New Magic

by Mercury Zero

Password

New Magic

Chapter 3: Password

Twilight accepted the small paper bag lunch Spike had prepared into her magic, and floated it into one of her saddle bags. She had stuffed an excessive collection of books into the tiny packs and it seemed as though there was no way she could add an unsquished lunch to the pile. If there was one thing Twilight Sparkle was good at, however, it was organization. "My meeting is with Filthy Rich. Owloysius helped me arrange it before you got up this morning."

"The businesspony? What do you need farm equipment for?"

"Filthy Rich does more than run the Barnyard Bargains, Spike. He's one of Equestria's biggest venture capitalists."

Spike stared blankly at Twilight, and took the liberty to munch on a peanut butter and ruby sandwich he concocted while making Twilight's lunch. He was careful not to mix them up this time. Twilight will probably never stop reminding him about her chipped tooth.

Sensing Spike's confusion Twilight elaborated. "That's somepony who pays the bits in order to help entrepreneurs get started."

Spike's confusion seemed to be getting worse. The word 'entrepreneurs' didn't help to alleviate it at all. "Why do you need bits? Don't you get a big stipend from Princess Celestia?"

"Well, no, actually. Now that I'm a princess, Celestia has given me limited access directly to the royal treasury, but that's not the point. Filthy Rich bought the rights to excavate the new ruins, which means I'm going to need to ask him before I'll be able to help."

Spike gulped down his most recent bite of sandwich, and replied. "Couldn't you just get him to give you permission in a letter?"

Twilight beamed and bounced slightly. "I could, but he says he'd love to get a visit from a princess, and he's willing to show me some of the relics they've already excavated!"

Spike smirked. "Ohhhh, now it makes sense. Why didn't you just say so?"

Twilight had worked herself giddy now, and bounced around the room. She was a bit surprised by how high she was able to bounce. It's as if her newly acquired alicorn wings actually made her physically lighter, even when she's just using her hooves.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Spike?"

"And look at a bunch of boring old stuff?" Spike snorted. "I'll leave the magic to you, besides, I have to clean up all these books," he said, referring to the small fortress of literature that Twilight Sparkle created in her first attempt to decipher the symbols in the photograph from the newspaper.

Twilight would normally have been skeptical. Spike probably just wanted to have the library all to himself, but she was much too excited to notice. "Alright I'll try to be back for dinner."

As Twilight took her leave, Spike hummed softly with worry. Twilight seemed a little too excited for her own good. Hopefully everything turns out well.

***

Twilight Sparkle was no stranger to lavish buildings, but she had never quite seen one like this in Ponyville. There was a fountain in their front yard, of all things.

The structure even had a staff. At the moment they were, for the most part, attending to the immaculately manicured garden that surrounded the walls of Rich Manor. There was even an elderly earth pony attending the large wrought iron gate that served as the only way for guests to gain entrance to the walled estate.

"Hi there. My name is Twilight Sparkle and I have an appointment," she announced with confident satisfaction. Twilight Sparkle loved appointments almost as much as she loved checklists.

With a start, the absent-minded security guard rose up in his squeaky office chair to look out the window of his security booth.

He perked up to the visitor, smiled and laughed with a slight wheeze. "Well if it ain't Princess Twilight. I was told to expect you!" He cleared his throat and grabbed at his large key ring with his teeth. Trotting out to the other side of the gate, he spoke around the rusty metal loop. "Why, if y'all'd said there was gonna be a princess livin' right here in the Ponyville Library some day, I'd ah called yuh bonkers. But here ya are!"

She blushed a bit as the rusty gate swung open. Come to think of it, this was the first time she had talked to any Ponyville residents aside from Spike since she'd been coronated. She wondered for a moment if it was going to be like this everywhere she went? Is Filthy Rich going to treat her differently too?

She grinned nervously and insisted, "Oh no no, you can just call me 'Twilight'"

The security guard hummed, "Ohn, beggin' yer pardon."

Her nervous grin got bigger, "'Princess Twilight' is okay too though! Whatever you want to call me, I guess!"

Sensing her discomfort, the security guard just smiled and said, "Off ye go, Twilight. Mr. Rich oughta be waiting for you by now."

Twilight's ears pinned back as she walked past the marble pillars toward the mahogany double-doors of the manor. She nodded politely as a butler opened the door and emerged to guide her inside. She was lost in thought.

Does this mean everywhere she goes she'll be representing the crown? What if Filthy Rich only agreed to this meeting because of her new status? No. She was certain that couldn't be it. Even before her coronation, she was still a highly respected magician, and she even met Filthy once or twice in passing.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle." An amused voice called out with an echo from atop a large oak staircase. Filthy Rich started his way down, giving Twilight a stare and a slow smile. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation."

Twilight looked up at the amber furred businesspony and furrowed her brow. She had only talked to him once or twice, and it was strange to illicit such a warm and familiar smile from someone she barely knew. "Oh it was nothing! No trouble at all," she insisted self-consciously. "I'm really excited to see your artifacts, though."

Filthy arrived at the bottom of the stairs, flashing Twilight an even wider smile. "A mare that likes to get right down to business, I like that." He turns away and motions to his servants, hastily adding, "But it won't do. We should talk, have some tea. There's no reason to skip the pleasantries, is there?"

Twilight felt a twinge of disappointment. "No, I suppose not."

"Good," Filthy responded with a tone of resolution.

The pair stepped into the parlor, which was already being worked on by several of the wait staff. A small coffee table, surrounded by several comfortable looking chairs, was being set up with a polished silver tea set, and fine imported cups.

"I hope I'm not embarrassing you with all this finery," Filthy added perceptively.

Twilight fibbed, convincingly. "Not at all."

Filthy paused for a moment to glance at his guest after she spoke, then he turned to take a seat. "I would have offered you something simpler if I had it. I'd very much like for us to become friends, Ms. Sparkle." He shooed at his servants, and they bowed politely, gracefully leaving the room. Filthy reached over to pour both cups of tea himself.

"Well, I don't see any reason for us not to be," the young princess innocently replied. She enveloped her cup of tea in a field of violet magic and brought it to her lips to sip.

Filthy Rich grinned wide and smoothly replied, "Well neither do I! See? We're already friends, and you wanted to skip tea." He clicked his tongue in jest and his grin grew wider.

The words may have hit Twilight a little harder than they intended. She had been silently wishing that all of this talking would be over so she could get to the artifacts, and it made her wonder if this was just one more example where she's chosen to focus on studying instead of making friends. She thought she learned her lesson about that the last time.

Still, something about Filthy made her uneasy.

Twilight stared at her cup for a moment, then spoke. "... So, about the--" "What do you think of the legislature?" Filthy interrupted.

Twilight blinked. Where did that question come from?

Still, she enjoyed every opportunity to discuss an esoteric topic. "The legislature are the representatives of the ponies of Equestria in matters of state. They draft laws in the name of royalty and on behalf of the population, within the bounds of the Royal Charter of Pony Rights and Freedoms."

Filthy's lips were about to touch his tea when he broke into a smile at Twilight's synopsis. "Well, yes, there's that. But I know what they are. I was wondering what you thought of them."

Twilight seemed to think about it, a little perplexed.

Filthy quickly added, "Now that you're a princess, if Celestia takes a day off, you may be asked to sit at the legislature as first chair of the hall of commons and preside over the assembly. That means you'll have a tie breaking vote, and veto power. I was just wondering if politics was something that interested you at all."

Twilight's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that! Oh my. Oh my. I need to find a book on politics. I need to find lots of books on politics!"

Filthy was quite tickled by all of this, but he stared unwaveringly at Twilight and grinned slow, deliberate grins. "Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know."

***

"Filthy! Filthy Rich!" Twilight shrieked.

She drew a trembling breath, pivoting in place with her eyes wide and pupils dilated. There was nothing but blue sky in all directions, save for the distant snow peaked gray mountains, and the relatively tiny black disc she stood upon. She thrust her wings in a panic, but the world around her seemed to be made of glass that broke and reformed as she struggled. There was a crackle and hiss, and the smell of ozone as she flailed. Her eyes fixated on the strange symbols that danced around her, mocking her predicament.

Filthy laughed, despite his best efforts, from some unseen location. "Princess Twilight, relax! You haven't actually left the room. I told you before you went in, it's an illusion creator."

"You didn't tell me it would do this."

Filthy's head appeared suddenly from just within the black disc's edge. He appeared to be cut off at the neck by a dancing field of cracking and reforming glass. "I told you that when you went inside, you'd see illusions. I'm not sure what you expected." He seemed amused by the situation.

Twilight Sparkle started to calm down, and then a rush of joy slowly began to overtake her. She danced in place and took in a slow breath to speak. "I didn't expect it to be so real!" She looked all around her with sheer wonder. "My voice is echoing off the mountains! I can feel the wind in my fur, and it smells like rain and grass! The sunlight is so bright, and it's warm!"

She stared breathlessly into the distance with her jaw agape. The sky was so flawlessly real that it might have bored Twilight Sparkle to tears, if she had possessed wings her entire life. And yet, even so, there was something more. She felt like she was a filly again, seeing Celestia raise the sun for the first time at the Summer Sun Celebration. There was something about being muzzle to muzzle with the sheer beauty and power of magic that gave her an incredible rush, and not just any magic.

This is new.

This is new magic!

Twilight Sparkle laughed heartily into the bright open sky above her head. "Yes!" she cried out sharply with a little jump. Filthy Rich couldn't help but grin at the young princess's overflowing joy, and he pulled himself back out past the field.

She closed her eyes and stood in the breeze, taking a deep breath through her nose and relishing every moment of this experience, before turning to glance at the strange shapes and symbols that surrounded her perch.

"What does this do?" she asked excitedly, reaching over to examine a strange arrangement of square and rectangular blue glass chips, floating in the air beside her in a coplanar configuration. She pulled back her hoof with surprise when the first chip she reached out to touch illuminated with a bright cyan glow on contact. The strange white symbol that seemed to be painted within the center of the glass seemed to light up brighter than the rest of it, and at the moment of her touch, a six pointed star appeared amid the symbols floating around and above her.

She tried a few more taps, garnering only more six pointed stars.

Filthy called out once again from his unseen position, "It's some kind of spell casting tool. You're not touching it are you?"

Twilight's scruff bristled, and she looked around at the empty skyscape stiffly with a nervous smile. "What ... makes you say that?" she asked, dodging the question.

Filthy sighed.

"What kind of spells does it cast?"

"Nobody knows. They're still trying to work out how to operate the other ones like it down at the lab."

Twilight hopped out of the cylindrical field of flowing light, and back into Filthy Rich's dingy wine cellar, leaving the large metallic object, about the size of an outhouse, behind her. She gazed back behind her in wonder for a moment, marveling at how the strange pillar of what looked like glistening black dragon glass could somehow contain an entire world as it did.

"Speaking of the lab, when will I be able to see it?"

Filthy frowned for a moment, and squinted his eyes in thought.

Twilight tilted her head slightly; her own brow starting to furrow as well.

"Princess Twilight, were you under the impression that you'd be assisting with the research effort?"

Twilight's heart, which had been soaring so high just moments ago, crashed suddenly to the earth. She pinned her ears, "Oh I'm sorry. I just thought-- I mean I am here and ... I'm officially volunteering." She flashed him the best triumphant smile she could, despite knowing what was coming next.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I already have a team that's been on the project since before it was announced."

Twilight Sparkle wanted to sound pleading, but she only managed to take on an air of indignation. "But, I have to! Nopony is more qualified than I am."

Filthy tried to be consoling. "I'm afraid that's not true. Professor Crystal already has experience with the artifacts, and she's comfortable with the team she has. Also, historical excavation is an expensive proposition. Even if I could have you on the team, I wouldn't be able to afford to pay you, and even if I could, I just wouldn't be able to dig up artifacts fast enough to keep you busy."

Twilight Sparkle was rapidly losing hope. She fell to her haunches on the dirty cellar floor. "I-- But---" she said, with tears welling in her eyes, before perking up suddenly. "What if the kingdom helped to pay for it?"

Filthy's slow smile curled once again across his bright white teeth. "Maybe we can work something out."

Comments

[Fallen Dreams]

I loves it, keep going :D