An orb was floating high above, the red smoke inside it swirling like a bottled storm. The stars in the sky died out, replaced by the pure nothingness. The sun was bloated out by the moon, which then faded like the stars. Screams of terror echoed, muffled by the great buzz of the orb as it pulsated; the ground caved in, opening up like a giant maw. Deafening rumble rose in the air, drowning out the rest of the sounds. A few moments passed like eternity, and then there was silence. The ground swallowed them all, and nothing remained but a polished rocky surface. One might be able to hear thuds coming from below, but they too disappeared soon. The orb, exhausting its power, collapsed and shattered into five pieces; they disappeared into the darkness.

Nothing remained.

Andromalius woke up to the quietness of the deep evening; only around half an hour remained before his regular training. He rolled from one side to another, and the bed creaked under him. The strange dream imprinted itself in his mind, and he wondered what it meant. The images were blurry, but the sounds were clear, and they unnerved him to the very core. Many questions filled his mind, combining with the memories of the day before. It was clear to him that something was happening, but it was a tangled web, and he was but a struggling fly.

He blinked a few times and then sat up, releasing a waking yawn. In a moment, he stood up and stretched, the thoughts of the previous day replaced the dream, pushing it to the back of his mind; he had important things to discuss and think about, and the dream could wait.

What he heard yesterday sounded unbelievable, but he knew there was truth to it, and the amount of evidence presented to him could not be denied. This was his new reality now whether he liked or not, and it expected him to act. Which actions he would take, however, depended solely on him.

With these unreassuring thoughts, he went to the bathroom to relieve himself and clean his teeth. It was a routine he kept to for more than twenty days, but each time, he wondered about just how much had changed in his life. The only familiar thing still left was his mind, and even that was questionable. His new body was completely different, changing the way he walked and interacted with things, but as he first noted, it felt as natural as his human body used to. The legs, the head, the tail, everything moved how he wanted them to without any active, thoughtful input. The loss of hands and the dexterity that came with them was replaced by magic, which proved to be capable of more things than his hands could ever hope to achieve. Telekinsesis in itself allowed him to forget about forks and spoons – he could move liquids as if they were solid. His grip was all-encompassing, so he might even be able to grab the very air that he breathed if he so wanted.

After finishing his waking procedures, he had around fifteen minutes left before his training. Inanna was strangely silent in his head, so talking about things was out of the question. Of course, there were important things to discuss, but he hoped to avoid them for the time-being. So, with nothing else to do, he headed straight to the training hall – it was better to be early than late anyway.

The atmosphere in the Canterlot Castle remained the same as before with the guards patrolling and standing at the various entrances. It was yet another day for the castle staff, and none of them suspected that a conspiracy was on the move in Canterlot; Andromalius' possible connection to an ancient prophecy was another unexpected thing. In any case, they didn't need to think about it – they had to do their job the best they could, and that's the most they could do to help the princesses.

By this point, most of the ponies working in this castle wing had gotten accustomed to the presence of the hell stallion, although some of them still followed him with their gazes. Some guards tensed in his presence, fighting the urge to stare at him, always expecting something to happen. To them, Andromalius was a potential danger, considering his unknown origins and large, clearly battle-ready size. One guard wouldn't hope to stand alone against him, and now, with the recent news of the second attack, perhaps ten or more guards would be needed to subdue him if the need arose. But for now, all they could do was hope he was on their side.

He soon reached the training hall and stepped inside. Princess Luna was already there, carrying a rack of weapons.

"Thou'rt early today," she said, turned away from him, arranging the weapons, "Bad sleep?"

"Somewhat," he replied, "But I'm ready for training."

"Very good," the alicorn nodded, "We shall change the routine from this day on, the training will be longer. Alongside magic, thou shalt learn to use weaponry. Tell me, how much dost thou know about combat?"

"Nothing much," he admitted. Despite years of playing strategic and other games that required thought and planning, he knew it wasn't enough to succeed, especially when it came to personal combat. Swinging a stick around wasn't considered skill, obviously, and he realized that.

"Very well, then thou shalt learn from the very beginning," Luna nodded, "Proper stance, defense, and attack... 'Twill take time, and thou shalt learn even after our trainings are concluded. However, despite the mountain thou'rt about to take on, thou needst but a few months of training to become able to defend against most opponents. As I found out, most Equestrians know little to nothing about proper fighting, so thou'lt certainly raise above the average quickly. Thou hast to keep in mind that those who do learn and practice shall be more than a match for thee. And here is thy first lesson – never underestimate thy opponent, no matter how harmless they look. Always expect thy opponent to be a master of the art."

"I've been following that with some games I played," he said carefully.

"Games have rules. Life doth not," the alicorn told him sternly, "Thy actions shall determine whether thou live or die, Andromalius. There is no resurrection, no second chances. Thou hast proven to be resilient, but everyone hath their weaknesses, including both of us. This is the second lessons, and thou shalt do well to remember it."

"I will," Andromalius nodded, "You're the one with experience, not me. I'd be stupid not to listen to someone who lived for centuries."

"Even someone like myself would do well to learn from others," she replied humbly, "But thou'rt right, for I have plenty of experience when it cometh to combat. I'm glad thou'rt mature enough to understand it, for it is the advantage thou hast over many, many other students I've seen in my life. But let us finally begin."

For a few hours, Andromalius was taught basic swordsmanship: various stances, each having an advantage and a disadvantage; areas of attacks and blocks; and basic techniques of parrying and feinting. It wasn't difficult to understand, but he needed to build muscle memory in order to benefit the most from the training. The most important thing in combat was quick decision-making, and training the body to overcome the slowness of the mind was vital.

"Keep threatening thy opponent," Luna reminded him, "The point of the sword must always be aimed at whom thou'rt fighting. Keep them at bay, make them hesitate. If they jump at thee, thou wouldst merely need to point at them to stop them, for not many would be stupid-enough to jump into a sharp steel blade."

Andromalius nodded, lowering the blade slightly, angling it more sharply.

"Very good. However, thy opponent might try to kick thy blade away," the alicorn said and then demonstrated just that, swinging at Andromalius' sword, knocking it away. She then quickly step in, and stopped herself from finishing the swing at his head, "They need but less than a second to strike while thou'rt vulnerable. Thou hast to maneuver, outsmart them, and always, always threaten them. Not with words, of course, but with actions. Thy size and musculature would already deter most. And when it cometh to blows, thou must show that what thou hast is not merely for show."

Luna swung again, but this time, Andromalius moved the blade away, and the swing missed it. While Luna's sword was down, the hell stallion stepped forward, immediately covering the distance between himself and the alicorn, and he pressed his blade against her chest. A smile appeared on her face.

"Excellent," she said encouragingly, "'Tis a simple trick, but even the strongest and most skilled fighters fall for it. As thou hast just seen, I felt for it, and thou barely hast an hour of training. Do not let it fool thee, however – under different circumstances, it could and would end badly for thee."

Surprisingly, the training barely made the hell stallion feel anything but the sense of accomplishment. No tiredness, no soreness, nothing but the warm feeling of gaining useful knowledge. However, he didn't let it get deeper into his head – Luna had more tricks up her metaphorical sleeve, which she swiftly demonstrated with three consecutive feints that left him confused, allowing her to press her blade against his neck.

"Confusion is what thy enemy will always try to make thee feel," she explained, "If thou canst not predict their actions, they can act freely. Of course, prediction is nothing – thou must respond before thou canst think. Remember, however, that fights aren't fluid – they're always changing, for no one would want to be predictable in a life or death situation. So, thy opponent will try to confuse thee, and thou must respond in kind. Do not overextend, follow their eyes and movements with thy own, and being observant might just save thy life."

Another point was demonstrated when Luna used an unconventional technique; mid-fight, she grabbed her sword by the blade and swung it around, stopping short of hitting Andromalius with the pommel.

"This technique is usually used against armoured opponents, but 'tis useful to strike from unexpected angles during combat," the alicorn explained, "Sword blades are nearly useless when it cometh to piercing. If thou hast no mace or warhammer at the ready, use this technique, which is called half-swording. It might not be as good as having a dedicated anti-armour weapon, but 'twould be better than nothing."

And the lessons went on for quite some time, deep into the night. The city became silent, and the street lights turned off to give the ponies peace and calm. Only the moonlight bathed the streets, seeping into the castle through its windows. The clash of swords, explanations, and combat theory went on until Luna felt Andromalius had a solid base to work from. He would need time to properly process it, of course; all work required time, effort, and consistency.

Then came the training in the arts of magic. For Andromalius, it felt like finally flexing a muscle that was almost atrophied by the years of lying still and not being used. Bit by bit, his magic improved, his strength and endurance grew, and it turned from simple linear progression to more efficient one. As if someone flipped a switch inside him, he felt this invisible muscle free from its confines, and now it was ready to grow.

"Chain lightning is more difficult than the regular lightning bolt, but it would help thee deal with multiple opponents," Luna explained a new spell, "When thou foughtst the five, thou only drew a straight line from thyself to the attackers. Thou wouldst achieve the same result quicker if thou madest thy lightning arch. Make it jump from one target to the other. Although the impact would be less on the consecutive targets, it would be enough to give thee time to strike again."

Demonstrating the spell, Luna effortlessly struck five targets with a single lightning, and the burn on each after the first one was obviously less. Andromalius nodded, understanding the concept, and then tried the same thing. Summoning his magic, electrifying it, he then hurled it at the first target. The lightning hit it and then diverged its path in the direction of the rest of the targets. Unfortunately, only two more were struck before lightning sizzled out in random directions, causing no further damage.

"Not bad, but thou lackst control," Luna commented, looking at the targets, "Guide the lightning, don't let it loose until thou'rt finished. Of course, it would naturally follow thy intent, but for now, make sure the intent is turned into action completely."

Andromalius nodded and focused again, trying his best to control the power inside of him. It rumbled like a storm, begging to be released, and yet he had to do so cautiously, for the full extent of his powers would drain him and cause more damage than he intended. He didn't know whether he caused burns to the attackers the day before, but he suspected he did; he only intended for the lightning bolts to paralyze them, not hurt them. The charred remains of the crossbows suggested that he had yet to grasp the full control over his spells.

It was not a game anymore. There were no clear numbers to work with, no obvious path to follow. He needed to learn, and learn properly, not just reading, but practicing. Practice, practice, and practice again; learn from mistakes and practice more, that was the only way to learn such things as control. It can't be explained on paper, it can't be demonstrated for all to immediately understand; it needed consistency and effort, as well as feeling.

Ever-elusive and mysterious, magic wasn't something one could understand easily, however. For generations, ponies wondered about this invisible force, a form of energy that could be used in many different areas of their lives. No one knew if magic always existed or developed over time with the various species gaining intelligence. Ponies and other beings were curious about their world, their thirst for knowledge insatiable; and so, through centuries and ages, they accumulated the knowledge, desiring nothing more than to pass it on to the next generation, and this cycle was eternal.

Wonders one could do with deep understanding of magic were unimaginable, and the names of great wizards and magicians were firmly etched into history as one of the most important people who have ever lived. Starswirl the Bearded is said to have discovered a time-travel spell, which trumped them all. Even centuries past his lifetime and unexplained disappearance, his teachings were widely accepted and used to help the younger generations learn about magic.

Andromalius had only just begun his own venture into the world of the arcane. He had read some things about magic and the great wizards, but he had yet to grasp many of those things. Formulae and equations, ancient symbols, everything was intervowen with purpose to achieve the spells of magic known to exist. And yet, there were certain things that remained undiscovered, the secrets of immortality and resurrection among them.

However, that was a long way ahead of him, and he knew there was only a slim chance he would be able to contribute to the research of magic if at all. Although, he might just be able to do something, now that he had discovered his great potential. Maybe one day, his name would be remembered as well.

But first, he must learn from what was already there, presented to him by Princess Luna. She had many years of experience with magic, which trumped anything Andrimalius would be able to bring to the table anytime soon. And so, he learned, humbling himself and locking away his ego. He thought such a chance to be taught by one of the princesses of Equestria was rare, and so he must never take it for granted. After all, it could be easily taken from him, and no amount of pleas would help him.

"Very good," Luna told him after he repeatedly hit all five targets with one lightning, "Thou'rt a good learner indeed, and a fast one. Thou graspst the spells as if thou'rt familiar with them."

"I read a lot of books featuring magic," he replied, "Never thought it could be true, but now... It's all different."

"Perhaps thy familiarity with the concept of magic and what it might offer is what driveth thee forward," she suggested, "Very good. Well then, tell me... what dost thou think is impossible to do with magic?"

"...I don't know," he replied after some thinking, "Creating a planet, maybe? I've read about many things that were done with magic. Though... maybe creating a planet is possible."

"'Tis good that thou dost not know the limit of magic," Luna nodded, "No one knoweth, and thou hast the capability to push the known boundaries. It pleaseth me to hear this."

Andromalius straightened slightly, proud of himself in a certain way. Maybe years of playing games with magic didn't go to waste after all, contrary to what some of his friends and teachers believed. Maybe it was just a start of something bigger, and now the hell stallion was thankful to his father for showing him all the interesting, strategic games that included the imaginary. As it was now proving to be, certain things might not be just the fantasy of their creators.

This made him think... why did he look exactly like one of the creatures from his favorite game? Not one to one, obviously, but the similarities were undeniable. Was there something more to that game that met the eye at first? Was that world real?

Anything was possible now that he arrived in the new world. Before, he might think it impossible, but now, uncertainty settled in. If what he witnessed was real, then what couldn't be? Just like with magic, there seemed to be no limits to what was possible. It sounded completely crazy, but Celestia and Luna could move sun and moon, the land was filled with magic, and weird, unusual creatures roamed it naturally. If this was possible, what limit was there to speak of?

If anything could be possible, then there was a possibility of his games not being just code, models, and textures, but real, physical worlds. For some unknown and unexplained reason, Andromalius expected to discover at least one of them to be true very soon. As scary of a thought as it was, he could only accept it and prepare for it. In his mind, it could as well be inevitable.