Equestrian Throwdown

by Hex Mark

Magic 101

Turning her gaze to the human beside her, Lyra's thoughts began to wander to the many questions she never got to ask. Twilight Sparkle had given her the notes she wrote down during the apple bucking, yet the teal mare was not satisfied. As much as she trusted Twilight, Lyra still wished to compare her notes. She had a primary source living with her, at her beck and call no less! They had a week before the next event, and right now she had him all to herself.

The corners of her lips tugged into a small smile as she draped a leg around Skylark's shoulder, proceeding to tug him closer to her. Caught by surprise, he stumbled and lost his footing, his arms wrapping around the mare to avoid falling. His face turned a shade of red once Lyra snickered at the sight as he tried to adjust himself. He must have looked so silly from her point of view, having forgotten how strong horses were, or ponies as the case may be, and he couldn't free his face properly.

"L-Lady Lyra? I...I can't breathe!" he complained with a muffled voice, the unicorn loosening her grip and propping him up back onto his feet and watching him catch his breath. Her mouth opened as her eyes shimmered with excitement, only for a knocking at her door to dull them.

"Could you get that, please?" she asked, not wanting to look awkward with a wide open mouth. Skylark nodded and reached for the door knob, feeling relieved that he beat the unpleasant sensation before it could start. With a twist and a tug, Skylark pondered who might have decided to visit as the door opened.

"Oh! Lady Twilight, it's nice to see you again." the human greeted the unicorn with a bow, only to be smacked playfully on the top of the head by Lyra, propping himself back up with an embarassed chuckle.

"It's nice to see you again too, Skylark. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." Twilight smiled to the human, who put his hands behind his head.

"I'm pretty sure you got your hope, ma'am." he chuckled, and Lyra nudged him softly, causing him to bring his arms back down. "Oh, right. May I ask what brings you here, Lady Twilight?" he asked in Lyra's stead.

"I was hoping that I could borrow you for a while, Skylark. It's rather im-" Twilight Sparkle was about to cut to the chase, only for Lyra to cut her off.

"What might you need him for?" Lyra's question came off rather defensive, and the human noted a sudden change in the look in her eyes. He couldn't quite place it...but something just rubbed him the wrong way. He could only hope Twilight caught on aswell, and it seemed his hopes bore fruit, the purple unicorn sighing softly.

"I want to better prepare him by teaching him to better control his magic so and increase his chances of survival. I got the request from Princess Celestia, so..." she dragged out the last detail on purpose, and Lyra blinked, the odd look in her eyes fading as she smiled.

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Lyra looked to Skylark, excited he'd have such an opportunity. If he gets better at magic, he'll get hurt less, and maybe when this is all over, I can have him to myself. she thought, but took a breath. "Skylark, you should go with Twilight today. When it comes to magic, there's no pony better than her, so I think that you've hit the jackpot if you learn under her!" the cyan mare caused the purple mare to blush. She would never get used to such flattery, that's for sure.

"Well, I'm outnumbered on this one, so...Magic lessons it is." the human put on the voice of a jester before being pulled into a tighter than usual Lyra-hug. He felt strange being captive in her embrace this time around. While there was a warm smile on her face and a gentle look in her eyes, there was something off. "I will be back later then, Milady?" he asked, and Lyra released him from her embrace and patted him on the back.

"Good luck, Skylark! If you learn any cool spells, you gotta show me when you get back!" she encouraged him, and he nodded before following Twilight through Ponyville. Once they were out of earshot, Twilight glanced over to the human.

"Hey, Skylark?" she called his attention, and he looked to her. "Lyra didn't happen to...try anything with you, did she?" the purple unicorn asked, and Miles shrugged.

"Nothing new, at least...Why, is there something wrong?" he asked, noticing the more relieved look on her face.

"Well...there's no way for me to say this without sounding mean, so I have to ask that you don't take this the wrong way, but I think it'd have been better if she didn't summon a human." the unicorn earned an understandably confused look. "You already know she's in debt, right? That's the reason she summoned you for this competition, after all." she checked if Skylark was following, receiving a nod. "She put herself in a ten-thousand bit debt in her attempts to research your kind. Until you were summoned, she had absolutely nothing to go off of except for the word and her own obsession."

"Ten thousand? Really? How does anyone even manage one thousand on such an endeavor?" Skylark questioned, but as soon as the question left his mouth, he breathed in through his teeth. "I'm going to wager...she's a few ramparts short of a fortress?" he asked, an affirmative nod causing him to smack his forehead with his palm. I should have known there was something...but I need to hold my tongue.

"Exactly. Now that she has a human who is, for lack of a better description, under her control...I don't think I even want to imagine what she might do if she has unrestricted access to the object of her obsession..." she shook her head to try to brush away the thoughts as Skylark looked at the clouds.

"Balrog's corrosive magic would certainly make matters worse. It already ensnared so many just by their viewing the previous 'games'. I'm scared to imagine what'll happen if she- GAH!" his speech was cut short as a surge of pain exploded within him, causing him to stumble, barely giving him enough time to catch himself, clenching his teeth as he breathed out both in frustration and from the pain. What the hell was that?!?!? he wondered, the pain vanishing faster than it came.

"Oh my gosh! What just happened?!" Twilight's eyes widened in shock as and the human took a deep breath and checked the palm of his hand, clenching it into a fist for a moment. The pain didn't linger, it just came then left, which only made things more distressing to him.

"I don't know...maybe it was some magic backlash within me?" he theorized, and Twilight tilted her head. "I mean...our worlds seemed to have different rules when it came to how time progresses in relation to our bodies, it is reasonable to assume that mana acts differently in this world. Either way, I think it's gone." he smiled reassuringly as they stopped at Twilight Sparkle's home.

"That's good, wouldn't want you to blow yourself up before we even start your lessons." the unicorn made a poor attempt at a joke, earning a baffled look from the human before she grinned sheepishly. "...Yeah, jokes are more Pinkie Pie's forte, can't blame me for trying." she chuckled a little, and without further delay, the two entered the library, Twilight immediately searching the shelves before pulling out a book, skimming through it. These all have unicorns in mind...does Athelinean magic operate upon the same principles? she pondered before looking over at the human once more. "First I'd like to observe the basics of your magic. Can you form a- oh what did you call it again? A magic missle?" she requested, making Miles a little nervous.

"Should we be doing this inside? " he pulled at the collar of his shirt, remembering the other day near Sweet Apple Acres. "I mean...I'd rather not blow up your home by mistake." he couldn't help but glance at his palm when he remembered the magic missle backfiring. Sure, he could heal from that, but magic blowing up in one's hands was still painful.

"I've already accounted for that." Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but smile at the human's concern. Her horn glowed, creating two magic bubbles around his hands. "A simple application of a barrier spell should contain the blast should your magic backfire." Twilight's horn continued to glow. "Just take it easy, all I want to see is the process of your spellwork." she stared intently at Skylark, who nodded.

"Alright then..." he brought the encapsulated hands together, watching the bubbles merge into a single bubble with a perplexed look. He slowly pulled his hands away from one another, the barrier splitting into two once more, he was almost at a loss for words as he put the bubbles back together. This is simple to her? he thought, focusing on his hands once more. His palms glowed faintly, a glimmer of azure light emanating from the tips of his fingers towards the center of the space between his hands. However, he did not get much farther than that. Come on, not now! he took a breath of disguised frustration, his palms glowing more intensly as the azure light began to form itself into a ball. Almost there, almost- SON OF A BASALISK!! he stumbled back as the blue orb exploded, shrouding his hands from view, the barrier not even budging whilst containing the blast.

"Sweet Celestia!!" Twilight yelped, rushing over, removing the barrier once the light faded, only to shudder at the sight of just what damage the explosion caused. The human's hands took the brunt of the blast, chunks of flesh were missing, revealing charred muscle tissue, the blood that had escaped had been incinerated, existing only as crimson vapor before dissipating, what would have been open blood vessels were burnt shut. "Hold on!" she grabbed a spellbook, flipping through the pages in her panic. "I know there's a healing spell in here!"

"D-Don't worry!" he hoped to stop her from panicking even further. "My hands healed last time this happened, I want to see if they will this time." he shuddered as he took several deep breaths. Befuddled, Twilight looked from her book to the human's hands as the damaged tissue began to repair itself once more, just like at Sweet Apple Acres. Her eyes widened at the sight, it was a golden opportunity for her! The mare's horn glowed once more, the glow going over Skylark's decimated hands so she could see what the human could not. Amazing...This form of healing is unlike any I've observed at the hospital. She thought as she watched patches of azure slowly fading inwards, what she could only assume is magical energy being converted into living tissue. Dr. Hay Flicker would be rolling in her grave if she heard of this. her horn's glow faded as the healing process finished, looking at Skylark as he shook his hands, the pale spots getting their color back once blood started flowing again.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Twilight Sparkle observed the human's body as he rubbed his wrists. A half-forced smile, sweat coming from his forehead and going down his neck. A brave face won't hide exhaustion. her thoughts ran through her head, and the human flexed his hands once more before relaxing them.

"I'm certain...though I can't say I had worse." he confessed, though he couldn't help but fiddle with the wrist cuffs on his shirt. There wasn't a mark on the cuffs, even though they were caught in the contained blast radius. Come to think of it, these garments have gotten through the second challenge scot-free aswell. "What sort of material did Lady Rarity fashion this out of?" he tugged at the cuff again.

"She experimented with crin and silk when weaving your outfit and was quite pleased by the result." She couldn't help but pause for effect. "Though I had taken the liberty of looking into enchantments, it was a simple matter to ensure that they'd be able to take more punishment than you will have to." she sported a proud smile, which was returned in kind.

"Defensive enchantments applied in such a manner...Your talent and ingenuity are astounding, Lady Twilight." he stopped when he noticed the unicorn blushed, still unused to consistent praise for her spellwork.

"It's not nearly as impressive as your healing magic. I never heard of anypony outright bypassing Hayflicker's Limit." the unicorn noticed the confused look on Skylark's face, she felt a little strange. "It's...the overall amount of times cells can divide and repair tissue before dying?" she had attempted to simplify it. However, her attempt only made things more confusing.

"Cells? Tissue?" He asked, mulling it over before he sratched his head. "I never heard of dungeons that could split up and repair...wait..what? That doesn't make any sense." he questioned, and Twilight tried her damndest to keep herself from laughing.

Knowledge of magic, but no understanding of their own biology? Humans certainly are a strange folk, and the book might scare him. she hypothesized as she composed herself, clearing her throat. "How should I explain?" she asked, tapping her chin before she nodded to herself. "Assuming metaphor works the same way in Athelina..." she unintentionally condescended the human, who didn't react. "An organic body is a living, breathing castle. Cells are the bricks, tissues are walls made up of them. When a castle wall is damaged, ponies and I assume humans would use new bricks to repair the damage. The body is no different, the cells have the ability to split off into two new cells. Those cells grow and split again, repeating the process until the damage is undone." She paused to allow the human to process this.

"I guess that makes sense....and this..Hayflicker's limit..." he crossed his arms to think about it from the metaphorical standpoint Twilight provided him. "Much like how we can only make so many bricks before running out of clay, a cell can only split so many times before it runs out?" he asked, earing a firm, but friendly pat on the head, much like a dog being pet by his master for learning a new trick.

"That's right!" Twilight encouraged Skylark before she gestured to his hands. "The magic acting inside of you seems to bypass that limit by converting your mana into new cells...From all instances of watching it, I can infer that it is independent of your will...and from the look on your face, this is your first time hearing about how it works?" she teased him, and he chuckled in embarassment.

"Yeah..." he unconciously moved his hand to his shoulder, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "It always helped whenever I got my butt handed to me, so I never really wondered why." he recounted the earlier times.

"That being said, such magic does concern me for two reasons." she took on a more serious tone as she looked over the notes from passed observations. "Your magic is so focused on that healing process that it not only gives you a small pool to work with, but it also blocks what little you have left from getting out. You're forcing yourself to put more and more pressure until you can get some magic out, and something has to give eventually...." she closed her notepad and Skylark sighed.

"That explains the explosion...but I take it that is the least of it?" Skylark asked, and the unicorn hesitated before giving up on being soft about it, giving him a rather disappointed look.

"You're too dependant on your healing magic; that much was apparant when you were willing to subject yourself to a normally fatal fall just to escape Rajah." she took a breath to gather her thoughts. "Eventually you're going to deal with something that will be able to overcome it, and you throwing your life away is the last thing anypony wants." she admonished him, but smiled. "Luckily, I can solve both of those problems." she piqued the human's curiosity, Skylark's eyes brightened a little.

"Really? How so?" he asked, and the unicorn looked him over for a moment before extending a hoof out.

"I just need your right hand for a moment. It'll only take a few seconds." she requested as she allowed her horn to glow, and Skylark stared for a moment before smiling, extending his hand to gently grasp the purple hoof. "Ok...this is a little awkward...can you close your eyes too?" she asked, and he nodded before closing his eyes.

Is she trying to invoke the power of a ritual? he wondered, just in time to feel a sudden coolness on his chest. Wait, did she just take my shirt off? he wondered, but before he could open his eyes, he felt something strike him in the shoulder, and his body tensed up before his legs went numb, causing the human to fall over onto his backside, his hand clutching the area that was struck. "Sweet Celena!" he groaned, opening his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry! I must have put a bit too much 'oomph' into it!." Twilight Sparkle quickly apologized as Miles tried to stand up, but his legs just wouldn't support him. Earning a confused look that could only be asking 'What the hell was that for?!', the mare offerred a smile. "I concentrated my magic on the point where I had the most direct access to your magic."

"You lost me again, Lady Twilight." he moved his hand away from his shoulder, only then to feel a wave of relief, much like the feeling of blood flowing back into a sleeping limb. He glanced over at the purple crescent moon, which brightened into a brilliant azure as his legs regained feeling. "Did you just-?"

"Turn your magic off then let it turn itself back on? Yes." she adopted an as-a-matter-of-fact tone as a smirk spread on her muzzle as the human slowly got back up, experimentally moving his arms and legs before his shirt and coat had been warped back onto him. "Well, go on! Don't you want to see if it worked?" she asked, the human blinking before nodding.

"Oh, right! Let's see..." he brought his hands together, cupping them as he focused, an azure orb forming almost immediately, though in his shock the orb fizzled. Completely dumbfounded, Skylark took a few moments to process everything before looking to Twilight. "How...exactly did you know to do that?"

"Observing you allowed me to form my hypothesis on the matter. Your cutie mark seemed most directly linked to your magic, it would always 'glow' more whenever I scanned your magic aura, mostly when you fire off raw magic. It took a precise 'dose' of magic, but for lack of a better term, I loosened it."

"Hold on, if that's all it took, why did you need my hand?" he asked, and the unicorn giggled.

"Well, how was I going to get a clean shot if you were blocking it?" she asked, causing the human to snicker at his own ignorance. "Well, now that is taken care of, I think it is about time we got you to improve your control." Twilight Sparkle grabbed several clay blocks with her magic and left them scattered on a table. "To that end, I am going to teach you how to use the most elementary of unicorn magic: telekinesis...Why are you looking at me like I have three horns?" she asked the baffled human, who rubbed his head.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just...How advanced is Equestrian Magic if psionics, the most difficult class of magic in Athelina, is considered the most elementary?" he asked in awe, but would not receive an answer as Twilight patted him on the shoulder.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time." she tried to encourage him, but then stepped back and looked to the claw blocks. "But onto the lesson! I'd like for you to watch closely." She instructed her student as her horn began to glow. She stared at the clay blocks, the one closest to the edge of the table being surrounded with the lavender aura she gave off, slowly changing its position. Then another, each one being lined up, and then stacked onto one another in the shape of a two-dimensional pyramid. "I channel my magic through my horn, grasping each block one at a time so I can lift them and move them." she toppled the block tower. "Too little force, and it won't work, too much force and you'll risk breaking the blocks." Twilight warned before she took a breath. "But I've wasted enough time, I'd like for you to replicate what I did."

"A-Alright then...Here goes.." Miles hesitated as he thought back to Twilight's example. Unicorns channel magic through their horns, humans through hands. He extended his right arm,the azure aura forming once more. "So all I have to do is focus on picking up the block, right? That shouldn't be too-" his arm shuddered as the clay block was quickly surrounded with the magic aura, immediately collapsing into itself and shooting red jelly into the human's face.

"Oh! I forgot to mention." Twilight lied, stifiling her laughter. "Pinkie Pie supplied me with these blocks, and she loves a good prank." the unicorn smirked as Skylark stayed perfectly still.

"Please tell me it's not Erubetie." he joked while tasting the jelly as it trickled down his lips with his words. "Rasberry...Tastes just like one from the Lone Star farm back home." he remarked as he was handed a napkin. "Thanks." he smiled, wiping his face clean before he decided to try again.

BANG

Both Skylark and Twilight flinched and covered their eyes, the latter only looking when the former groaned infrustration. The mare was overcome with mirth at the sight of the human being covered from head to toe in chicken feathers, with a plastic beak on his mouth. What in Solstia's name-?! he tried to pull the beak off, but to no avail, it was glued on.

-----

Elsewhere, Trixie Lulamoon watched the odd lesson with a mix of disdain and confusion through a large glass disk suspended by black and green chains. Her familar floated lazily behind her, arms crossed and leaning back, almost as if he were on a lounge chair.

"Are you certain you hate Twilight Sparkle if you're so willing to watch her in such a manner? Perhaps your frustration with the mare is simply some unresolved tension?" Balrog joked, unshaken by the glare he earned from the unicorn. "But I must confess, this is amusing." he chuckled.

"You're not worried at all? It pains me to say it, but Twilight Sparkle is among the best magicians in Equestria, second to The Great and Powerful Trixie of course." Trixie's mouth cracked into a self-assurred smirk.

"She couldn't stop me from taking those precious trinkets of hers, and she also weakened Miles by tampering with the Brand of the Night Hunter. I have no reason to fear her." Balrog adjusted himself, now back on his feet as he cracked his neck, stepping to his left and sweeping his foot, knocking a shadow-shrouded figure off their feet. The figure was swiftly pinned onto its back as Balrog stared into their eyes, pressing the flat side of the figure's knife against their throat.

"Damn it!" a feminine voice escaped the would-be assailant as the shadows faded, revealing an anthropomorphic fox with shoulder length hair that complimented her bodysuit.

"How did she even-?!" Trixie stopped herself from panicking, looking at the two as Balrog began to laugh.

"You're getting better, Cai Li." the familiar hoisted the fox up before shoving her back, taking the knife away. "You bypassed the detection wards and haven't triggered even a single trap. I knew keeping you around was a good idea."

"Don't patronize me, you bastard!" the vixen tensed up, only to freeze up the moment Balrog exuded a pitch black aura that filled the room. It was an

"Now now now, misplacing your anger won't get you anywhere." he slowly walked to the fox, who could only glare, the monstrosity gently grasping her jaw with a hand. "After all, it had blinded you to an honest to Integra compliment....But seeing as you're here, I'd like to give you a chance." he smiled. "How about it? Wouldn't you relish the opportunity to take me out in a duel?"

"You offering a duel? A coward like yourself?!" Cai Li nearly howled as she finally willed herself to break free from the dark aura that bound her, the demon sighing as he stopped exuding the aura.

"A coward? That is what you call someone who cultivates his rivals? Allows them to grow?! Three years ago, you and your brother were helpless before me, unable to even get close enough to attempt a killing blow." he adopted a strangely genuine tone, throwing the knife past the fox, embedding itself into the wall. "But now? You have been able to get closer and closer to getting the jump on me. But your solitary improvement is not enough." he paused, then raised a finger up. "You need to get back into the game if you

"Balrog...You're trusting her with this?" Trixie asked, and her familiar nodded.

"She's come this far, she deserves the second shot at taking me out in a fair fight. Between her and the bull, this year will become more entertaining." Balrog took out a golden necklace with an orange crystal embedded inside. "Here's the deal, Cai Li; the new contestants are getting ready to find this and the other five jewels like it. There is one of them in particular I'd like for you to kill." Balrog tossed the necklace to the vixen. "If you can kill Miles Skylark, I'll face you in single combat in the arena. No special tricks from me, a simple one on one. Does that sound good to you?" Cai Li held the necklace in her hand, trembling with frustration before she took a deep breath, relaxing herself before glaring

"Fine, I'll play along for now. But just so that we are clear; I intend to win, and I intend to kill you, Balrog!" Cai Li took her knife back from within the wall, pressing two fingers, taking a breath before her body flickered, and she vanished swiftly. Trixie frowned slightly, aiming a less than amused glare at her familiar.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Balrog. The Great and Powerful Trixie questions whether or not you are sane." Trixie watched as Balrog looked to her.

"My game is dangerous? Weren't you the one who stole the Chaos Grimoire from the Sealed Realm in order to summon me to your home world? I wouldn't exactly call that 'safe'." he smirked, the mare stunned at the sheer audacity of the monster before he shrugged. "Certainly, you were destined to summon me if I take so well after you. But, I digress." he stretched his arms. "I have no intention of losing. I will take great satisfaction at crushing them all."
----

The pranked-out human panted, hands on his knees as beads of sweat ran down his face and neck, clenching his teeth as he shook with exhaustion. Twilight Sparkle checked her clock, then jotted down a few more notes, quickly crossing out something before she nodded in contentment with herself, glancing up at the stairs as she noticed Spike heading down.

~Findings During the First Experiment Day of Lessons~
* Magical stability improved upon tinkering with the mark.
* Human hands the focal point of magic.
* The subject's tenacity continues through, as of this writing, eighty-six failures.
* Stamina won't last him through a wild night.

"It's nice that you're persistent, but maybe we should take a break and pick up in a couple of hours while I work with what I observed." Twilight suggested to Miles, who wiped sweat from his forehead, sighing in frustration. He was completely oblivious to Spike as the baby dragon snickered quietly at the pranked-out state of the human.

"You're right...but...what am I doing wrong?" he asked, wincing as his hands tensed up, burning from the constant magic output as he shook them. A scaly hand gently smacked him on the back, and Spike smiled enthusiastically.

"You probably just gotta relax. Being all tense won't-" Spike stopped as Skylark flinched, jumping up quickly with a panicked yelp, the wide-eyed human clinging to a rafter for dear life and shaking like a leaf. Neither Spike nor Twilight could refrain from laughing as the unicorn wrote down one last note, using magic to pull the human back down and allowing him to start cleaning up the mess that was made.

* Has a bad case of Draconophobia.

"Hey, Twilight?" Miles glanced over after gathering up the fallen feathers and putting them in a bag and put it in the proper place, the unicorn looking up from her notes. "I...Thank you for teaching me...I...I can't quite put my finger on it...but something about using magic...learning how to use it... It just feels right." his words fumbled, and the mare smiled warmly, as if glad that she found a student who was beginning to develop a passion for magic.

"I'm glad you think so! Magic is such a wonderous thing in this world, it'd be a shame not to learn more! But..I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves. You should probably get cleaned up when you get back to Lyra's." she advised the human, who nodded and waved, bidding the unicorn and the dragon farewell as he jogged back to Lyra's. I..didn't really learn any cool spells by their standards...maybe Lady Lyra won't want me to botch telekinesis. he hoped as his jog slowed down into a nice stroll.

~tbc~

Author's Note:

Phew...good lord this one took a while. Real life sucks and bogged down my progress more than I wanted it to.

Comments

[Hex Mark]

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You're kinda making me wish that Miles was from the Fallout universe. xD I love the pic.