I spent the next two hours growing the sunflower seeds one by one. I wilted two of them, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

"Very good," Gaia says. "Now that you know how to grow them, you now have to learn how to move them," she tells me.

"And how do I do that?" I ask.

"Sit in front of one of the flowers and close your eyes. Try to feel the life force of the flower," she tells me and holds her right hand out to a sunflower. To our surprise, it uprooted itself and began 'walking' on it's thick roots. It walked over to Celestia who was staring at it with wide eyes. Using its two leaves like arms, it bowed to her.

Jasmine and my parents laugh as Celestia returned the bow with a small one of her own and an amused expression. The flower then turns around and walks back to the spot it grew from and replants itself.

"Feeling for it's connection is the hardest part. It took Starswirl two long months to find the connection, it then took him four more months mastering it," Gaia tells me.

I sigh and get right to it.

---

---

Over the last week, I've been practising with feeling for the flowers life force. With very very little progress. Although I can see it, I just can't feel it. I've also been practising more with mana efficiency and casting. Luna and I have been training with each other some more in the evenings and I'm getting better with my sword and shield.

Shining has finally asked Silk if she would like to join him for lunch. She blushed and stuttered a few times, but with some conflicting emotions as she looked back at me, I nodded at her with a smile. She agreed and they went together into the city. I don't know how it went, but by the happy smile on Shining's face, I can guess it went well.

I visited Vortigan and his family for dinner at his Castle with my lovers. He tells me Orthos has been sighted leaving the borders of Reymorah, but all traces of him have been lost, as if he just up and vanished.

The Lapis Hive has grown some more and even some ponies have moved in with them. Shella's hatchlings have also been adopted by other changelings and are growing nicely... but we've been told some of Chrysalis's changelings have been sensed nearby faintly before disappearing. We've sent some more guards down there to beef up their security.

Cadence and Celestia's stomachs are getting noticeably bigger, Celestia more so, and people are gossiping about it. Some are excited and can't wait to see the royal foals, while others just don't care or hate the thought.

Mom, dad, and Jasmine are heading back to Terra to meet some friends and catch up with their work. Mom still makes clothing, which she and Rarity have been talking to each other about, trading ideas and designs. Dad just helps around her shop and does the heavy lifting, accounting, and stock checks.

Ponyville has been peaceful and quiet, though a couple of changelings have moved to live there. A life crystal has also been set up in Ponyville, under heavy guard though.

Shella has also been getting bigger. She tells me she's carrying six eggs this time, and that something strange has happened that should be impossible... one of them is a Princess, just like Mavis. She told me that shouldn't be possible as a Queen can only lay one princess egg every one hundred years. Celestia believes it's the magic that's within me that may be the cause, or the fact that she's so well fed, it might be speeding up the process as she has a lot more energy than Chrysalis does.

---

After a tiring day of training and little progress with the plant control. We just get into bed and fall asleep in each others embrace.

I open my eyes and notice my lovers are gone. I'm also not in our room anymore. I sit up and look around, I'm in some sort of ancient looking hall. Moss and vines cover and hang from the worn stone walls and ceiling, a pool of clear still water is in the middle of the room and I'm wearing my casual clothes as well.

A snort to my left gets my attention. I look up to see a towering being covered in flames with only two bright eyes on it's face. It has no legs but a small trail of flames as it hovers above the floor. Its hair looks like the flames you would see on a campfire and It's arms are also folded across its broad chest, just staring at me.

"So this is the mortal we must make a contract with?" It asks in a deep male voice.

I only just notice Gaia standing next to him. "Yes, you've been watching him and with the looming threat to both his and our world, you know we must," she replies to him.

"Yes, I know of who threatens us, but why must we choose this weak child? He is nothing like his ancestor," the being of flame says.

I frown slightly at that. I'm still learning dammit!

"That may be true," Gaia says. Gee, thanks. "but he hasn't had the practice and training Starswirl had," she tells him.

Whilst they argue with each other, I look around and notice a few more entities looking at me. There are three others.

One looks like a woman made of pure clear water, she's wearing a dress that looks like it's made from seaweed and seashells, and her hair looks like a flowing river that fades away at the end.

The next looks like a golem made of stone and earth, two diamonds for eyes with moss growing on the top of it's shoulders and head. Vines hang from it's face, making it look like a beard.

And the last one, my eyes almost pop out of my head. It looks like skeleton in a tattered black robe holding a very morbid looking scythe. The pole is made of four arms, one holding the next, the fourth arm is holding a skull with a blade coming out of the mouth. It's eyes are also glowing a familiar red and black.

I then look back to the still arguing Gaia and fire being. "Where am I?" I ask with confusion.

Gaia turns from the living flame and looks at me. "You are in the Hall of the Aspects... spiritually of course," she replies.

"Okay... and why am I here?" I ask.

The flame being speaks up. "Those gathered wish to see your quality ourselves. The others either don't care or are busy right now," he replies.

"Alright... what do I have to do?" I ask and stand up.

"For my test. I wish to see if you can handle my power before any training or practice. If you can keep yourself from dying, I'll accept a contract with you," he tells me.

Gaia sighs. "Infernus, why must you always use the most dangerous test of them all?" she asks him with a glare.

"Simple, I shall not aid those I deem unworthy. Unlike you who would settle for a promise that may never come to pass," he replies to her.

They start arguing again, but my attention is pulled to the being now standing beside me. I look up to see the robed skeleton just staring at me.

"You certainly have great potential young one," he tells me in a cold emotionless voice. Just the tone of it gives me chills.

"Erm... thank you," I reply.

"I am the Arcane Aspect. Arcanum Mortis," he tells me and holds out a bony hand.

I take his hand and shake it. "Adrian Stormsword," I reply.

He chuckles, but there's no emotion behind it... very creepy. "We all know who you are, descendant of Starswirl," he says.

"So why are you here?" I ask.

He looks at the still arguing Aspects. "I simply wish to correct a mistake I've made. Before I even met Starswirl, I was contracted to another... Grogar," he tells me. I go wide eyed and he sighs. "Yes, I am responsible for the monster that now plagues Terra and Equus."

"Why?" I ask.

"He wanted to understand why such an element as mine exists. I too wished to know why such a dark and tainted energy such as my own existed. So I made a contract with him, to work together to discover why. As the years went on, his mind began changing. Warping into a twisted and power hungry being. He found a way to stop his own heart and grant himself immortality... undeath. This broke our contract and I was forced to cast him aside, but he got away before I could end his madness," he tells me, again with no emotion what so ever.

I frown in thought. "Just because your element can raise the dead, doesn't mean it's tainted. It's how someone uses it. I use the arcane element to protect those I care for, to put down those who would cause them harm," I tell him.

He laughs. "Word for word, Starswirl told me the exact same thing," he tells me.

I chuckle slightly. "Well I mean it, I'm guessing it was Grogar who gave your element the name, element of death?" I ask him.

He looks down and nodded. "Yes, because soon after he escaped, he began experiments on corpses and brought them back as mindless slaves to his will, and he still to this day holds a portion of my power. It is why I'm in this form," he tells me.

"So if we kill Grogar, you'd get your power back and turn back to your original form?" I ask him.

"Correct," he replies.

"Adrian," the voice of Infernus says and I look at him. "Are you willing to go through my test?" he asks while Gaia looks upset and is glaring at Infernus.

After a few seconds of thought, I give my answer. "Yes. If I am to stand a chance against Grogar and his undead army, I'll need as much help as I can get," I reply.

He unfolds his arms and hold his right hand out to me. "Very well. If you survive my power, then I shall make a contract with you, but to do so, you need my orb which Discord has," he tells me.

I look at his hand as I then hold out my right hand which he grabs and I can feel a burning heat flare up inside my chest. I grunt in discomfort and fall to my knees. I see my hands burst into flames as well as my feet and shoulders.

I clutch my chest as the burning sensation grows. It feels like my insides are melting. I groan in pain as it continues to spread through my body, as well as the flames covering me. The pain gets too intense and I scream from what feels like my flesh starting to melt.

"Adrian, please hold on! You're almost there!" I barely hear Gaia tell me.

I fall onto my side and curl up into a ball. This feels just as painful as the time I was shot by Grogar in that vision I had.

Just as I was about to give up from the intense pain, it stopped. I go limp on the floor and breath heavily, trembling from the aftershock.

Gaia kneels beside me but keeps her hands away. "Adrian? Are you alright?" she asks with worry.

I open my eyes and look at her. Well that's different, I can see her face but it's in different colours of yellow and orange. I look to Infernus and see bright white and yellow colours. Looking around the hall, I see black, deep blues, and cyan colours. I guess I can see the heat everything gives off.

"I'm fine... bloody hell that hurt," I reply and look at myself. I'm covered head to toe in flames but my clothes are still in one piece at least.

Infernus then moves beside me. "You survived... as promised, after you finish your training with Gaia, I shall make a contract with you," he tells me and holds a hand out.

I take his hand and he pulls me up. The flames covering me dissipate and the heat inside me fades away.

"Where is this mortal I am to...YOU!" a female voice echoes loudly through the hall. I turn around and see none other than Nightmare Moon staring at me. Her wounds are gone and her hand is back.

I glare at her and channel four arcane elements into my right hand.

"WAIT!" Gaia yells and stands in front of me.

"Gaia move! That bitch hurt Luna and tried to posses me!" I tell her.

"That maybe true, but you'll need her help as well!" she replies.

"Her help? Why would I need or want her help?" I ask, still glaring at Nightmare Moon.

"Because she is the Shadow Aspect," Gaia tells me.

What?.. I look at Gaia with wide eyes.

"Her real name is Umbra," she says.

My glare turns to a frown and I look back at Nightmar... Umbra. "That still doesn't excuse her from trying to posses me! And what she did to Luna!" I shout out.

To my surprise, Umbra looks away with a sad frown. "I did what I must to survive. I was sent along with Lux and Discord to Equus when Starswirl gave his life to banish Grogar. I needed a place to gather mana, and the mana on the planet was too weak to sustain me, and the only source I found after months of searching came from Luna and her sister. At first, I only stayed within her to survive, slowly feeding off a tiny portion of her mana," she tells me and looks me in the eyes.

"That was the time she was getting depressed and angry at her sister. I chose then to offer her a contract to help her make her nights better with my power. She accepted and that's when I made a mistake, her anger and magic overwhelmed me, and the result is what you see now. It altered my form, and my mind. I still feel her pain and anger," she says. "She wanted my power not to make her night better, but to make it eternal."

My frown is gone and I'm staring at her slack jawed. So she didn't corrupt Luna? It was the other way around?

I shake my head and frown again. "And how do I know you aren't just making this up?" I ask her.

"Aspects are bound by a law Adrian. We cannot harm, alter, or kill anyone unless they break our contracts," Gaia tells me.

"Then why did you try to posses me?" I ask Umbra.

"I was still feeling the negative emotions from Luna, even after we were separated. I was dying, slowly without a source to feed from. Then I felt someone using my shadow element. So I hid inside a woman and suggested to her we go to where the source was coming from. After awhile, I found you, training to use my element, and with Luna's anger and my own at what she did to me. I was going to use you to feed and to punish her," she tells me.

"I managed to get enough mana from you before you forced me to retreat to come back here. Where the others helped to restore my mind," she says and walks over to me. I just notice that instead of her blue armour, she's wearing a dark blue dress that looks like a shadowy mist.

"I am sorry for the pain I have caused, but just like any mortal, we too fear death," she tells me and holds her hand out.

I just stare at her for awhile and sigh. "Fine, but you're going to have to earn my trust," I tell her and shake her hand.

"Thank you. I shall offer you my contract as repayment for my actions towards you, once Discord gets my orb, I shall help you to learn using my power," she tells me.

"Wait, you said two others were sent with you. I know Discord, but where is this Lux?" I ask.

Umbra sighs. "He resides in Celestia," she tells me.

I go wide eyed, but the hall starts to blur and I feel dizzy.

Gaia places her hand on my shoulder. "You are waking up, we shall continue this the next time you sleep," she tells me and everything fades away.

Next Chapter: Chapter 57: The Power of an Aspect Part 4 Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 9 Minutes