I walk back down the hallway and spot a guard, I ask him to guide me back to the Training Grounds, right now I'm angry and need to vent my anger out on something.

The guard nodded and leads me to the Grounds, I head back over to the target range and practice my aim with the earth element. I channel a single element into my stave and aim at a long range target, a rock the size of my fist comes out of the ground where I channel more mana into the spell to increase the force and distance of the rock.

I fire the rock and hit the fourth inner ring, I keep practising, but not once did I hit a bullseye. The other guards are watching with wide eyes as I channel an earth and fire element and cast the spell, the rock is now engulfed with fire and explodes once it hit the target, which is set on fire.

"WHAT THE BUCK WAS THAT!" I hear the voice of Shining Armour shout out.

I turn to the Barracks and see him walking over to me. "Adrian? Why do you look like somepony just spat in your cider?" he asks once he's next to me.

I didn't realize it, but I'm scowling hard... do I tell him? "I'm fine... actually, can I talk with you in private?" I ask him.

He looks surprised. "Sure, let's talk in my office," he says and we head into the Barracks and into a side room.

Once the door closes, he sits behind a desk and I sit across from him. "So, what's got you all riled up?" he asks me.

I sigh. "First, you promise that what I say here doesn't leave this room?" I ask him.

"Alright," he replies with a nod.

"I had lunch with the Princesses and their nephew," I say, which he frowns upon when I said nephew. "Luna was about to give me a tour of the Castle, but Blueblood offered to instead. I thought nothing of it at first, thinking he was just trying to be nice, he led me down an empty hallway and then pinned me to the wall..." I tell him what happened after that as well.

"I see, he has been trying to increase his personal guard lately, mostly by threats or bribes I hear. If he saw your demonstration earlier, then I'm not surprised he would try to get you in his guard, but I've never heard of him attacking anypony for it before, he probably sees you as a threat," he says rubbing his chin with his right hand. "And I agree not telling the Princesses just yet, knowing them, they'll try to punish Blueblood and he might do something rash. I'll ask my guards to keep an eye on him, just to make sure he doesn't do anything to retaliate against you," he tells me.

He then gives me a serious expression. "Just be careful, I believe he's done some rather... unethical activities in the past couple of months, but I can never find the evidence to back it up. If he tries to attack you again, come here and tell me, alright?" he asks.

"Okay, but am I allowed to defend myself if I have to? I don't want to get in trouble if I have to fight back," I ask him.

"Fine, but don't kill anypony, do what you did in Ponyville and root them in place or knock them out. Now then, you're welcome to stay here until the Princesses call for you again," he says.

"Thanks, I think I'll practice my magic some more," I tell him and head back out to the target range.

After about two hours of practice, I take another break to let my Mana recover. I finish off the water in my flask and lie down on the grass, I then pull my hood over my eyes.

I can hear some hushed voices and the sound of footsteps approaching me. "Excuse me," a soft female voice says. I look up to see a woman with a horn, dark orange fur and red hair, she has sapphire blue eyes and is wearing a robe of some sort with one of those gem rods on her hip. Her hands have a ruby with a flame around it mark on them.

"Yes?" I say politely.

"Me and a few others were wondering if you could teach us those spells you were casting," she asks.

I sigh and sit up. "I don't think that is possible, from what I've seen and heard, you cast magic by thought or through a muscle in your horns and gather magic from around you. I cast my magic with Mana that is generated within my body and cast my spells by using different elements together," I explain to her.

"Oh..." she says with a disappointed expression. "I'm sorry for disturbing you then," she then says and walks away back to a group of ponies waiting for her.

I lie back down again and try to take a nap.

---

I wake up to the sound of a blade being drawn, I look over to see a guard wearing light blue coloured armour standing in front of a training dummy. That's odd, I thought the guards wear purple and gold armour? I also notice he's glaring at me.

I stand up and brush the loose grass off of me, I pick up my stave and head towards the castle, ignoring the glaring guard.

I just realise I left my bag in my room, unprotected. I rush inside and follow the hallway Luna lead me down before, the guards and maids look at me with raised brows as I tear through the halls. I arrive at my room and look inside, my bag is still where I left it, I check it's contents and find nothing missing. I sigh and pick up the spell book and walk over to the bed.

I sit down and open the book to the air element again, I read the text and learn that the element has an interesting effect when combined with a shield element. When cast as a target, a wall of turbulent wind is created in front of the caster, deflecting projectiles to the sides. When cast as an area spell, it creates a tornado around the caster pulling enemies towards it and deflecting projectiles.

But it's the self cast spell that has my attention, similar to how the earth element adds armour to the caster, the air element gives the caster wings made from the air itself. One air element allows the caster to glide while two increases the gliding speed, three air elements allows the caster to fly like a bird by controlling the wings and four elements increases the speed again.

I spend the next hour practising to control the air element, I've lost control a couple of times and cut my hand, which I healed quickly, but I finally have decent control over it.

I try combining it with a shield element like the book says, glowing yellow and white orbs orbit my stave's gem and I self cast the spell. Two wings of gently flowing air hover just an inch from my back, they're both a transparent white colour and about two metres long each.

The door then suddenly opens without warning. "Adrian?" Luna asks as she leans her head in. She spots me and her eye brows shoot up... as well as her wings. "T-Thou has wings? Why did thou not tell us?" she asks and walks towards me.

"I, errr. I learnt this spell just now actually," I tell her as she tries to stroke the right wing where her hand goes right through, but I don't feel a thing.

"Amazing... can thou fly with them?" she asks.

"No, this is a weak version of the spell. I can only glide slowly at best. Still, it would prevent me falling to a gruesome death at least," I reply and cancel the spell.

"We see," she says and lightly shakes her head. "We've been looking for thou for the last half hour, did our nephew show thee the castle like he said he would?" she asks me.

I think for a second, what do I tell her? "Erm... yeah. He's an... interesting guy," I reply.

"Then which way from here would thou go to find the Archives?" she asks and frowns at me.

I chuckle nervously. "Down the hall and to the left?" I reply with a sheepish grin.

She sighs. "We thought so, where did that pompous foal take thee to?" she asks me sternly.

I sigh as well. "He took me to an empty hallway and tried to force me into joining his personal guard..." I tell her.

If I thought she looked angry when I first met her, she looks absolutely pissed off now. "That conniving spoiled colt! We'll make sure he understands that he can't do as he pleases anymore!" she says and starts walking over to the door.

"Wait!" I say to her.

She stops and turns to me. "Why? We art just going to discipline him," she tells me. I get the feeling that involves hospitalising him.

"He said to watch my back, and if he knows that you now know, he might do something rash," I tell her. I've met a few people like Blueblood before... and they don't make idle threats.

"And thou think that he is a threat to us or our sister?" Luna says.

"Maybe not to you, but I don't know what he has or is capable of, I'm just asking you to wait for awhile and see what he does," I ask her.

She frowns. "Fine, we shall wait and see what our nephew will do... but should he do anything to harm thee, he shall feel our wrath," she replies.

I raise an eye brow, confused as to why she's being so protective of me. "Fair enough," I say.

She leaves the room and I sit on the bed, I pick up the book and continue to read about the air element.

---

---

Blasted creature, he will regret not taking my offer.

I walk back to my office and sit down at my desk. "Silent Shadow," I say, calling my Spy.

A shadow from under the desk moves out and forms into a black furred unicorn stallion with a dark red mane and grey eyes. He's wearing a black vest and trousers with many pockets and vials on them, he also has a black pair of daggers on each hip.

"Yes, Master?" he asks, making me smile.

"I want you to keep an eye on our new... guest. Let me know what he does or says to anypony, I get the feeling he'll be a thorn in my side later... but if you can get rid of him and make it look like an accident, do it," I tell him.

"As you wish, Master," he replies and turns back into a shadow.

I chuckle and start sorting though some of the nobles requests.

---

---

I yawn as I finish writing my reply to the gryphons, even if it means war, I shall not allow them to prey on my ponies. The door to my office opens and Luna steps in with an expression of deep thought.

"Is something the matter, Lulu?" I ask her.

She quickly looks up at me. "Nay sister, we art well... so how goes the matter with the gryphons?" she replies and asks me. I know something is up but don't press the matter, yet.

"Not well I'm afraid, they demand our ponies as a delicacy in exchange that they won't invade our lands to just hunt us," I tell her.

"And we shan't, if we must, we shall fight them in battle along with our guard!" Luna says. She always was the more hotheaded of the two of us.

"Let's just hope it won't come to that," I tell her.

A yell outside gets my attention. "Oh SHIT!" the voice says as somepony falls past the window.

"ADRIAN!" Luna shouts as we rush over to the window, we both watch as he falls to the ground, a bright white light bursts out from his back and a set of beautiful flowing wings appear on his back. He wobbles badly but glides down to the gardens, I wince as he lands face first into the grass, but stands up after a few seconds.

---

---

Ouch, that's the last time I sit on a balcony's railings. I stand up and spit out a few strands of grass, I'm so glad I had my stave in my hand while I was practising the air element some more. Two flashes of light to my right gets my attention, Celestia and Luna are running towards me with concerned expressions.

"Adrian! Art thou alright!?" Luna asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply and look up towards the balcony, I frown and shake my head.

"How did you fall from the balcony?" Celestia asks.

"I was sitting on the railing while reading my book, I guess I lost my balance and fell, good thing I learnt that new spell then," I reply with a chuckle.

"Yes, it is, please refrain from doing so in the future," Celestia tells me sternly.

"No problem there, I think I've had my fill of heights for awhile," I tell her. I pick my book up off the floor and check for any damage, looks like it's still intact. "Sorry about worrying you both," I say.

"As long as thee aren't hurt, that is all that matters," Luna says. "At least thou got to test thy new spell," she says with a giggle.

I chuckle along with her. "I guess so, so what were you both doing before I interrupted?" I ask them.

"Just some paper work, nothing as exciting as what you were doing though," Celestia says. "Speaking of which, I must return to my duties. Luna, would you like to help keep our guest out of trouble?" Celestia says to Luna with a wink.

Luna smiles. "We guess so, mayhap we can teach him some manners while we are at it," she replies to Celestia.

Celestia disappears with another flash of light and Luna looks at me. "Come, Adrian. We shall give thee a proper tour of the Castle," she tells me, grabs my hand, and pulls me along behind her.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9: Learning History Estimated time remaining: 20 Hours, 10 Minutes