"Look look look!" Misty danced from hoof to hoof as she read over her book of spells. "This is the best spell so far!" Playing the notes properly, she conjured the immense magical power of a butterfly, fluttering around the room.
Amber applauded wildly at it. "Ooo, look at that." She reached out a hoof for the butterfly to land on gently. That close, she could see it was no living creature, just magic itself, in a butterfly'sh shape. "It's pretty, and colorful." She tossed it into the air. "Go on."
Misty joined Amber in watching as the illusion slowly faded from existence. "That was awesome!" She rocked back onto her barrel with a laugh. "But I did that! I read a spell, and practiced, and I cast that." She wriggled with joy, barely keeping her giggles down. "Unicorn magic."
"Magic buddies!" Amber offered a hoof and they met in a triumphant clop. "That was a great spell. Low on the utility end of things, but very pretty. I like it." She sat, tail swishing across the ground behind her. "My turn? Teach me your spell, oh wise teacher."
Misty blinked at that. "Wait, what? I thought you were the teacher."
Amber laughed gently. "And now you learned something I don't know, so we get to swap jobs. Please instruct me, so I can be as awesome as you are, magic buddy."
"Oh, well, it's easy!" She pressed her book of spells into Amber's hooves. "Just read it, and, boom! Magic happens. You'll see."
Amber frowned at the book, opening it with a sigh. "Not as fun as learning from an actual pony." She stuck out her tongue at Misty. "Besides, we want unicorns to eventually learn past us, so learning how to teach is important too. See?" She leaned over to Misty's side of the table. "See how I'm explaining things, and not just telling you to try it and do it and stuff?"
Misty sank at the admonishment, which just made Amber flinch. "Sorry! I didn't mean to crash on you. You did really good today, Misty." She scanned her eyes over the book. "I do know how to read magic now, so, this, and that, mmm, and then, okay." She took a slow breath. "This will take practice."
Amber trotted up to the blackboard and doodled out that butterfly spell. "So I can keep practicing it."
Misty bounced to her hooves. "Can I go show Pipp?"
"Oh, uh, sure?" Amber gave her a nod. "Tell her to tell Sunny for me, that I'm doing this. They'll love it, I'm sure."
Misty raced off, about to have an entirely new adventure one could only find in a good book.
That left Amber scanning over her scribbled spell. "Let's try." She worked carefully from rune to rune, just to repeat a bit faster. When she started going fast enough, she felt warmth in her horn building, the shimmer growing as she formed the spell in her mind. She cast it, releasing a small glowing butterfly. It wasn't quite the same as Misty's, but it was close. "Good, but, what if?" She changed the colors slightly, altering the pattern on the wings.
Clapping with joy, she created about half a dozen flittering magic-butterflies in the room. She capered and danced with excited cheers. "I did it!"
She was soon dancing with the butterflies and practicing her magic to do more. Before long, she was exhausted from the mental strain.
She sprawled on her couch. "A good day's work." Her eyes slid over to her window. "Hm? Oh, visitors."
She unlocked the window, but the visitor, a hummingbird, flew away. "Aw, little critter." Alas, not every critter wanted to hang out. "I'm not Hitch." She thought of that stallion and their critter empathy trick. "How does that work?" She gazed out the window after the bird. "One day, I want to figure it out."
The sudden knock at her front door made her jump up in surprise. She rushed for the front. "It should be open!" She shoved the doorway to the library open, revealing an apologetic Pipp.
"Hi there, I'm sorry, but you have a visitor." She stepped to the side, revealing a hovering Comforting, holding a very sleepy Hitch. "He was found sleeping at the docks, and someone was nice enough to let us know about it."
Amber blinked in amazement at the collection of friends that had appeared. "Oh, well, bring him in." She turned back for the inside, waving them along to the breakroom of the librarians. "He can finish his nap here. Why was he just sleeping outside like that?! The poor thing."
Pipp placed him down on the couch. "I don't know. He was just zonked out. I thought about leaving him, but that's not good."
Hitch grumbled sleepily as he pulled the provided blanket up over himself. For as worried as the others were about him, he seemed quite content snuggling into the couch.
Comforting leaned in over Amber. "Pipp found me, and then I ended up being the one carrying him. Curse me and my hands." She glared at her hands, which had the etiquette to look guilty. "He doesn't look sick, just tired. Odd place to nap, but eh? Everyone's allowed a bad decision now and then." She chuckled, tail swishing through the air behind her. "What if I told you a story to cheer you up?" She dropped her voice to a stage whisper, "It'll be silly, just to warn you."
Amber pushed Comforting away with a laugh. "Thank you for the warning, but I have news for you."
Pipp perked at that. "Ooo! Share that hot goss!" She fished out her phone, ready to snap pictures.
Amber stiffened, just to relax. Misty had run off to show them it. It could hardly be called a secret. Speaking of that. "Misty wanted to show you herself. Go home."
"Home?" Hitch sat up suddenly. "I should get home." He hopped down and walked off.
Pipp darted after him. "I'll make sure he actually gets there. I swear."
"I have complete faith in you." Amber waved after the departing pegasus and the half-asleep stallion. "Thanks for bringing him in. It was kind."
Pipp waved, still trailing along after Hitch.
Comforting poked Amber. "So, you have news I hear?" She drifted along behind her. "Any good? It sounded fun."
"I suppose. I learned a new spell, a unicorn spell. I'll show you." She hurried to the back of the library and into the classroom. She scanned the blackboard with her notes. "I just need to refresh, and then, ta-da!" She struck the pose as she finished the spell, letting the butterfly flutter around the room.
Comforting's eyes went wide, following the fluttering magic. "A spell I didn't teach personally?" She poked the construct, sending it fluttering in a new direction. "I love it. Where'd it come from? Oh! From that book you found!" She tugged Amber in for a hug. "Congratulations!"
Amber sank into the embrace. "Yes! Misty brought it earlier today." She waved her glowing horn with a big smile. "And I learned it. Operation magic buddies is going full speed." She clapped with overflowing joy. "But only she has a magic book. I feel like I need a spell to give to her. I don't want to be a magic moocher."
"There's plenty of options, but I suppose a book is a bit hard to come by." Comforting mused on the idea. "But, no, really, it's fine. I'm glad you're helping her." She lowered her voice, but her sincerity was no less profound. "But I think you're asking if I'll help you more." She lunged at Amber, the two falling to the ground with squeaks as the tickling began in earnest, dancing fingers along the unicorn's ribs. "And, well, I can't refuse a friend!" She let Amber squirm, but always kept her laughter up.
Amber broke free, backing up with a pout. "I give, I give." She huffed for slowly regained breath. "Not even fair. You have fingers, way better for tickling." She wobbled a hoof at Comforting. "So you'll share a new spell? I promise to get my magic buddies to use it."
Comforting tapped Amber on the nose. "That is, in part, what I'm scared of, but you should share. So here's my thought. For every spell Misty learns all on her own, with a book, I'll teach you one too. How does that sound? Even trades, a mutual benefit." She wiggled her fingers in front of Amber. "It'll be fun for everyone, and it will encourage them to study independently and grow their skills."
Amber leaned in slowly. "Okay, yes, but one thing?" She was face to face with Comforting now. "What happened to 'I'm not a teacher'?"
"I'm not." Comforting burst into laughter. "You've seen what I can do. I'm not a unicorn." She winked. "But I did learn from a unicorn, a very special unicorn." She tapped her fingers together, thinking of Twilight. "I won't tease you more, you want to know what sort of sorcery I plan to share, I bet." She closed her eyes and wiggled her fingers through the air as if searching for a prize.
Her fingers froze as she found something in that curious non-space and she pulled free one of her many hidden tomes. "You and Misty both seem to like conjuring things, it seems. You make doorknobs, and she makes butterflies, but I saw that butterfly, it has other tricks in it. I wonder how long before she or you notices it." She held her fingers to her lips with a knowing smile. "But, anyways, I won't spoil it for you." She gave the cover a gentle pat. "No, I know exactly what to give you, a spell of transfiguration. You'll make Pipp glow green with envy, or purple, or yellow, your choice." She tapped the book. "It's all in here, just waiting for you. When you're ready, I'm sure you'll be able to teach yourself." She rose and left. "But be careful!"
The book flopped to the ground, landing and flipping to that specific spell without any touching.
Amber blinked at it, trying to piece together the meaning of her cryptic words. "Did she say yellow? Who would pick yellow? No, nevermind that." She stroked her chin and leaned in over the book and its many displayed runes. Her mouth worked as she ran through it once just in speech, then again with her horn slowly. "This isn't too complicated, I think I can do this. I mean, I want to."
She traced the motions and the steps, seeing the potential in the magic. "Transform. Change. It's all one thing, and this is all a matter of perspective." With a glowing horn, she threw the magic at the black board, transforming it into a purple board. "Woah." She blinked at the colored board. "Neat." She broke into giggles. "Purple, though?"
Comforting smiled to herself. She knew all about the randomizing nature of that spell. It didn't choose the color. It took the feelings and made the judgment. She'd have to have a bright feeling for a bright color. "But you didn't just give me magic paints." She worked through the spell from the start, staring at the purpleboard. "I refuse to believe that."
She kept the image of a dog in her mind as she finished the spell, her magic wrapping around the board as it warped and bent, becoming in the shape of a poodle, though still a purpleboard. She clapped with excitement. "Wow, this is fun, but why did it change just the shape?" She laughed to herself. "Maybe it can't fully transform because I don't have enough skill yet, but, if I could get that to work, wow!" Maybe the spell was only for shapes?
She wasn't entirely sure, but she did know she had a new spell, and it was worth checking out. "But it's been a long afternoon." She slumped over at her desk, looking out the window at the evening sun. "I'm beat. I'll explore tomorrow. Tonight, I just need to close up the library, then I can get a snack, and..."
A familiar pair of figures in the distance caught her eye, Zipp and Comforting. "They seem to be having fun, just going out together." She cocked her head, finding the idea interesting. "Rest time."