, both in hunger and in thirst.
> After that, you head out.
> Not much happened on the way, except for a Cardinal that flew across the path right in front of you as you walked.
> Upon reaching the outskirts of Ponyville, you notice a shiny golden and white flying chariot heading for Canterlot.
> Sunbutt must be heading for her Cake Lair of Doom™.
> At least you hopefully won't have an awkward discussion about how you're not a child molester or rapist.
> You continue walking to the well, close to the center of town.
> When you finally reach it, you see it closed off by some wood planks set down on top of it, not nailed in for some reason, as well as a sign in on one side saying that the well's water had been contaminated by someone dropping poison joke into it.
> You're almost deterred until you remember poison joke uses the victim's magic to alter them.
> Meaning you're immune, unless they're poisonous.
> Damn it, you don't want to take a chance if they're physically poisonous.
> The only ones you can think of who would know are Twilight and Zecora, and you just got out of the Everfree, and you don't want to go all the way back, so you decide to suck it up and ask Twilight.
> And if either she doesn't know or it goes horribly, you'll go see Zecora.

> Once you arrive, you raise your hand to knock only to realize that would be a stupid thing to do, seeing as the door is made of solid gold.
> So you lower your hand and open the door, seeing as there is no knocker for some reason.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
> "Just a minute!"
> Sounds like Spike.
> You step inside, closing the large door behind you.
> How it's not heavy as fuck, you don't know.
> Well, it's probably magic, but still.
> "Hello, how may I- Anon?"
"Yep."
> "What're you doing here? Twilight said you left and became a creepy forest hermit."
> Shit, you hope that's all they think you are.
> You didn't get any fearful looks or children being hidden, so you think you're good for now.
"Well, I don't know about all that, but I have been turning the Princess' old home into a hobo den. I came back for a drink of water, but apparently it's been contaminated with poison joke."
> "Oh yeah, that's not something you want to drink."
"Definitely true for you guys, but I might be able to drink it, except I don't know if poison joke is actually poisonous. I came over here to ask Twilight if she knew whether or not it was physically poisonous, or if it's all magical."
> "Oh yeah, the whole no magic thing. I'll go get Twilight, then."
> He walks off on his short little legs to get Twilight.
> Here's hoping Twilight actually does think you're a crazy forest hermit now, because you don't think you're currently capable of dealing with it if Celestia told Twilight you were some kind of perverted sexual deviant that wanted to give people spankings.
> With luck, all she was told was that you were a bit touched in the head.
> Time to see if your luck hold out, because here comes Purple Smart.
> "Anon? Is it true? Have you finally given up your creepy hermit tendencies?"
"What?"
> You ask that, but internally you're thankful that she seems to think you just became a hermit.
> "Princess Celestia said you had a mental breakdown and started living in her old castle. I thought that means you went insane and became a creepy hermit, but you're here!"
"Well, I am living in her old castle for now, but that's mostly because I didn't want to find or make shelter and whatnot."
> "Wait, how are you not a crazy hermit if you're living there?"
"I think the more important question is, 'how is that logic valid?'"
> "Come on, Anon, you should know that place is haunted. Only a crazy pony would decide to camp out there like a homeless hermit."
> You want to make a comeback, but you realize you basically are a hobo at this point.
"Regardless, I need to know something. Is poison joke actually, you know, poisonous?"
> "Well of course it is. I think I already told you, but it uses a magical poison that affects the victim's magic to produce random and annoying results that appear to mostly for comedic effect."
"I know it's magical, but is it actually dangerous poison? Like, is there anything dangerous about it that doesn't rely on the target having magic?"
> "Well, during the numerous studies conducted, no species encountered any abnormal effects, except for minotaurs."
"What were the effects on them?"
> "Well, the first hour, they were fine, but then they reported feelings of their chest tightening and some coughing was noticed. They eventually vomited the plant back up, but it was all strange, because no other species experienced those symptoms, not even cows, who are closely related to the minotaurs."
> As Twilight begins to go on a mini rant, you begin thinking.
> In legend, the Minotaur was the result of a human woman having a child with a bull.
> And if that legend holds any truth here, and cows don't appear to be adversely affected by the plant, the symptoms have to come from somewhere.
> Yep, it's definitely gonna be poisonous to you.
> You notice Twilight begin to slow down in her rant, so you speak up.
"Hey, do you have any spare water here? I don't really have any back at my stolen abode."
> "-ch is why it's believed that- Huh? Oh, yeah, we have some. I'll get you a bucket."
"Thanks, Twi."
> You've honestly cooled off a while ago, but you've stayed in the forest so you could research runes easier.
> But you can't go full retard and just stay out there.
> You might've been able to pull it off if you hadn't come here, because they would all just think you went crazy.
> And if anyone ever did find you, you could just yell random things at them and be creepy until they leave.
> But it's too late now.
> You have to maintain a normal social appearance now, otherwise you'll attract suspicion.
> Or, more suspicion in the case of Celestia.
> You'll stay out in the forest until tomorrow, and then you'll come back here.
> You'll obviously go back to your little cave occasionally so you can learn more about those runes.
> Hopefully, once your house is done, you can make a secret basement with more secret doors that eventually lead back to the cave, which you can either seal off or put a door on.
> Soon, Twilight comes back, levitating a metal bucket filled with water.
> "Alright, here you go. Well, um, I guess I'll see you... Sometime?"
"Well, I was thinking about coming back tomorrow. I've had a lot of time to think, so..."
> Twilight's face lit up immediately, amusing you to no end.
> "That's great!"
> Then her face droops a bit.
> "Again, I'm really sorry about what I said."
"It's fine. Really, it's my fault for overreacting."
> You definitely did overreact, but you're kind of glad you did; if you hadn't, you never would have found that book.
> Sure, you haven't really done anything cool with it yet, but you will as soon as you figure out how to charge the gem paper without needing either large quantities of live wood, or a unicorn or alicorn.
> The wood method works, and there's definitely enough of it in the Everfree to use, but it's kinda tedious.
> Hopefully there's something in the book about it.
> You say your goodbyes to Twilight and Spike before heading back to the Everfree Castle.
> By now, the sun is fairly high in the sky, giving you plenty of light to see by while also leaving plenty of time to muck about with runes after you quench your thirst, hunger, and relieve yourself.

> You are moping about in your room just as you have for the whole day so far, so you must be Starlight Glimmer.
> You didn't think at the time, but you now realize that was the point.
> You didn't think.
> You made poor Anon run away into the Everfree and have a breakdown, leading him to become a crazy hermit.
> Twilight tried to comfort you at first.
> Told you it wasn't your fault.
> But you know you're a screwup.
> You didn't even realize it until Anon voiced his opinion on your backstory.
> "So you got butthurt by your friend, who was very young at the time, and thus had to do as his parents said, after he 'abandoned' you, to the point you went and started a village in the middle of nowhere so you could take away the destinies of anyone who went there away and brainwash them into communism, before getting even more butthurt after Twilight and her friends stopped you, leading you to literally almost ruin the time-space continuum just because you wanted petty revenge, and you never once stopped to think about why everything that happened occurred after you grew up and gained better cognition? Wow."
> Obviously, the words hurt you at first, and you did get upset, leading him to apologize.
> But afterwards, you realized how right he was.
> You had just been a stupid, selfish little brat the entire time.
> So self-absorbed and focused on your "betrayals" that you never once stopped to think maybe there was a good reason for them.
> And now that you know you're the reason for Anon leaving and then going crazy, you know you're an even bigger screwup than before.
> You're grim thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door.
> "Starlight? Are you in there?"
"Who is it?"
> Your voice sounds [spoiler]a little hoarse[/spoiler], so you clear your throat.
> "It's Twilight. Can I come in?"
> No point in denying her.
> You hastily fix your messy mane a bit and put on a smile.
> You would also wipe away the tears, but those have long since dried.
"Yeah."
> The door opens, and your mentor enters.
> You can't figure out why she hasn't realized how useless you are and kicked you out yet.
> "I have some good news, Starlight! Anon's not actually a crazy hermit living in the forest!"
> He what?
"He... Isn't?"
> "Nope! Well, I mean he is living in the forest for now, but he just came by to get some water!"
> He's... Not a creepy forest hermit?
"But... Princess Celestia said he... Had a breakdown."
> "I guess she was mistaken, as hard a time as I have believing it. He said he would come back here tomorrow."
> So... You didn't make him have a mental breakdown?
> You didn't screw up as bad as you thought?
> "Starlight? Are you okay?"
> You don't bother to wipe the tears.
"I'm fine, Twilight."
> She looks at you skeptically for a moment, but you smile reassuringly.
> You're not completely fine, but you're better than you were.

> You just satisfied your varying bodily needs, so you must be Anon yet again.
> You are walking through the castle to get to your "rune cave", ready to test out the spell you made.
> Even if it's just another gem paper making spell.
> After you exit the castle, you grab a few live branches as you walk, so you can charge the gem paper and make another spell for making metal spellcircles.
> It's rather tedious, having to have two separate spells for making one new spell.
> If only you could just like, make them on MS Paint or something, and then print them out.
> Hold on...
> That gives you ideas.
> You don't know enough about runes to properly guess whether or not it will actually work, but if you could find a way to make multiple spellcircles on the same object interact with each other, you might be able to make a "computer" that will let you virtually make the spellcircles before it "prints" them out on gem paper.
> Just feed it magic, gemstone dust, and metal.
> But even if that is possible, that's something you shouldn't worry about until you really know what you're doing.
> Once you finally arrive and make sure nothing was missing, you get to work.
> You check the book for the circle you need to charge the gem paper, and make a few of them on some pieces of live wood.
> Then you make a metal shaping spell on a different piece of wood.
> After the paper is charged and the paper made, you work on the metal spell using some more of your bits.
> After that, you charge it and the gem paper spell using more wood.
> Then you decide to make a simple spell for crystallizing light.
> You thought it might be cool, so you checked the book's index to find anything potentially related.
> You really need to learn all these runes so you can make your own spells instead of copying from the book.
> Although looking in the book was useful, as it revealed that crystallized light slowly decayed into magically charged light that could be used to charge gem paper when focused properly.
> It also revealed that sometimes they form naturally in places with high magic concentrations.
> Spending a few minutes making the new spell helps you realize just how much better gold runes are than charcoal ones.
> Once the new spell is done, you charge it up and test it just outside the cave.
> Sure enough, a fair sized crystal starts forming, and gets bigger the longer you channel the spell.
> You stop it once it's around the size of your fist, and examine it.
> It's just a simple clear crystal that looks like a flashlight is shining into it.
> Taking it inside the cave allows you to see it looks strikingly similar to the crystals in the walls and roof of the cave.
> The only difference is that the one you juts made is bigger and seems to be brighter.
> At least you now know what those crystals are.
> You briefly wonder why the one you just made is brighter, but then remember it's newer and is made from sunlight.
> You smile at your creation, and then decide to use it to help you read the book for a while.
> It's probably only a bit after noon, so you have plenty of time to just study.

--~~~~~~~~--

> You are surprised and amazed, so you must be Anon after reading a particularly interesting section of the book.
> The book revealed some cool things to you.
> Such as how to use gemstones and light to generate magic.
> Sure it's not very efficient, and it's difficult to use unless you crystallize lots of sunlight, but it's a way to not kill half the Everfree while casting spells.
> It works similarly to a kinetic dynamo would, except instead of a magnet rotating inside a copper wire coil, it's light going through a special gemstone lens made with a special spell, and then passing through a cylinder made from gem paper.
> That and no kinetic energy is required for operation.
> You desparately want to start now, but you remember it was getting late from the last time you stepped outside the cave.
> You also decide to grab a light crystal.
> Not one you made, but a natural one.
> If you gave her one you made, she would either know it was artifical, or not know and think it was special enough to send to Celestia, who would definitely know.
> You decided to do it for two reasons: because it will hopefully relieve some of the awkwardness by making Twilight happy, and because you can hopefully find out some uses for these crystals.
> Obviously the ones you made can be used for lighting and indoor gardening, as well as for the magic dynamo thing, but you want to know if you can do something cool with them.
> Taking a moderately sized crystal from the cave's walls and hiding your very incriminating things, you leave the cave and hurry back to the castle in the Everfree.
> You manage to get there very close to nightfall, and the castle is dark enough that you have to use the crystal you took for lighting.
> It's very dim compared to the sunlight crystal you made, but at least it keeps you from falling down holes you can't see.
> Eventually you get back to "your room", and eat some apples and drink more of the bucket of water before putting the crystal somewhere you hopefully won't lose it and lying down to sleep.
> Tomorrow is going to be a bit difficult.



> After a good sleep, you finally wake up.
> You stretch, go to your designated bathroom area across the hall, and then go back to your room to eat the rest of your apples, drink more water, and then use the rest of said water to remove some of the stench that is no doubt permiating off of your person.
> Then you put the bucket in the apple sack, pocket your light crystal, and take some gems that you left in the room.
> Finally, you depart for Ponyville yet again.
> As you walk, you try to think of possible uses for these light crystals.
> They're magically charged, so you might be able to use them as magic batteries.
> They're crystalline, so you might be able to crush them and make single-use gem paper.
> Carry around a stick of charcoal and you can make a spell on the fly.
> That is, if the crystals can even BE crushed.
> They're made of light, so they might either decay faster, or explode.
> But you can't test that right now.
> Thinking for a moment longer as you yawn, you believe that you could have indoor solar panels if you knew anything useful about electronics.
> You know how to do very simple stuff, and that's it.
> You can make weak electromagnets, voltaic piles, and kinetic generators.
> Even then, that's only an "in theory" kind of thing.
> And materials will probably still be expensive.
> You're not even sure if they know what ferromagnets are at all.
> However, you've gotten so off track, you didn't realize you were close to Zecora's hut until you looked up and saw said zebra walking towards you.
> And seeing her reminds you that you didn't really need to buy the apples, because she taught you what plants were safe to eat in the Everfree.
> Feeling stupid, you decide to greet Zecora.
"Hey, Zecora."
> "Ah, greetings, Anonymous. I hear you've been quite the sourpuss."
"Yeah, I had a bit of a disagreement with Twilight a few days ago. Been staying in the old castle, but I'm going back today."
> "Then it is a fine day, but from the castle, you should be away."
"Yeah, it's dangerous and all that, but I needed somewhere to stay."
> "I understand, Anonymous. However beware; some things are bigger than the both of us."
"It must be hard getting your point across sometimes, with all those rhymes. Have you ever accidentally said "orange"?"
> "Orange? Please, that word does not make me cringe."
> Did...
> Did she manage to rhyme the word "orange" by pronouncing it as "oringe"?
> That's... Kinda cool, actually.
> Now that you've seen it done, you can't help but wonder how no one thought of that before.
> Of course, you wouldn't count it if it weren't for the fact that you've heard many, many people pronounce it with an i instead of an a.
"I must admit, that's some clever wordplay."
> And you're still wondering how you never thought of it.
> You part ways with Zecora, and, after a few minutes, make it to Ponyville.
> You walk through town, avoiding stepping on any foals, as the ponies call children.
> You've thankfully never done it, but you get paranoid around small living creatures like that.
> Sure most of them are big enough to not get stepped on, but they're still small enough to accidentally get kicked in the face.
> And that would still be bad.
> You make it to Twilight's without making mothers hide their children from you in fear of you kicking them in the face, and open the door.
> You start wondering why Twilight doesn't get a knocker installed, until you remember that ponies have hooves, which are much better at knocking on solid gold doors than hands are.
> You would add in other hoofless races, but the town is literally called "ponyville".
> Emphasis on "pony".
> You open the door, and begin to announce your presence.
> However you don't really need to, as Twilight is standing there already.
> "Anon! You actually came back! Er, not that I thought you wouldn't, heh."
> You're not sure if you should be offended by that comment or flattered that she actually waited by the door for you.
"Why wouldn't I come back after I said I would?"
> "Well, I mean, if you really were a crazy hermit, then..."
"Twilight, why would a crazy hermit act civilized when interacting with others?"
> She pauses and contemplates that for a moment.
> "I suppose you have a point."
> You sat down and talked to Twilight for a while before Starlight eventually came in to profusely apologize.
> You forgave her, because you know that these ponies can have random bursts of borderline autism.
> Which usually result in some sort of lesson being learned.
> Of course, before you realized that ponies may in fact all be borderline autistic, you frequently voiced your opinion on anything that sounded dumb to you.
> And you may have said something about Starlight shortly after you met her.
> It sounded logical at the time, but you ended up regretting it after she broke out into tears, making everyone in the room angry at you.
> You did eventually get everything sorted out, and apologized, but you can't help but feel bad even now.
> Damn ponies and their hurt puppy look. It gets you almost every time.
> They're all so fluffy and naive that you can't help but want to protect them.
> Damn thousand year old parental instincts.
> You talk with Twilight and Starlight about various subjects for a while longer before you remembered to give Twilight the light crystal from the cave.
"Oh, hey, Twilight, I just remembered: I found this thing in a cave when I got lost in the Everfree one day."
> You fish the crystal out of your pocket and hand it over to Twilight, who curiously examines it for a moment before nearly dropping it as her mouth drops and her eyes grow wide.
> Looking to the side, you can see Starlight reacting much the same.
> "Anon."
> Twilight's voice is surprisingly calm considering her reaction.
> "Where in Equestria was this cave at?"
"A cave in the Everfree. I'm not sure where the cave is at, but it's somewhere."
> "Anon, you don't understand, these crystals are very, VERY rare. And one of this size is well beyond the legal size limit."
> Legal size limit?
> Oh shit, these might be more useful than you thought if Celestia thought it would be a good idea to limit how big of one someone can have.
> Starlight speaks up now.
> "Anon, these crystals are very valuable and dangerous! If you stumbled on the cave, and there were more, someone else could as well."
> Why is this such a big deal? Are these literally radioactive or something?
"What's so special about them that they're size restricted, anyway?"
> Twilight looks at you, lips pursed.
> "Anon, these crystals emit high amounts of raw mana. They're like contained mini-suns of magic."
> You blink.
> "And a crystal this dim must be radiating higher frequency mana and light waves, meaning it's even more powerful."
> Woah, what?
> Dimmer crystals are better?
> Man, now you don't feel as accomplished.
> "Anon, if we had access to this cave, we could further magic theory by decades!"
> If finding them out about a small cave full of them is this big of a deal, you'd like to see how they react to the fact that you made one.
> Except you really don't because that would give you away and end with you being sent to the moon.
"Sorry, Twilight, I don't remember where the cave is."
> Oh man, that ear droop though.
> "Well, I guess there's not much we can do to help that."
> Her ears straightened out and she raised her head up.
> "Oh, also, I'm afraid I'll have to keep this crystal, because it's most likely a dozen or so grams over the maximum size."
> Wow, that's a small maximum size.
"Well, I was going to give it to you anyway, as a present, but okay."
> Twilight and Starlight talked about the crystal for a bit, occasionally asking you a question, which you answered, until you all realized it had gotten fairly late, most likely being shortly after dinner time.
> You went to the dining room and ate the best meal you've had in several days, before you all went to bed a few hours of loafing around thereafter.

--~~~~~~~~--

> It has been several days since you finally stopped being a forest hermit, so you must be Anonymous.
> Again.
> The morning after giving Twilight that crystal, you woke up and realized that if she goes looking for that cave and finds it, you're fucked.
> So you [spoiler]not so[/spoiler] subtly asked if she was going to look for the cave.
> Surprisingly, she wasn't.
> Something about warrants, not being able to prove the existence of something so rare, and the Everfree being itself.
> You were still half asleep at the time, okay?
> Regardless, you still want to err on the side of caution, so, now that your house is finally nearing completion (hallelujah that Twilight didn't cancel construction or something when you left), you think it's time to do more magic shit.
> You let Twilight know you're going back to the castle for a while "because I found a few cool areas I want to explore some more", and set out.
> One journey into the Everfree later, and you're at the cave.
> It feels like you haven't been here in a month, but it's only been a few days.
> Because you're paranoid, you check for any obvious signs of intrusion nearby before entering.
> You found nothing, and your stuff looks untouched, thankfully.
> You read a bit more from the book, and tinker with some spellmaking for a while.
> In doing so, you created a spell that cloaks things, without having to get the circle directly from the book this time!
> You figured adding an Anti-Magic rune and an aura modifier would help keep magic scans from finding it, so there's that.
> You don't think the spell could mask the entire cave, so you'll charge it up later after digging a little cubby somewhere and then use the spell to mask your incriminating shit.
> You then decide to go ahead and dig that cubby now so it will be there later.

"All right, let's see here..."
> You went to reading again after digging the cubby, which you placed out of the way in a mostly bare section in the hopes that if someone did find the cave and go looting, they wouldn't find your shit while it was cloaked.
> You get back to reading up on magic dynamos, finishing it after around 22 minutes, and then decide to read a bit more, because the next section is about charging stations.
> You won't go into full detail on the dynamo and charger, but the basic gist of it all it a lot like a simple kinetic generator, only with less copper and magnets and more crystals and "mageto-flux fields", which are some kind of amalgamation of magnetic fields and magical power.
> You need to make a ring of gemstones on the inside of a cylinder of "hardened gem paper" which is made the same way as normal gem paper only with charcoal dust mixed in.
> Next, you need to make a mechanism that allows you to turn a "warped luxstone" inside the cylinder.
> And to get a warped luxstone you need to take a light crystal, and burn it out by scratching it until it starts to get really really hot.
> And then you have to make wooden poles capped in gold, and afterwards affix a gemstone to the top of each for the relays, because of course you can't use wires.
> And finally you have to make a charger using another warped luxstone, a quartz crystal, and various other materials such as hardened gem paper, gold, wood, and of course gems.
> Well, you guess you shouldn't have expected getting magic to be easy.

> Several hours later, you've finally gotten things working.
> It's not very efficient, due to the generator being manual, and everything being handmade, but it works much better than killing half the forest to power one spell.
> You decided to charge up your new cloaking spell and test it out.
> ...
> Well, you can't see the cubby anymore.
> Just looks like wall.
> Of course, you don't know if it's giving off any magic. Or anti-magic.
> Either would be bad if Twilight or Celestia found the place.
> But, it seems to work for now, so you let it be and head back, because you've been out here long enough for today.
> Halfway back, you decide to take a detour, because you figured coming back the same way you came wouldn't look like exploring as much as coming out on the other half of town would.
> You're probably letting your paranoia get the better of you, but whatever doesn't end with you rotting in a cell is a good idea in your book.
> Worrying about getting caught with illegal magic reminds you of a history lesson Twilight once gave you.
> About this really old and now disbanded radical cult of Celestia called the "Invincible Sun" or something like that.
> Or at least, that's what the name meant.
> They basically went around lynching anyone that did "evil magic".
> Well, no point worrying about that any longer, because one, they're not a thing anymore, and two, you're back at the castle.
> You go to the library, where you would imagine Twilight is, and enter.
> Sure enough, she looks up as you close the door.
> "Oh, hey Anon! How was your little 'adventure'?"
"It was pretty good. Saw some cool places out there."
> Twilight chuckles a bit.
> "How you can stand it in the Everfree, I'll never know."
"It's not that bad out there when almost nothing can see you."
> You both share a laugh before you sit down and begin to make idle chatter.
> The rest of the day is mostly quiet, with you reading various beginners tomes on magic when you weren't making idle chatter.
> When asked about your sudden change in literary taste, you simply said you'd like to know more about it.
> "Because even if I can't use magic, there's no telling when knowing about it will be useful."
> In actuality, you were obviously looking to compare what your book says about magic with what ponies know, or at least tell share, about it.
> Eventually, you had dinner, read a bit more, and then headed off to sleep.

--~~~~~~~~--

> You shuffle out of bed, yawning. Looking out the window, the sun is well up, but not too high.
> You'd guess it's about 9 a.m.
> Stumbling into the bathroom to take a piss, you glance in the mirror along the way.
> Still green with a question mark face.
> Yep, you're Anonymous, and it's been about 3 months since you stopped being an edgy hermit.
> In that time, you finished most of the book, learning a lot of things.
> You've also had your own house for about a month now.
> A week ago, you started making a "magic laboratory", which you will be disguising as a science laboratory.
> Science may be... abnormal here, but being labeled a scientist is better than being labeled a practitioner of black magic.
> The closest to what you would call a scientist you've met so far is Twilight, but she's more of a dabbler than anything.
> You, however, have a Google doctorate in many sciences.
> Worthless on earth, Harvard degree here.
> Of course, your "lab" is currently more of a root-ridden broom closet hidden under the floor.
> Of course, that didn't stop you from moving your shit to it.
> Going to the Everfree all the time is exhausting and suspicious.
> Finishing your morning routine as you think, you almost get to work on the lab until you remember
> You had things planned today.
> You groan as you remember, but you know it's necessary.
> After learning of recipes for "magic-infused metal" in the book, you realized smithing would be something good to pick up.
> Yeah, you do have runes for metal manipulation, but you've always been interested in smithing and metallurgy as a hobby.
> But the main reasons for it are you like swords, and the book describes the metal as "very enchantable".
> If nothing else, you could sell enchanted jewelry or something, saying you made a deal with someone who doesn't want to be named.
> Better than mooching off of Twilight.
> [spoiler]but mooching off of her is so easy though[/spoiler]
> And then of course, you need to learn how to USE a sword.
> Not like you can use magic in public.
> It would be great if you could, but you can't.
> Putting your digging tools back into your "tool closet", you go to make yourself presentable.
> Which is to say you put some pants on and rinse your pits.
> Opening the door and stepping out, you prepare yourself for the coming day.

> After a lot of walking and asking around, you manage to find Ponyville's blacksmith.
> You may have been living here for quite some time now, but you haven't really had much need to visit a blacksmith until now.
> You can't help but feel a bit lucky you live in an earth pony founded town, because from what you've read and been told, the earth pony way of smithing (see: normal smithing) has been gradually replaced by magical means. Like many earth pony things.
> Examining the exterior of the little shop you now stand in front of, you see a sign on the stone exterior that reads "Wrought Steel's Smithy" in plain text.
> Entering, you hear a bell ring, normal for many shops.
> The walls are wooden in the lobby, with a few pictures hanging from them. There are a couple of chairs to one side, and an unoccupied counter in front of you.
> "Be there in a minute!"
> The voice sounds a lot... not rough, compared to what you would expect from a smith.
> Momentarily, a soot-covered light grey earth pony with a rusty brown mane walks out from a doorway on the side of the wall behind the counter.
> "Well, if it isn't our local human! What can I do for you?"
"Well, I was kind of hoping to find someone who could teach me how to smith. It's always interested me as a hobby, and I figured, since I'm in a completely different world and I now have my own house, why not try and learn?"
> Yeah, you got this. You totally know how to talk to people.
> "Really now? Hm. It's not often somepony has an interest in the old ways of smithing."
> Darn unicorns and their fancy, newfangled magic, that you can technically use yourself through runes.
> "You know what, I don't usually get much work outside of Ponyville, and I suppose refusing one of the few ponies... or rather the only human, I've met who shows an interest in earth pony smithing would be a terrible thing to do on my part. Come on, let's go to the back room here and get started."
> thatwaseasy.mp3
> Not one to question the good things that happen to you in life, you follow the stallion behind the counter and through the door on the side.
> You're met with a fairly large room containing various smithing equipment, including a still-lit forge that was making the room quite hot.
> The stallion sits down at a small table, and motions to another chair nearby.
> "Have a seat, and let's see what you already know, if anything."
> "Oh, and my name's Wrought Steel, if the sign outside didn't give that away."
> ... In hindsight, you should have been able to deduce that instead of just calling him "the stallion" in your head.
> Doing your best to get situated in the pony-sized chair, you reply.
"Well, mostly just some basic theory, three parts copper to one part tin makes a type of bronze, carbon and iron makes steel, etcetera. No actual experience though."
> Steel's face took on an expression of mild pleasant surprise.
> "Not much, but more than I expected. Let's see... Do you know what Damastusk Steel is?"
> Damastusk? Could be Damascus.
"I believe that's created by welding, cutting, and folding steels of varying carbon levels together to create layers of differing coloration. And I think newer methods use steel alloys as well, typically containing nickel."
> Thank you Wikipedia.
> "Hmm. That's actually correct. Now... You know how bronze is make, but what about brass?"
"I know that's copper and zinc. Not too sure on the ratios, though."
> "Good, but we'll have to work on those ratios eventually."
> Drat. You were on a roll, too.
> "Well, I don't suppose you'd know much about operation a forge?"
> Well shit.
"Uh... Well, I know you need to keep it fuelled and give it lots of air to keep it hot. And, well, yeah."
> "Heh, I can see you weren't kidding about not having any experience."
> Ouch, my pride.
> "Well, I'll get you started learning basic forge operation for today, and we'll go from there."
> Hoo boy, too late to back out now. Here's hoping you don't lose any fingers to white hot metal.

> You are, to this day, incredibly butthurt about losing your children.
> Guess who you are now.
> [spoiler]Hint: You're Queen... Actually, are you even a queen now that you don't have any land or subjects? Regardless, you are Queen Chrysalis.[/spoiler]
> During your many months of exile, you slowly wandered the land, eventually making it to the town of Ponyville in Equestria, the town where the dumb ponies who took your hive away live. You've been hiding out for a while now, but you haven't done anything and you don't plan to. Why?
> Simple. You don't have an army anymore, and you don't have a stable source of powerful love.
> Trying anything would be suicide.
> But none of that is on your mind right now, because you have just found something, or rather someone, in the Everfree, sneaking around the ruined castle.
> And boy does it have you curious.
> Sneaking around in deep foliage and shadows, you trail this strange bipedal creatue as it wanders through the forest, eventually coming to a cave.
> You follow it in and-
"By the hivemothers..."
> You're so amazed at how much crystallized magic is in the cave that you stop caring that you were trying to be stealthy.
> "Woah, w-what?"
> Oh shit, that's right
> You were trying to be stealthy.
> Well, too late now, it knows you're here.
"Strange creature! I see you came across a magical impossibility."
> Well, it seems you're still too amazed by ALL OF THIS CRYSTALLIZED MAGIC HOLY SHIT to properly communicate.
> "Uhh... Okay, what?! Who and what are you?!"
> Hmm... All your intincts are telling you to lie, to come up with a fake identity and story, but...
> Ah fuck it, you could sell ONE of these things on an illegal market, get incredibly rich, and buy leadership of some third-world country and live off of the love its ponies would have for your money and status, no point in lying now.
"I am Queen Chrysalis, and I am a changeling. Mind if I have one of these crystals?"
> "What- Yes I do mind! Alright, I need to sit down."
"But- but- please?"
> The creature only sits on a rock and quietly mutters to itself.
> Is a "yes" too much to ask for?

> It's been a couple of months since you started learning how to smith from Wrought Steel, and you decided to use runes to create a portal to and from the Everfree cave and your "science lab", so you are obviously Anonymous.
> You are also freaking the hell out, because motherfucking Queen Chrysalis just showed up out of nowhere and just asked for a magic crystal.
"Okay Anon, just chill the fuck out, she hasn't  tried to mind control you just yet..."
> Cool as a god damn cucumber.
> suspended by a steel wire over a pit of lava in the middle of summer at noon.
"Okay, Chrysali-"
> "QUEEN Chrysalis, to you."
> Fucking...
"Fine, QUEEN Chrysalis, what, exactly, are you doing here?"
> "Well, I was following you, when I noticed all these wonderful crystals on the walls here, by the way, mind if I-"
"NO, you may NOT have any! What do you even want them for, anyway?"
> You know they're rare, but from what you've heard of Queen Chrysalis, she probably doesn't just want it for a collection.
> "Oh you know, nothing much, just selling it to the highest bidder at an illegal auction."
> You blink.
> Okay, you guess that's better than her saying she made some evil doomsday machine that uses crystallized magic for power, so that's good.
"Well, I've kind of been trying to keep this place a secret, and you showing up with a hunk of this stuff, the smallest of which are apparently over the legal maximum size allowed by Equestrian law, kind of raises questions like "where did this come from", and that can eventually lead back to me."
> "Oh phooey, don't be so paranoid."
"Paranoia has thus far kept me out of jail, so no thanks."
> You notice the changeling queen's face scrunch up in irratation, before morphing into a sly grin.
> "And what would happen if somepony were to, I don't know, leave an anonymous tip that you were harboring magic crystals of this size?"
> Heh, she used your name in a sentence without knowing.
"Good try, but I could easily reveal you, and then it comes down to 'who do they believe more: the personal friend of Twilight's who is also somewhat known around town, or the evil changeling queen?'. And I think you can guess how that would end up."
> Her smirk disappears.
> "Hmm. You're smarter than I thought. But! I refuse to give up until I get at least one of these crystals!"
> Well shit.
> "I say this because while I would normally just take one after you leave and be done with it, it is as you said; I am the evil changeling queen. If I just took one, you could easily sic the ponies on me, and at this point in life, I just want to find a permanent and stable source of love, and just retire. After a two failed invasions and the loss of my whole hive, I've given up most of my old goals."
"Then why not just pose as some random mare and settle down with someon- pony?"
> "Because why do that when I can sell one of these things, get incredibly rich, and buy my way into power in some tiny, underdeveloped country and live off of the love from all of the ponies living there?"
> Better yet, why didn't she just do something similar at the beginning instead of trying to invade Equestria?
>Chrysalis's face contorts in annoyance.
> Oh shit, you said that out loud.
> "Because I had a whole hive to feed back then, I needed something bigger and faster."
> Fair point.
"Right. Sorry."
> "It's fine."
> Sitting there in awkward silence, you remember what you initially came out here for.
"Uh, do you mind maybe... Leaving? I mean, no offense, it's just I was kinda trying to do something out here."
> One of her eyebrows lifts over the other.
> "Did I not say I wasn't going to give up until I got a crystal? Besides, what are you doing out here that you wouldn't want a lady to see, hmm?"
> You don't like that teasing smile.
"I'm just going to be doing some, delicate, things out here. Delicate things of questionable legality."
> Both her eyebrows raise at that.
> "Ooh, what is it? Kidnapping? Ritualistic sacrifice? Communing with the demons of Tartarus? Saying you like nighttime better than daytime?"
> Well, it was clear she wasn't going to be leaving, and if it came down to it, no one would believe her...
> You simply turn to a mostly flat part of the wall, and pull out your old metal shaping spell along with some bits.
> Activating the spell, you create a doorway with various runes etched into it's "frame".
> You hear an inquisitive noise from Chrysalis, before she gasps.
> Ignoring it, you deactivate your metal shaping spell, and touch one of the runes on the doorway, hiding the gold.
> Lastly, you touch the gem on your ring, which had a hidden spellcircle on it.
> There was a sound like a stone dropping into water and cloth ripping all at once, and a gateway opened straight into your still-not-root-free lab.
> Instead of going straight for the fancy spell arrangements that make things go boom, your first major spell was for stargates, because crystallized magic is nice and you were tired of walking all the way to the Everfree to get some.
> Not to mention more privacy, or at least there WAS more privacy...
> Speaking of, you turn to look as Chrysalis.
> She looked...
> Why did she look frightened?
"You okay?"
> "Y-Y-You... You used..."
> She immediately started to run away, only to trip on a rock and fall.
> Ouch.
> She doesn't bother getting up for some reason, instead crawling away to the best of her abilities.
"Hey, calm down, I'm not gonna eat your soul or anything."
> "That's what all rune mages say before they use their damnable spells to do just that!"
"Look, I don't know what you're so worried about in the first place. It's just freaking magic, I mean, boo hoo, I have to use these rune things for it, but what's so wrong with it."
> That got her to stop, at least, but she doesn't appear that calm.
> "What's wrong with it? What's wrong with it?! You just tore apart the fabric of reality without expending any effort or energy on your part! That's not something that anyone can just go and do!"
> Oh... I mean, yeah, that actually makes sense.
> But, what about Discord?
"What about Discord?"
> "What about him, he's the embodiment of chaos!"
> You would say that makes sense, but that wouldn't be true, because chaos is chaotic.
"Look, I'm sorry I frightened you, but I promise I won't hurt you. Okay?"
> Chrysalis still seems a bit reluctant, but slowly gets up.
> "I... Apologize as well, for my... Sporadic behavior, but, Rune Mages were known for being among the most powerful beings in existence, matched only by Discord himself, at least before they were all rooted out and their tomes destroyed. But... How did you learn this?"
> Oh boy, here we go.
"Well, it all started about 5 months ago when..."

--~~~~~~~~--

"... And now we're here."
> Whew. Finally done.
> There's a reason you prefer reading to writing.
> "Wow. I'm not sure if you're either lucky or unlucky, getting what is probably one of if not the only remaining book on rune magic."
> It's condition still surprises you today, although you haven't checked for any spells.
> You should do that soon.
> "So, rune man, what's next on your agenda?"
> That's a good question.
> As much as you'd rather focus on creating fancy magic machines, you do need something to defend yourself in cases of emergency.
> Like, uhh...
> You don't know, another human coming in and trying to use black magic to kill everyone, or something?
> Does that happen here?
> In any case, better safe than sorry, so number one on the list is "cool magic sword".
"I was thinking of making a magic sword."
> Chrysalis hummed in thought.
> "Well, I suppose it's better than nothing. What's the first step?"
"Do you see a sword anywhere in here?"
> "No."
"Ta-da."
> "Sheesh, you could have just said we needed to make a sword."
> Wait, "we"?
"What do you mean by 'we'?"
> "Well, I don't have much else to do, what with the whole 'not having a hive' thing, so I may as well hang around while you do things."
> You highly doubt that's her entire goal.
> "I mean, free love without much effort helps too, but..."
> See? Just as suspected.
"Well... I don't guess there's much I can do to stop you. Just don't mess with anything that has runes on it."
> "For fear of accidentally teleporting myself to an alternate dimension where the air is made of pudding, I will respect your request."
> Pudding? Well, you have to give points for creativity, you suppose.
> In any case, you need to do your best to make a forge in the cave, and luckily for you, you have runes to help you.

> You are Twili-
"Owwhowow..."
> Okay, screw the introduction.
> Your head...
> You were just reading a lovely book on advanced magical theory (for the 134th time) when your brain started to kill itself.
> "Twilight! Are you okay?!"
> Please, little dragon, end this misery.
"Headache..."
> "Twilight, I don't think a headache would be hurting you this bad. I'm getting a doctor!"
> No wait
> At least leave you with some pain medication!
> Aaaand he left.
> You make angry horse noises at the door before continuing your writhing in pain.

> You are Celestia and...
> ohshit
> defcon5.exe
> When you received word that the book had mysteriously vanished from Twilight, you were on edge at first, but then after you decided Anonymous didn't have it, you figured that whoever took it would have shown themselves by now if they were still able.
> And you are currently regretting it while nursing a moderate migrane.
> Whoever took that book is either stupid, or making a statement.
> You haven't experienced mana warp this bad since the Last Crusade, when you finally destroyed the last of the rune mages.
> Pushing through the migrane, you make haste to your sister's room.
> She won't be happy about being woken up, and she'll be less happy to hear you lied when you said you burned the book, but something needs to be done, NOW.
> It's hard to tell with the migrane, but you can tell the source is somewhere in Ponyville's vicinity...
> Oh no, poor Twilight...
> She's probably in a lot of pain, being so close to the source.
> You'll have to check on her once you take care of your sister.
> You still remember the horrific things the rune mages of old did.
> And you're not letting it happen again.

> "Ugh, you know that portal is really annoying."
> You stop setting up the forge, and turn to Chrysalis.
"What do you mean?"
> "What do you mean, what do I mean, you can fee-"
> She pauses for a moment.
> "Ohh, that's right, you said you don't have any magic of your own. I guess you can't feel it, then."
"Feel what?"
> "Well, the portal. I would have thought you would mask it, but you didn't, and to put it bluntly, being so close to a magical distortion in spacetime is very... irritating to one's magical senses."
> Wait... You put masking runes on the fra-
> On the frame.
> Not the portal itself.
"Uh, Chrysalis?"
> "What?"
"All magic-using creatures can sense this, can't they."
> "Yep. Especially Alicorns."
> You're too busy trying not to shit yourself to complain about her mischievous grin.
> You need to do something about the portal NOW.
> Grabbing a few spells and spellmaking materials, you run through the portal and quickly close it.
> Fumbling with your materials, you quickly begin creating a simple antimagic field spell, which you plan to place around this side of the portal before duplicating it and putting it around the other side, just in case.
> Damn it, how could you not even consider any of this!
> You should have expected that ponies had some kind of innate magic-sense BS, and you also should have realized that the way you had the runes in the portal frame wouldn't affect the portal itself, but instead just the frame.
> You manage to finish the spellcircle and set it up, quickly activating it while thanking past you for having the sense to stick some crystals around the lab to help passively charge things.
> Now to see if you arranged the runes in such a way that the field was more of a shield, like you wanted.
> You activate your ring and...
> Whew.
> The portal comes on, but you still hurry through and close it.
> Because you won't stop panicking until you're absolutely sure that the portal is masked completely.
> Quickly working, you copy the spell you just made using a rough sketch you drew on normal paper as a reference.
> Once you finish, you activate it, and then activate the portal before looking around the cave for Chrysalis.
"Do you still feel it?!"
> Okay, Anon, deep breaths, calm down.
> Chrysalis blinks before adopting an annoyed expression, although she still answers.
> "No, although I would watch your tone of voice if I were you."
> With the tone of voice she's using, you half expect her to add "young man" to the end of her sentence.
> You guess it's because she was a mother to her entire hive.
"Right, sorry, I'm just very panicked right now. Also, you need to go to the other side really quick."
> "What? You want ME to go through the portal that leads right into Ponyville?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know it would normally be a terrible idea, and for all I know it could still be, but at this point in time, you're the most effective method of telling whether or not ponies will feel the portal."
> The book did have some schematics for magic detection devices, but they all read different frequencies, and you weren't sure which one ponies sensed most.
> Chrysalis was, at this point in time, your best bet at making sure you wouldn't get burned at the stake in Ponyville's town square or some shit like that.
> And besides, if Chrysalis did try anything, you're fairly confident a chair to the back of the head will do nicely at stopping her.
> Chrysalis hesitates for a moment before entering the portal.
> As you enter behind her, you notice her shudder a bit.
> Probably the antimagic shield.
"Well? Feel anything?"
> She looks around a bit.
> "Surprisingly, no. A few traces of heightened magic, but that's probably the crystals."
> ohthankgod
> Here's hoping you managed to get it in time to prevent anyone noticing much.
> As you go to tell Chrysalis to go back through the portal, you notice she went over to your note table and started reading random notes.
> Woah-hoho there, you don't think so.
> Stepping over and grabbing the notes Chrysalis was reading, you glance at the notes on top.
> Ah, your ideas for a "magical computer system".
> A far-off dream that may or may not actually be achievable.
> Before you can get to chastizing Chrysalis for reading your notes, she speaks.
> "What in the world are 'central processing units', 'motherboards', 'bits', and 'hard drives'? Sounds like something out of one of those books about futuristic worlds."
> Well, with Equestria's technology, computers are very futuristic.
"That's essentially what it is, only this isn't just fictitious. Now please don't mess with my notes."
> "But I wanna know what this 'computer' thing you wrote about does!"
> You sigh wearily.
> You suppose at the very least talking about computers will take your mind off of all the shit that happened so far, at least until you inevitably have to go and see if anyone noticed your little oversight in masking your portal.
"Alright. But, we need to go back to the cave first, because the last thing I want is someone coming in the house and then hearing us talk in here."
> "Understandable. Let's be off then."

> You are the now headache free Twilight Sparkle, and you are glad your head stopped hurting.
> Although, it was very sudden.
> One moment, your brain was on fire, and the next, nothing.
> Sweet, cool relief.
> You only had a small twinge of pain for a brief moment a few minutes afterwards, but after that, nothing.
> Thank Celestia that's over.
> Opening the library door to go get something to drink, you are instead greeted by Princess Celestia.
"Oh! Princ-"
> "Please, Twilight, we don't have time at the moment. Something terrible has happened."
> Your mouth opens and closed a few times.
> Your water can wait, no matter how thirsty you were.
"What is it, P- Celestia?"
> "I'm afraid someone found that rune book after all."

--~~~~~~~~--