After my unsettling meeting with...myself, I decided to shelve my studies for a period. Once upon a time, I’d actually studied dark magic itself. Twilight had even shown me how to use a few spells while utilising the Alicorn Amulet. That in particular was not an experience I cared to repeat. Still, after that I had done my best to pick up a few dark magic spells, under the impression that fire fights fire. However, I’d become uneasy about that ever since my encounter with Chrysalis, and shortly before the Apple Family Reunion a few years ago, Twilight had told me that it was worrying her too. And so, I stopped my research into dark magic and confined myself to looking for ways to counter it with traditional magic.
Now though, I’d decided to shelve that as well, at least for a time. I’d been working on countering various spells for a few years now. And if I’d learnt anything in the last two weeks, it’s that one doesn’t need to use dark magic in order to be corrupted by it.
So I turned my attention back to the farm, as well as perfecting my own magical technique. As I’ve said more than a few times over the years, for all my ability, I am not that powerful in terms of magic. I can use a few complex spell, I can even do a short range teleportation spell in a pinch. However, anything more strenuous exhausts me. Magic, in that sense, is no different from physical strength. It can be improved with exercise, but we all have our finite limit. To push the example to the extreme, there was no way I’d ever be able to move the sun or moon on my own.
But on the other hoof, I am a little ahead of the curve. Twilight has told me that I have a bit more magic in me than your average unicorn. Most can only use their magic for basic things, like levitation or light spells. I was quite strong in those areas, and as a result of my cutie mark, had a flair for defensive spells, such as shields. In a sense, I was like a scaled down version of Shining Armor; there’s certainly no way I could shield all of Canterlot for an extended period. Covering the farmhouse would probably be pushing my luck.
Still, there were plenty of spells I’d never tried. And with this new direction I was taking, I decided a good project would be to test the limits of my abilities. I began looking through some of my books for more complex, albeit safer spells to try out. One quickly peaked my interest.
Self-levitation is an interesting concept. On the surface, it’s no different to any ordinary levitation spell. You are simply lifting your own body weight and manipulating it, just as you would any other object. What made it interesting was its lack of a tether.
You see, when a unicorn levitates something in their magic, it can only be a short distance away before the spell loses its power. The more powerful a unicorn, the further away. Hence why Celestia and Luna can move huge objects millions of miles away from themselves. When self-levitating though, the tether is always wherever the pony is. So in theory, the spell could be used to propel a pony through the air, not all that different from a pegasus. Starlight had demonstrated this ability, during her fight with Twilight. A combination of a cloud walking spell and this self-levitation allowed her to fight in Cloudsdale, despite being a unicorn.
Now, obviously, Starlight, like Twilight is a lot more powerful than I am. There was no way I’d be gallivanting all over the shop like that. But in theory, I could use the spell myself. The question would be whether or not my magic was strong enough.
So, that morning, I got up, bright and early as usual, and made a start on my new project. First’ order of business; breakfast. If Granny Smith has imparted any of her wisdom to me since I first moved in here, it is that breakfast is a vital meal. Considering that I tend to work all through the morning and only pause for a quick half hour lunch, I think she might be on to something. The physical labour of applebucking and the other activities I do on the farm, such as hauling, herding, and repair work, mean that I use a fair bit of energy, so I need every calorie I can get.
Getting out of bed, I looked out my window toward the eastern horizon. The sun was just barely coming up, painting the horizon with reds and golds. Up above I could see the last few stars beginning to fade away. Celestia couldn’t have raised the sun more than ten minutes ago. Luna was probably still up too, on her way to her chambers for a well earned break.
After making my bed and stretching myself to get all the kinks out of my joints, I headed out of my room into the hall and made for the bathroom for a quick shower and to brush my teeth. My mane was getting a little long. I’d need to think about having it cut soon. Hopefully Rarity wouldn’t notice next time she saw me and try and drag me on another one of her spa days. Yes, she has done that in the past.
Having made myself presentable, I went back to my room and grabbed my much treasured stetson from off of the back of my door. It hung there along with a somewhat ragged grey kepi, a relic from my reenactment days when I ran with the 1st Tennessee Regiment. With the familiar hat back on my head, I felt like my normal self. Honestly, at this point, I feel kind of naked without it, if that makes any sense, considering I don’t wear any other clothes most of the time.
Trotting down the stairs, I headed into the kitchen. To my surprise, I was the first one up. Usually I’d come down and Granny Smith at least, would be up and about. But this morning, it was just me. So I set about making my own breakfast and laying the table for everypony else. I was just waiting for my toast to pop when Big Mac lumbered into the room. I didn’t even have to turn around; any fool would recognise those heavy footfalls.
“Mornin’, Mac,” I said, as I grabbed my toast in a levitation spell.
“Mornin’, Bones,” he replied, still sounding a little tired.
“Ya know,” I said, turning around to face him as I sat down at the table. “Ah think this is the first time Ah’ve ever been the first one up in the mornin’.” I cracked a wry smile. It was hardly the achievement of the century, but hey, small victories.
“Well, first time for everythin’ as Granny says,” Mac answered.
Walking over to the kitchen counter, he helped himself to a pot of coffee that I’d set going. I never cared for the stuff back home, but since moving to Sweet Apple Acres, the stuff has been indispensable. I don’t know how I’d get up in the mornings without it. Does that mean I’m addicted?
“Where is Granny anyway?” I asked. “Mighty strange for her not to be up right about now.”
“Applejack’s checkin’ on her now. She reckons she mighta caught somethin’,” Mac explained.
That woke me up with a start. Celestia knows Granny Smith is no spring chicken. I knew we would eventually have to face that sad day, but I didn’t like to think about it, certainly not this early in the morning.
“Nothin’ too serious is it?” I asked, doing my best to prevent worry creeping into my voice. Mac though, shook his head.
“Just a common cold by the looks of it,” he reassured me. “But AJ’s gonna have to run the stall at the town market today. It’ll just be you and me workin’ on the farm.”
That would make things a bit tricky. We had a busy day today. We needed to finish up clearing the northern orchard. AJ, Mac and I had been working there for the better part of the week, harvesting the apple trees, but there was still a fair bit to do. Without Applejack’s help, we’d probably need another day at the very least.
However, at that moment, an idea struck me. Mac had no real objections to me using magic when in a tight spot. So why not use this as an opportunity to test my magical strength? If I could move my weight in apples, then logically, I would be able to cast a levitation spell on myself.
Apple Bloom came down a little while later, and let us know that AJ was going to head out to fetch Nurse Redheart to check on Granny Smith, and then head to Ponyville to run the market stall. She quickly wolfed down a bowl of cereal. It was almost time for her to head out to school.
“Say, Bones,” she said, catching my attention. “Ya, mind takin’ me to school today?”
How could I say no to that face? I’d finished my own breakfast anyway, and Mac had offered to wash up.
“Sure, AB. Grab your stuff and we’ll get goin’,” I replied with a smile.
The little filly was soon at my side with her saddlebags. Now that Diamond Tiara has become a lot more tolerable, she enjoys school a lot more than she used to. Not that she didn’t enjoy the chance to hang around with her friends before. But I know for a fact that school is a lot more fun when you don’t have to contend with bullies.
The two of us were soon out the door and on the dirt road that led toward Ponyville. Luckily for me, the schoolhouse was on this side of town, so it would only take ten minutes or so to get there. I chatted with Apple Bloom as we walked. But where once I would have been asking what her latest idea for a cutie mark was, I was now asking her about her current client. I still find it strange to see her with that cutie mark on her flank. Sometimes I still can’t believe it. They’ve helped a fair few ponies out around town, including my little sister, in understanding what their cutie mark means and helped more than a few foals discover their special talent.
But she is still a little filly, and as such, despite her occasional requests to be exempted, she has to go to school. Today they were apparently going to be studying a bit of ancient history, reading up about Starswirl the Bearded and a few other famous names from that time, as well as a few old myths and legends.
Before too long, the pair of us arrived at the schoolhouse. There were already more than a few foals milling about the schoolyard, with Cheerilee keeping an eye on them. I stopped to have a few words with her as I dropped Apple Bloom off. Ever since she and Mac broke up (albeit consensually), I’ve been a little worried about her. I’m sure there’s somepony out there for her though. She certainly seemed to be in good spirits today though. It was just a shame I didn’t get a chance to say hi to my Mum. She also works at the school, taking some of the workload off Cheerilee. But she apparently wasn’t due in until the afternoon.
So I headed back to the farm. I passed Applejack on the way back, and she brought me up to speed. Mac and me would have to do the work today on our own, while she looked after the stall and earned us some bits. Apple farming may be a profitable business, but farming in general is always a precarious profession financially. Why, an old neighbour of mine back on Earth had turned a double barrel on himself after all his cattle had to be destroyed when one tested positive for TB, meaning he couldn’t sell them, and leaving him in massive debt.
Granny Smith wasn’t as bad as first feared, so AJ had left her with some hot soup and orders to rest up until she felt better. Although knowing Granny Smith, she wouldn’t take that advice unless forced to. Mac and me would have to check in on her from time to time to make sure she wasn’t taxing herself.
With those parting words of advice, Applejack headed off into town. I meanwhile went back to the farm and was soon reunited with Big Mac. Today was going to be a long day, but if I was lucky, I might be able to get two birds with one stone.
Having returned to the farm, Mac and I headed out to fields to the start work. It was set to be a hard day today. As I said before, we were all working on harvesting the northern orchard. The apples would then go on to be used to make cider in the autumn (or apple juice if you’re from the UK’s censors). Between AJ, Mac and me, nothing could be simpler. We were planning on finishing up today, and then using the rest of the week to take a look in on the area given over to the vampire fruit bats. They’d been there a couple of years now, and Applejack was keen to see Fluttershy’s much vaunted promised bear fruit, if you’ll pardon the pun.
But being a mare down, we’d have our work cut out trying to clear the orchard in time. At least, that would be true if we were just applebucking. Theoretically, I could use my magic to speed things up. Applejack however, never liked me using unicorn magic. Not out of spite mind you, she simply wanted to keep the farm a more traditional earth pony one. Admittedly, she was a tad set in her ways at times, but so was I. The two of us were staunchly traditional and conservative, and slow to accept change. Magic, as far as Applejack was concerned, was her line in the sand.
But, as the saying goes, when the cat’s away…
“So let me get this straight, Bones,” Mac said, looking solemnly down at me. “You want to try and figure out your true magical potential by trying to harvest as many apple trees as you can with your magic?”
“Eeyup,” I replied with a grin.
It was a clever idea if I do say so myself. I might not be able to make like Twilight and clear the whole orchard in one fell swoop, but I ought to be able to speed things along nicely. At a rough guess, if I could clear twelve trees at once, I would have enough power to lift myself off the ground with my magic.
So, having sworn Mac to secrecy, the two of us set to work.
I started fairly simply, warming up as it were, by using my magic to harvest a single tree. Manipulating multiple objects at once requires a fair bit of skill. Think of it like trying to pat your head with one hand and rub your stomach with the other. It’s sort of like that; very easy to get distracted and balls it up.
So far though, I was doing pretty well. With some effort, all the apples in the tree began to glow a dark blue colour, showing that my magic had a hold on them. Then, concentrating, I slowly eased them away from the branches.
When applebucking, the kick itself causes the stems to break off and the apples to fall. With magic though, I had to carefully tug on each individual apple to bring it out of the tree. And to make things more interesting, each one required a minute difference in the amount of force. Pulling sharply on one could result in another couple apples go flying off toward Las Pegasus. Luckily, I’ve got pretty good fine motor skills, at least when it comes to magic. I couldn’t help but feel quite pleased with myself as I watched about fifty odd apples float into the waiting baskets.
Mac meanwhile, was doing things the earth pony way. But he wasn’t behind or anything. Despite using my magic, he was still managing to keep pace with me, even as I upped my count to six trees each time. It was only when I began my experiment properly that I began to outpace him.
Like I said, I needed to be able to move twelve trees worth of apples if I wanted to have a hope of levitating myself. This would require a lot of concentration, and most likely tax my magic to its limit. I’d already pushed beyond what your typical unicorn could do, although not by too much.
Doing my best to focus, I faced up the the row of twelve apple trees that I had to harvest. The way Mac was going, if I could clear this lot, even if I went back to applebucking, we’d be finished by supper time and back on schedule. I closed my eyes as I activated my magic. In an effort to bolster my confidence, I remembered the wise words of Jedi master Yoda.
“No! No different, only different in your mind! Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?’ And of course, that simplest of motivations. ‘No, try not. Do, or do not. There is no ‘try’.’
Of course, that wasn’t the case with magic really, you did need more magic to move heavier objects. Still, it gave me a boost of confidence. I’d been performing similar feats all day. This was just combining those efforts into a single spell. Taking a deep breath, I began to cast my magic.
Instantly, I felt the strain brought on by the weight of all the apples. Can you imagine carrying twelve bushels of apples all at once? Physically, even with my improved strength from working on the farm, there was no way I could move all this. But with my magic…
Slowly, I saw the apples begin to move, tugging at their stems, still attached to the branches. In addition to raw power, I needed to use finesse to avoid sending the apples flying. I did my best to concentrate, the slightest distraction would cause me problems. I closed my eyes in an effort to focus better.
A moment later though, I was briefly startled when I heard Big Mac gasp. Opening my eyes again, I saw all the apples levitating in the air, all hovering a foot or so away from the trees. It was a strain, but I was holding them all up; I could do it! Carefully, I eased the large load into the waiting baskets, before finally resting. As soon as I did so, I let out a gasp of air I didn’t realise I’d been holding. Mac was quickly at my side as I sat down.
“Land sakes, Bones!” he exclaimed. “That was amazin’! Last time Ah saw a unicorn pony move even half that kinda load, it was Princess Twilight helpin’ out.” I let out a slightly pained laugh and grinned at him.
“Ah’m good, but Ah ain’t that good, Mac,” I replied. “But it does mean Ah can keep on with my little experiment. If all goes well tomorrow, Ah’m gonna go flyin’.”
And so, the next day, after letting my magic recover overnight, I began my little experiment. Today was going to be fairly quiet. With the market shut, Applejack was free to help Big Mac, while Granny Smith remained in bed recuperating.
Once again, I volunteered to take Apple Bloom to school, while AJ and Mac went to take a look at the vampire fruit bat reservation. They were going to do a spot of testing of their own, to see if the newly grown apple trees had become more productive as Fluttershy had suggested. If that was the case, we might well see a massive upsurge in productivity. I’d even talked with Applejack about expanding the area given over to the fruit bats.
However, that would come later, right now, I had to get Apple Bloom to school. Once again, I set off for the school, with the little filly trotting alongside. She soon revealed that she was in on my little experiment.
“So when are ya thinkin’ of tryin’ your new flight spell, Bones?” she asked, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
“How...how did y’all know that?!” I spluttered in shock. The little filly did her best to look innocent.
“Big Macintosh told me all about it last night, when you and Applejack were busy checkin’ on Granny Smith.” I growled at that.
“Big Mac…” I muttered to myself in annoyance. Although to be fair, I had only told him not to tell Applejack about me using magic on the farm, not Apple Bloom. I sighed, seeing where the filly was going.
“Alright, Ah’ll bite,” I said resignedly. “What’ll it take to buy your silence?” Apple bloom paused her step and put a hoof to her chin in thought.
“Hmm,” she said. “You help me with my Equestrian History project, and we’ll call it even.” I rolled my eyes.
“Fine,” I replied, sealing the deal with a hoof bump.
We carried on down the road for a couple more minutes in silence. I swear to Celestia that Apple Bloom was getting smarter every day. Although I always like to think that she’s been the brains, or at least the stabilising force of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Like her sister, she’s an old head on young shoulders...most of the time. Eventually, Apple Bloom broke the silence.
“Can ya show me how it works?” she asked, catching me off guard. I hadn’t even tried it myself yet.
“Apple Bloom,” I replied with a smile. “Ah ain’t even sure if it’s gonna work. For all Ah know, this spell will need more magic that Ah’ve got.” Apple Bloom however, was undaunted.
“Well of course it’ll work!” she replied excitedly. “You’re one of the most powerful unicorn ponies Ah know! C’mon, let’s try it now before ya have to drop me off at school.”
I was planning on having Big Mac around, just in case anything went wrong. But the worst case scenario was that the spell fizzled out and I landed on my flank. If worst came to worst, AB could run into town for help.
At that moment though, a thought occurred to me. Why not fly AB to school? Well, okay, not fly per se, more like hover. There was no way I was going to risk Apple Bloom’s safety or my own. Plus, I knew the filly would love it if she could arrive in school like that, and have a cool story to tell her friends.
“Alright, AB,” I said with a smile. “Climb up on my back and we’ll give it a try. No promises though, ya hear?”
“Sure, Bones,” Apple Bloom replied excitedly as she clambered up on my back. I used some of my own magic to help her up.
With the filly yellow filly safely seated, I began my spell. I knew I had the magical power to do it, but it was still a tough spell to do. It was certainly more work than any levitation spell I’d done before. Think of it like doing a pull up on a bar; you’re lifting your whole body weight.
My horn glowed brightly with its usual dark blue aura. I’m a little unusual that way; most unicorns magic corresponds with their eye colour. But there are some exceptions, like me, since I have brown eyes, and Celestia, whose magenta eyes are in sharp contrast to her golden magic aura.
A moment or so later, and that same aura surrounded me, but not Apple Bloom. Scrunching my eyes shut, I poured all the power I could into my spell. A moment later and I felt my hooves leave the ground.
“Blade Star! It’s working, it’s working!” Apple Bloom exclaimed excitedly. Opening my eyes, I found her to be correct.
I was hovering perhaps six inches off the ground, encased in my own dark blue aura. I was holding fairly steadily, although I was drifting a little bit, partly due to the wind. It sort of reminded me of the first time I used magic properly. We’d only been in Equestria for a few days, and had been taken up to Canterlot to meet the princesses who were going to try and find us a way home. This was before we knew about the rift, you see. Anyway, I’d gone and introduced myself to Princess Luna, and the two of us were talking in her observatory. She’d noticed that I wasn’t using my magic and offered to give me some pointers, something i pretty much leapt at.
Of course, I wasn’t much good on my first go. I managed to activate my magic, but rather than pick up a glass of moonshine, I inadvertently picked up myself, and ended up suspended upside down in front of the lunar princess.
That was what I felt like now. Although at least this time I was the right way up. It was certainly an experience; somewhat like what I imagine being in zero gravity is like.
Turning around, I checked on Apple Bloom. The little filly was holding on to me, her hooves grasping the mane on the back of my neck. She didn’t seem frightened or anything, but I didn’t blame her for wanting to have a secure hold on me, even if it did feel like my mane was being pulled out at times.
Anyway, having satisfied myself that I could actually get off the ground, albeit only slightly. My thoughts then turned to movement. Again, it was a bit tricky to perform. It wasn’t like walking. It was more like...moving yourself with your arms, like dragging yourself along the floor. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, particularly as I first started.
As I began to move though, I found that the effort required slowly got less and less, kind of like pushing a car when the engine goes dead. Once I began to build up some momentum, things were a lot easier, and before too long, Apple Bloom and I were merrily zipping along at something comparable to a gallop, still about six inches off the ground.
Given that I still had the little filly with me, I decided not to push my luck and didn’t try to increase my speed or height any further. Before too long, we came upon the schoolhouse. I carefully slowed myself to a stop and came back into a hover. And with that, I shut off the levitation spell and dropped back to the floor, my knees buckling slightly under the renewed strain.
Apple Bloom giddily jumped off my back and ran in front of me.
“Land sakes, that was amazin’, Bones!” she exclaimed, jumping up to emphasise her point. “Ah can’t wait to do that again.”
I on the other hand, was a little less optimistic. Yes, I’d managed the spell alright, and yes it had worked. But it had really knocked me for six. It couldn’t have been more than a mile or so from the farm to the schoolhouse, and I couldn’t have ‘flown’ more than half of that. But I felt as though I’d just run the London marathon. My magic was down to perilously low levels. I probably couldn’t even lift a single apple with my present reserves.
“Ya might have to wait some time, Apple Bloom,” I replied, slightly out of puff. “That there spell is trickier than gettin’ Winona in for her monthly bath. Ah don’t think Ah’ll be usin’ it for a while.” The filly’s ears wilted at that. What can I say, I’m a bit of a softie.
“But Ah s’pose Ah might be able to take you for a quick flight from time to time,” I added. Her smile quickly returned. “Now go on, get to class, and Ah’ll see ya at three.”
The little filly cantered off and quickly joined Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were already playing together.
I meanwhile, started to walk back to the farm. While it was a shame I couldn’t go gallivanting about in the air like Starlight previously had, it was nice to know that I had the nous to be able to cast the spell. But it seemed to me that self-levitation would have to be shelved alongside teleportation, another spell that I could perform, but only in a pinch, and at great cost to my magic.
At the end of the day, it was a good result. The experience was certainly an interesting one, and that evening found me making plenty of notes on the subject.
Still, I think if I ever need to pay a visit to Cloudsdale or Las Pegasus, I’ll take an airship or balloon.