Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

by LightStriker

Prodigy

"Alright." Twilight said with a smile.

"What?" Azure asked, puzzled by the sudden reaction of the purple mare.

Twilight hit the table with her right hoof. "You're at the right place to find a solution. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"About?" She asked, cautious of the sudden burst of excitement show by Twilight.

Twilight crossed her foreleg. "Magic, of course!"

"Oh, you want to know if I'm not faking or something? I don't mind I guess. I love magic, so go ahead and ask whatever you want." She finished with a prudent smile. She had been as ready as she could be for the entrance exam. There's no way she would mind some questions about her passion. She knew it inside, it was who she was.

"Let's see... What are the three basic laws of magic?"

Azure laughed. "That's easy! First, a spell can only be performed if it is supplied in magic with at least the sum of the value of its components. Second, the relationship between an spell's force 'F', its number of components 'c', and it's magical strength 'm' is F = m * arctan(c). Finally, for every magical element exist its equal and opposite element." she said with a huge smile, obviously proud of herself.

Twilight smiled back. It's was a fairly basic question every unicorn would learn in school. Of course, most would quickly forget all about it as soon as they would leave school as most would only remember the practical applications. "Who said: 'Everything can become anything but nothing can't become something.'?"

Azure banked her head. "Star Swirl the Bearded, in 253 A.D." she replied without a pause. "You know, you can ask harder questions!"

Twilight frowned. The question itself wasn't really that hard, but she knew very well that most ponies wouldn't know about Star Swirl the Bearded. She knew about that as she dressed as him two years ago for Nightmare Night. Back then, the only pony who managed to identify her costume was Luna, but she had an unfair advantage as she knew him personally.

"Alright hot shot! Describe me the magical structure, components and elements of a teleportation spell." Twilight smiled proudly. Unicorns that were able to perform a teleportation spell were rare as the spell itself was complex and required a lot of magic to travel any meaningful distance.

Azure frowned and lowered her head.

Ah! I got you. Don't be ashamed, there's probably only two dozen unicorns currently alive that could answer that one correctly. Thought Twilight while taking a sip at her tea. She was quite proud of being one of those.

"Which one? Clover's, Dumblehooves' or Gandhay's version?" Azure asked with a concerned look.

Twilight almost spitted her tea but managed to avoid it at the last moment. Instead, she found herself choking on it.

How can she know that?

Most wouldn't know but Twilight's teleporting spell was originally designed by Clover the Clever, the student of Star Swirl. It was the simplest of the teleportation spell, requiring an average amount of magic but with a very short range. Even if it was the easiest teleporting spell, it was still a fairly hard one to perform. Dumblehooves’ was a longer range spell that was requiring a beacon as anchor. Twilight was able to perform that one too, but it was pushing her to her limits. As for the Gandhay's one, the only pony Twilight knew able to cast it were Celestia and Luna. It was, in theory, a spell that could allow a pony to travel all over Equestria.

"Huh... Clover's version is fine." She said after coughing the tea she inhaled.

"Ok. It's a five components dodecahedron overlapping layered structure. The inner component is made of the Heisencolt element and serves as catalysis to..." Twilight simply stopped listening to her explanations, while her brain simply kept track on its own, telling her Azure's answer was spot on.

How can a so young filly know about all this? Was I as young as her when I learned that? Younger? Older?

To her surprised, she actually felt threatened by the filly's ability. Was she better than her? Her first reaction was to challenge her with harder questions. She wanted her to fail, to make an error.

That's insane! Why would I? I should be happy to have found out another pony who love magic as much as I do!

Twilight raised her head, noticing Azure had been staring at her for a moment. Automatically Azure dropped her sight to the table, blushing. "Did... Did a make a mistake?" Twilight stared at the shy filly.

It’s because I was that young special talented pony not long ago. A part of me wants it to stay that way, to be unique while another is happy to have found somepony like me. There are probably not many ponies who can understand her passion as I do. It would be terrible to not encourage that talent.

"No, not at all. It was perfect."

Azure raised her head, a huge smile brightening her face. "You got some amazing books in your library!"

Twilight nodded while smiling. "Thanks. Some of them weren't easy to find or to get. By the way, which one were you reading?"

"Gandhay's treatise on mind communication. His spells are so awesome!" she said with her eyes sparkling.

Twilight laughed. "Yeah, he was a real genius. I also have a compilation of his... if you..." she froze mid-sentence, her brain working hard. "Of course!" she shouted before running off the kitchen, leaving Azure confused about her behavior.

After a few moments, Azure ran after Twilight. "What? Of course what?" When she reached Twilight, she was in the library, levitating the tome Azure was previously reading. Twilight was flipping the pages fast, obviously searching for something.

"I remember that story. One of Gandhay's friends had an accident and lost his horn. He was a well known researcher in healing spell. To help him, Gandhay created a telepathic spell that allowed his friend to remotely use Gandhay's horn. That way, he managed to heal his own horn by using Gandhay's one." Twilight explained while getting near the end of the tome.

"I don't understand."

Twilight stopped flipping the pages and looked at Azure. "If I can find it and cast it, I could allow you to use my horn to cast a spell."

Azure's eyes widen in surprise. "You would?" she asked having a hard time to believe what she heard.

"I make no promise, I don't know if it will work, but let's try!"

Azure started bouncing around Twilight, shouted "Yes!" in repetition.

She does remind me of somepony. thought Twilight while resuming her search.

After a few moments, she found the chapter about that specific spell. "Oh... That's not an easy one."

Azure stopped bouncing and stared at the floating book, reading the structure of the spell. "Wow! You think you can cast something like that?"

Twilight raised her head, taking that statement as a challenge. "I think so." She focused on the book, reading the spell a second, and then a third time. When she was sure she memorized the spell, she closed the book and stepped back. "Here goes!"

Twilight closed her eyes, focusing on her inner self. She brought the needed magic toward her horn, slowly shaping it in the correct elements and shapes. It was a work of precision and any error would make the spell fail or worse, make it behave in an unpredictable way. After a good minute of focus, when she was sure the structure was holding and was as described in the book, she opened her eyes and looked at Azure. "Ready?"

Azure looked around, nervous. "I think so... Yes. Yes! I am." She closed her eyes and tightened her jaws.

Twilight smiled and let the spell off her horn, aiming it at the young filly. It floated toward her and slowly vanished in her head. "Feeling any different?" She said when she was sure the spell was completed

"I... I don't know. A small headache, maybe." said Azure as she opened her eyes.

"Let's try it! Try to cast a spell."

Azure looked around, not knowing what to do. "Huh... I don't know what spell to do."

Twilight sat down and thought about it. One of the first spell she ever performed was to flip the page of a book, a very simple spell for a unicorn, but she was much younger than Azure when she did it. She remembered the first day at Celestia's school; the teacher asked them to conjure a cupcake. One at a time, the young ponies came to the front of the class to try the spell. Twilight was so happy as she did it on her first try. She remembered the teacher was also quite impressed how she did it with ease.

"How about you try to conjure a cupcake? I'm sure you know the structure of that spell." Twilight finally said.

"I think so." Azure said before closing her eyes and focusing.

Twilight could feel magic slowly pouring in her horn. The magic was formless and chaotic and was let out of her horn before it was transformed into a real spell. A small spark shut out of her horn and vanished. Azure opened her eyes and blushed hard. Twilight smiled, remembering the first time she ever tried to cast a spell. "Don't be ashamed, nopony cast their first ever spell on their first try."

"Can... Can I try again?" Azure asked while staring at the floor.

"Of course."

Azure closed her eyes and focused once more. This time Twilight felt a tiny string of magic being manipulated. When Azure felt she was getting the hang on shaping it, she added another string and another. After two minutes of adding layers and components to the spell, Twilight was about to ask Azure what she was doing as the spell didn't really look like a basic conjuration. Sure, she could see the needed parts for a cupcake, but there was so many other structures surrounding it that Twilight was actually surprised it was stable. Just as she opened her mouth, the spell was released. A small sphere of magic slowly drifted toward the floor where it faded in it.

Even if it didn't do anything, it was quite an impressed attempt.

Just as Twilight was about to cheer up the filly that was staring at the floor, it started to glow of a soft blue color. Twilight tilted her head, surprised at the effect. Conjuration of a cupcake should have been an instantaneous spell; a small flash of light and one baked cupcake to eat. Instead, the spell was everything but instantaneous. As she watched the floor, it was as if someone was drawing shapes on it. Out of those shapes, a flat cupcake wrapping slowly raised and floated in midair. Over it, as if someone was painting the air, slowly appeared the shape of a cupcake. Once fully formed, it lowered itself on the paper which promptly wrapped itself around the cake.

Twilight checked her horn, finding it fully inert. Whatever was happening right now was coming from the single spell she casted. The wrapped cupcake slowly floated down. As it was about to touch the floor, a small tornado formed itself around it. The air speeded up and one color appeared at a time, until it was a miniature rainbow cone of spinning air. The tornado shrunk on itself, reducing to the size of the cupcake while becoming transparent. The tornado disappeared, revealing a swirl of rainbow colored icing on top of the cupcake.

Twilight was staring at the sweet on her floor. After a few moments, she noticed her jaw was hanging low and she promptly closed her mouth.

That was... That was awesome!

Azure was staring at Twilight with a huge smile. "I did it!" she shouted as she started bouncing around Twilight once more.

Twilight simply didn't know what to say, the spell wasn't terribly complex and she could replicate it with ease. However, it was crafted in a way she never saw or heard about before. Her thoughts were cut short as somepony knocked on the door. Instinctively she opened the door with her magic, letting a joyful Pinkie Pie enter the library.

"Hey Twilight! You know what? My Pinkie senses told me there was something very tasty in here. Normally, my right hoof only shake once when there's a tasty sweet nearby, but it did four shakes! It's like there was something fourtasty in here. I don't know, but I never tasted something fourtasty! Must be pretty awesome to..." Pinkie Pie said in one breath before she stopped, staring at the small cupcake on the floor. "Oooooh"

Pinkie Pie bounced toward the cupcake and ate it before anypony could say anything. "Wait Pinkie!" Twilight finally said as the pink pony started chewing.

Pinkie Pie's eyes rolled off and she felt on her back. She started giggling while she never stopped chewing, her legs beating the air. Twilight and Azure looked at each other, not knowing what to do. After a moment, Pinkie Pie jumped back on her feet and stared at Twilight. "That was incrediblawesome! I didn't know you could make cupcakes like that Twily!" Pinkie shouted with her eyes sparkling.

"That was Azure who..." Twilight started to explain.

"Wow! You're really a great baker!" Pinkie said while bouncing in front of Azure. Azure stepped back a bit, surprised by the pink furry of energy.

"She actually conjured it with magic." Twilight explained.

Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight, then back to Azure. "Really? That's awesome! You're really talented!" Pinkie said with a huge smile. Suddenly she sat down and looked worried. "Wait... I was going somewhere before I got the shakies... Oh yeah! I got to finish that cake for Lyra's birthday!" On that, she ran off the library without a look back.

Both staring at each other, Twilight and Azure started to laugh.

"Yeah, that's Pinkie Pie alright."

Comments

[LightStriker]

Dangit! Failed at keeping it under 2k and failed at making one chapter per day.
Making up magic laws took me way longer than I thought it would. Maybe because I tried to make them some logical.

[Diabolic Gnome]

dumblehooves

[LightStriker]

549805 As you wish, I'm not picky.

[LucidTech]

549734

You know what I do for techno-babble? Throw random words together that sound vaguely scientific and that I slightly know the names and slightly know what they mean in order for it to have the desired effect.

I must admit however that the fake laws you made up sounded a lot more like scientific laws then random techno-babble. Despite the added time it took you to do it I would say it seems like it was very well put together.

I also noticed that the flow of the chapter seems to be getting more... flowy... Keep up the good work!

[Diabolic Gnome]

549815 no meant it like that was clever
very clever

[LightStriker]

549816 I'm like that, I can't do techno-babble, because it MUST make sense in my brain. I know it's stupid and I shouldn't care that much... Hell, I even plotted the curves of that formula.

A.D. : After Discord... I'm not sure there's any cannon time system?

You know what they say about forging? I think it's true.

[LightStriker]

549821 Oh, thanks!

[The Grey Pegasus]

549734 Damn. Those magic laws sounded really legit. Great work.

[TheMyth]

Hmmm... I can see Discord coming into this fic (after Azure is faced with another tragedy... most likely Twilight's growing jealousy of this filly's knowledge) and offering her the chance to become a unicorn (in exchange for the Elements of Harmony)... just a prediction

[Ignis Infinitus]

"It was a work of precision and any error would make the spell fail or worst, make it behave in an unpredictable way."
why is it that everyone who misspells "worse" seems to always spell it "worst"

[LightStriker]

556429 Because I don't speak English. :)
Thanks for pointing it out, learning new thing everyday.

[Alex Warlorn]

"Who said: 'Everything can become anything but nothing can't become something.'?"

I imagine Starswirl being like Newton, but I can imagine the second half of that statement later being disproven centuries later by the magician equal of Einstein.

[CommanderX5]

I m not sure do I like the idea that talented filly is smarter than grown up Twilight, as she read and worked hard on her magic skills under Celestia eye for years, it make him a bit OP, just like Unicorn and Pegasus fillies what PinkiePie took care off, the Unicorn Filly had levitation and even could pass a solid object, I m not sure do making fillies so OP is a good idea.

But besince that, it is realy good story, now than time to read next chapters.

[Steben]

Azure... Tomato....

Best way to describe my reaction on reading that name, in that order. If a tomato was blue, I'm not sure if I'd want to eat it. I love the fic idea, and you did an excellent job writing it, but that name...

[ForlanceAbice]

549734 I can emphasis with you mate.
Magic is simply a bloody pain to come up with a logical structure and chemical formula for, especially since there really isn't anything to base it on in the first place.

I can certainly tell you that it has given me a headache far more time than I would have liked to know.

[Alicon Glactistar]

Awsome

[ForlanceAbice]

549816 Techno babble? I can't even process the thought pattern of creating them.
Just damn near impossible for me. My brain will simply not allow for such a thing.

[Rattus and The Victor]

Dumblehooves, haha, I love it!

[monkeyXtypewriter]

nevermind. this is even better than my guesses creative indeed

[Rainbow_Flash]

1497610 I agree with you- Twilight not knowing how to do a spell like that, and a filly who used her magic to do that? Crazy OP, but your writing is pretty good.

[Sketchy Pen]

Well at least we know is still .

[Dragaen]

wow... some serious movie references right there but loved it none the less.

[Luckyfanisaac]

Azure started bouncing around Twilight, shouted "Yes!" in repetition.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a-bK58aAvR0

[TheGreatEater]

He was a well known researcher in healing spell.

spells

or

healing magic
__________________

"Hey Twilight! You know what? My Pinkie senses told me there was something very tasty in here.

Cap [Pinkie Sense being the name of a technique].
__________________

Re-reading the series .