//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Battle Magic // by Gaekub //------------------------------// Twilight sloppily shoved the pile of dirt and stone back in the hole she had ripped it from, leaving the twitching, unconscious body of Spell Breaker sprawled on the ground. The magical effort made her dizzy, and her path pack to the waiting room was far from a straight line. When she finally managed to stumble back through the open door, Silver was waiting for her with a large grin on his face. Twilight stumbled towards the blue unicorn and attempted to tell him about the searing pain in her jaw. The attempt to speak only produced a grunt and agony, and she let out a pained moan. "You, redhead. You're up," came a voice from behind her, as a crimson maned pony stood up from the bench and headed for the door. "Silver, get out of here. You and your filly looking for some privacy, go to the old nurse's room." An indignant objection rose in Twilight's throat, but as soon as her jaw muscles twitched a sudden spike of agony drilled through her skull and she let out a strangled scream. "Holy shit, stop trying to talk!" Silver said as he ushered her from the room. "If I ask a question, one grunt for yes, two for no, alright?" He brought her down a hallway and then into a small room with a medical cot in it. A poster of the equine skeletal system sat on the wall, but the bottom half had been ripped off, leaving only a spine and a skull. Silver pushed her up on on to the low cot, leaving her in a hunched sitting position that brought her eyes around level with Silver's. "Now, what seems to be the problem little filly?" Silver said in a pompous, overly friendly voice. Twilight's eyes narrowed angrily as she stared back at the grinning stallion. "Alright, not in the mood," he said, taking on a more serious demeanor. "Jaw hurts?" Twilight grunted once. "The jawbone itself, or the joints? Wait, sorry. Does the jawbone itself hurt?" Twilight turned her attention to the throbbing pain at the bottom of her skull. She hesitantly grunted twice. "The joints then? Here?" Silver asked, pointing to where his jaw met the rest of his head. One grunt emerged from the purple mare. "Alright then, that sounds like a dislocation. No problem." Silver reached out and set his hoof on the side of her jaw. The jostling made her wince in pain, and when she felt a hoof touch against the other side, she couldn't help but let out a small cry. "It's all right," Silver said in a soothing tone. "This is just going to hurt for a second. On three. One," he said, and then ripped her jaw downwards before slamming it back into her head. Twilight's life briefly became a mass of pain, the only other sensation a disturbing and disgusting click that came from just below both of her ears. She screamed, toppling off the cot and onto the floor. "What is wrong with..." she began, but trailed off and poked her jaw several times with the tip of a hoof. "Feel better?" Silver asked, holding out a hoof to help her up. Twilight took the hoof and pulled herself to her feet. "Actually, I do. What did you do?" "Put your jaw back in its socket. You're going to get some swelling around the joints, and you'll have a nice bruise on your cheek. You've got a good coat for covering that though." Silver reached out and pushed down on her nose, staring into her eyes. "Blink," he ordered. Twilight did so, staring back up at him. Her jaw still ached, but it definitely hurt less than it had before. Silver had apparently done something right. "You've also got one hell of a concussion," Silver said, staring intently at her pupils. "But I don't think we need to worry about brain damage." "I know I do, you already told me that," Twilight said absentmindedly, pulling her head away from the stallion's hoof. "...Or maybe we do. What's your name?" Twilight shook her head. "Silver, I'm fine. I just got a little confused." "What's your name?" Silver insisted. "Twilight Sparkle," the mare said. "And what's your birthday?" he asked. Twilight told him. "...I have no way of knowing if that's correct," Silver said after a moment. "Sounds right though." "It IS right," Twilight said. "What did that stallion mean by 'privacy'?" "He was asking if I needed a place to put your jaw back in your face," Silver said, pulling Twilight towards the door. "C'mon, let's get you to bed." As the two ponies headed out the front door, Silver collected both her winnings and the result of his bet, which Split handed over grudgingly. "Next time I'm holding you to the rules," the earth pony grumbled as he handed over the considerable sack. "Oh Split, we both know that's not true," Silver said with a grin as he left with his money and student. "You could never say no to me. You're a sucker for an ugly face," he said over his shoulder, flipping his short tail back and forth and exaggerating the movement of his hips. Split snorted as he looked down at the book of grids and numbers in front of him. "And here's a hundred bits for you," Silver said to Twilight as they walked back to the inn, separating out a smaller sack of coins from the bundle he carried. "Minus my ten percent, of course." Twilight slowly took the bag from him and carried it next to her. The minor act of levitation was worryingly more tiring than usual; she had pushed herself hard in the last couple days, and her magic was starting to run out. "Are you a doctor Silver?" she asked. Silver jerked in surprise. "What? Why do you ask?" he said, sounding slightly shocked. The idea had been put into her head by her brief hallucination, but she didn't want Silver to know about that. "Because you figured out my jaw had been dislocated, and you knew how to put it back in," she replied. "Oh, that," Silver said, relaxing visibly. "No, I'm not a doctor. I'm kind of the exact opposite of a doctor. Oddly enough, both ends of the spectrum tend to get you some medical experience. Break enough bones, and you learn how to set them." "...I can never tell if you're joking," Twilight said, looking at the older pony. "I never joke." "Was that a joke?" Twilight asked wearily. "Yes." "Twilight? Are you alright?" Twilight's eyes eased open, revealing the inn room she had slept in the night before. She didn't remember getting in it a second time though. "Twilight!" came a voice from the door, followed by the pounding of hooves. "If you're awake, say something." "I'm awake!" Twilight yelled back, and winced as her head pounded. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. Can I come in?" asked the voice. Twilight cradled her pounding head in her hooves. "Yeah, sure," she replied, reaching out with her magic to unlock the door. Silver pushed through the opening and stepped towards her bed. "You doing alright?" he asked. "My head hurts," Twilight groaned. "And I don't remember getting in bed." Silver nodded. "Your memory might be a little spotty for a few days. If you start losing entire days, or if you get any hallucinations, go see a doctor." Twilight nodded her own head in reply, yawning widely. Her mouth was almost closed when she felt a hoof on her chin, pulling her jaw back down. "Wait, hold on a sec," Silver said, staring into her mouth. "...Twilight, do you remember spitting anything out during the match?" "Nuh-uh," Twilight said, mouth wide open. "Uh... okay, well, you lost a tooth." "I what!?" Twilight yelled, and winced at another spike of pain in her temple. "Where is it?" "Well, if you didn't spit it out, you probably swallowed it," Silver said calmly. "Oh, don't worry," he continued, noting the look of fear on her face. "I must have swallowed dozens of teeth. You'll be fine." "...You're not missing any teeth." Silver grinned, showing off a full set of pearly whites - or rather, slightly yellows. "I didn't say they were mine. Come on, let's get some food in you." Twilight heaved herself out of bed, exploring the space left by the missing molar with her tongue. "I thought you didn't get up before twelve," she said, grabbing her bag from the corner of the room. "I don't," Silver said, turning to the door. "It's two." "...What?" "It's two in the afternoon. You've been asleep for fifteen hours." Twilight stared at him, mouth hanging open for reasons that had nothing to do with her injury. "Twi... Dusk, wait up!" Silver shouted, racing after the galloping purple pony. "I have to get home!" Twilight yelled back, running for the outskirts of town. "I have to leave now, or I won't make it back before dark!" "You could have brain damage! You can't teleport now!" That drew some looks from passerby's. "I'll be fine!" Twilight panted, dodging around a cart and heading down a side street. Silver growled under his breath. He couldn't stop her. It was taking everything he had to just keep her in sight. "I am definitely too old for this," he muttered under his breath. "Fine!" he shouted. "But I want you back here in three weeks!" "Alright!" Twilight yelled back. "And get at least one hour of exercise a day! You're never going to be the strongest pony, but you can at least be fit!" "Fine!" "And make sure-" Silver began, but stopped when Twilight vanished into a burst of purple light in front of him. "-to get some rest," he finished lamely. With an aggravated sigh, he headed back to the tavern. The Everfree forest was quiet and dark, as it always was. An owl stood silently on a branch as a field mouse scampered out across the ground below it. The owl's eyes found the mouse and followed it through the grass until it stopped a few feet from a bush. The mouse had found a seed, and it began to nibble at it. It was so preoccupied by the snack it didn't see the owl behind it leave the branch, swooping down on silent wings. The bird outstretched its talons, and prepared to strike. Abruptly, the small clearing was filled with brilliant purple light. The mouse darted under the bush, while the owl screeched in surprise and flapped wildly, barely clearing the ground and making it back up into the sky. A purple unicorn was left standing in the clearing, slowly rocking from hoof to hoof. She mumbled incoherently to herself, and stumbled to the side. Her horn began to shine, but the glow quickly faded and the unicorn let out a strangled yell. She stumbled sideways and slammed into a tree, crashing to the ground. Her vision slowly began to fade, blurring and darkening around the edges. Just before she lost consciousness, her narrowing tunnel vision spotted a hooded equine figure passing the clearing, just visible through the trees. Twilight gathered the last of her strength and forced air through her dry throat. "He-" was all she managed to say, but it was enough. The hooded head turned to look at her revealing two piercing, glowing, yellow eyes. The figure appeared to respond, but Twilight couldn't hear anything except the blood pumping through her ears, and she lost passed out. For the second time in recent memory, Twilight awoke in a bed she didn't remember lying down in. This wasn't the light breezy room of the inn however; this room was dark and warm. Twilight could barely make out the outline of a window in the wall, but although it was uncovered no light poured in. The outside seemed to be nearly as dark as the inside, with only a hint of silver light illuminating a few large trees. "-ello," Twilight said in a hoarse voice, her throat dry. "Hello," she called again, this time prepared for the scratching in her windpipe. A door opposite from the bed creaked open, letting in a sliver of flickering warm light. "Your voice sounds hoarse; drink from the glass, next to your bed, and it will pass," said a voice from behind the door. The crack widened, revealing a familiar zebra to Twilight. More importantly, the larger slice of firelight illuminated a glass of water sitting next to Twilight, which she drank gratefully. "What's going on Zecora? Where am I?" Twilight asked as soon as the glass was drained. "You are in my home my friend; I took you here so you may mend." Twilight was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness, causing her to collapse back into the blankets. "Last thing I remember, I... I was in the Everfree forest." Zecora stepped towards her, a potion hanging around her neck on a strap. "I found you fallen off your hooves; luckily I found you before the wolves." She reached down with her mouth and set the potion on the bedside table, next to the glass. "I saw that one of your teeth has gone; drink this down and it will spawn." Twilight looked at the bottle distastefully, but reached out with her magic and popped the cork. "Come and see me when you're ready; when your legs are feeling steady," Zecora said, leaving the room as Twilight lifted the earthen jar to her lips. The mixture smelled sickly sweet, and Twilight gagged. She tipped the bottle back, trying to pour the substance down her throat without tasting it. The liquid proved too thick, however, and it pooled in the back of her mouth. Twilight groaned at the disgusting taste, and just managed to force herself force it down. After a series of itching sensations and disturbing crunches from inside her mouth, Twilight felt her new tooth erupt from her gums. She poked her tongue to the side and felt the new molar, smoother and slightly larger than the rest of her teeth. Twilight pushed the warm, soft blanket to the side. She stepped out onto the ground, and felt her knees begin to give out. A force of effort steadied her legs, and she managed to slowly walk her way to the door and pull it open. "Hi Zecora. Thanks for the potion. My tooth grew back," she said, seeing the back of the Zebra's head. The zebra turned away from the bubbling cauldron, setting a clay bottle next to two others on a nearby table. "I am glad to hear that said; may I ask what happened to your head?" "Oh, uh... I was in Fillydelphia, and I... got attacked," Twilight said. "I just managed to escape and teleport back, but I guess I overextended my magic and passed out." She smiled awkwardly. Zecora stared at the purple mare, face expressionless and eyes blank. Twilight stared back, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. She sneaked a look backwards to see if there was anything behind her Zecora could be looking at, but there was only a wilting plant. "You can say that it is secret Twi; you know you do not have to lie," Zecora finally said. "What? I wasn't lying, I-" "That plant behind you is called Soothful; it only wilts when one is untruthful." Twilight opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked back at the plant, the color fading from its petals. "...It's a secret," she finally said. The flower immediately brightened, and the stalk began to curl back upwards to its full height. "I said you did not have to say. Now drink these potions, one a day," Zecora said, motioning to the potions on the table. "They will heal up your brain, and make sure you do not go insane." Twilight spotted her bags by the door, and floated the three jars into them. "Thank you Zecora. For the potions, and for... being so understanding. I'll be careful to not to push myself so far next time." "I think that would be best Twilight; your magic should recharge tonight." Twilight thanked her zebra friend one last time as she left, and headed through the forest. The way from Zecora's hut to Ponyville was well known to her now, and she managed to reach the edge of the woods without running into any of the Everfree's more unsavory residents. She was confused to see the sun setting when she stepped out of the dark woods. But the sun had already set when I arrived in the forest, she thought. That means... I've been asleep for a whole day! Again! Twilight burst into a run, heading towards the town. She'd been gone for three nights, and she'd never told Spike where she was! She galloped through the streets, making a beeline towards the library. Several ponies turned to watch her as she ran past. "Twilight!" yelled one of them. "Oh, hey Applejack," Twilight said, slowing momentarily. "I delivered that letter. We'll catch up later, I have to get home," she said quickly, before galloping around a corner. Applejack stepped around the corner herself, and watched the retreating purple flank. "Well she sure is in a hurry," she murmured to herself. "That girl is acting mighty strange." "Tell me about it," Pinkie said, her head erupting from a flowerbed a few feet to Applejack's left. "Spike!" Twilight called, stepping through the front door of the library. "Spike, are you here?" The baby dragon's head appeared above the railing the surrounded the loft. "Oh, hey Twilight. I didn't know you were going to be home tonight." He vanished, and a pair of claws clicked down the stairs until he emerged on the ground floor. "Have you eaten?" As if answering him itself, Twilight's stomach growled angrily. "I guess not," Twilight replied sheepishly, setting her bags down and lifting Zecora's potions on to a table. "Are you making something, or are we going out?" "I already ate, but I can heat something up," Spike said, trotting towards the kitchen. "It'll just take a few minutes." Twilight blinked, and found herself sitting at the table with a purple claw sliding a plate of food in front of her muzzle. "All you alright?" Spike asked, hoping up onto a chair opposite her. "You look... surprised." "Oh..." Twilight shook her head. She must have lost some time. "I'm fine. Just tired. It smells great." She took a bite from the plate of food, chewing mechanically. Spike watched her eat across the table, slouched across the wood with his chin resting on his forearms. "So how was your trip?" he finally asked after several minutes of silence. "Oh, fine, I just..." Twilight stared back into the baby dragon's face, and sighed. "You know, don't you." "Yeah," Spike said. "I'm not stupid Twilight. You disappear for three nights, and then come back with potions from Zecora and a bruise on your cheek. Even if Applejack hadn't told me you'd gone to Fillydelphia, and even if I hadn't heard them talking about Dusk Shine down at the cafe, I think I would have figured it out." "I know you're not stupid," Twilight replied, reaching out a hoof to touch the baby dragon's claw. "...Did you say anything to the girls?" she asked carefully. "No. Rainbow won some money on you, by the way," Spike replied, giving her hoof a squeeze before he pulled his claw away. "So... what are you going to do?" "I'm going back in three weeks," Twilight said. "Why didn't you tell them?" Spike shrugged. "I didn't think you'd want me to. But you should." "No. I mean, not yet." Twilight pushed away from the table and picked up her table to carry it into the kitchen. "I just... I want to know if I'm going to keep doing it before I tell them." Spike sighed. "I still think you should tell them, but I won't say anything." "Thanks." "No problem." Spike headed towards the stairs, heading up towards his bed. "Like Pinkie says, losing a friends trust-" Twilight emerged from the kitchen, already continuing the saying. "Is the fastest way to lose a friend." Both Twilight and Spike paused momentarily, half expecting Pinkie to emerge from a bookshelf with an enthusiastic 'forever'. "Forever," Twilight finished awkwardly.