//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Silver Springs // Story: Painted Horses // by Alaborn //------------------------------// Painted Horses By Alaborn Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein. Chapter 6: Silver Springs Before making the trip to Silver Springs, we stopped off at the hotel. While it was normally Lightning Shield who was focused on getting things done, this time it was Minuette who insisted we needed to make a plan. “I propose we split up,” she said. “We have two goals, rescuing the ponies and getting them home, and dealing with Discord. We know what to do with the first, but we still need to contact Twilight Sparkle, and I have calculations to make before I’m ready to use that much magic. And Lightning Shield is right, we need reconnaissance. Hopefully we can learn something that will help us when we face him later.” “And this is strictly a reconnaissance mission,” Lightning Shield said. “Because we rescued Lyra, Discord is absolutely aware that someone has interfered with his plans. However, due to the lack of pink cotton candy clouds, it is clear he is choosing not to act now. I suspect he will be more motivated to act once we’ve cut off all his magical conduits, and that’s when we will face him.” “So who’s going with me?” I asked. “I will join you, and I nominate Sweetie Drops and Greta as well. This will be a late night infiltration mission, and they can best use this information.” “Darn straight,” Sweetie Drops said. “Although you are not to engage, I won’t let you go in defenseless,” Minuette said. “John, I’m going to give you several wands and a supply of mana crystals, for emergency use only. I’ll need to teach you the spells.” Five minutes later, Minuette passed me a sheet of paper with a dozen spells written on it. “Can you read these?” It had been a while since I had seen the magical symbols, but they came back to me quickly. To their credit, the system of magical notation was intuitive. “I think so,” I said. “Okay. The first four spells are in the first wand, and cover changing the color, composition, texture, and size of the target. You need to squink the target, begin the spell, form the desired outcome in your mind, and then release the spell.” Those were spells I was able to use when I was a unicorn. “Got it.” “The next three are in the second wand, and cover communication over a distance. There are separate spells for transmitting thoughts, written words, and images.” I held up my phone. “I have that covered.” “Oh. Right.” She pointed to the third wand. “This wand holds offensive spells. I don’t need to say that the only reason you should be using any of these spells is because Discord is attacking you, and you need to make your escape. But just in case, there are spells for stunning, blinding, entangling, and magic disruption.” “Okay,” I said. “And you should use the last wand only as a last resort. It contains a teleportation spell, and only experienced and practiced unicorns should use those. But if the alternative is imminent death, it’s worth taking the risk.” I looked over that last spell; it was the largest and most complicated, with a lot of variables I would need to fill in on the fly. “I have to repeat this phrase for each person I want to teleport?” “Yes. And for the destination, I will create a magical beacon.” Minuette used her wand. Nothing visible happened, but I felt a sensation in that part of my brain Jason called the corpus monoceros. The sensation resolved into coordinates, and then distance and direction, and finally the corresponding symbols. “That’s weird,” I said. “Let’s get ready to go,” Jason said. “I’ll drive the four of you there. Call me when you want to be picked up.” “Four adults, please.” Another charge on my credit card, and we secured admission to Silver Springs. I took in the familiar sight of the wooden sign over the entrance to the park. “They call this a wall?” Greta commented. “And no guard posts,” Sweetie Drops added. “It’s like they don’t care who gets in.” “Maybe this is a conversation you three should have after we leave,” I said. “Right now, we need to look for signs of Discord.” “Do you have any idea where to start?” Lightning Shield asked. “No. The only clue we have is that Discord might have been turned into a statue. So I guess we look for a bizarre statue.” “Wouldn’t that have been noticed by the humans who work the park?” Lightning Shield said. “Yes, so I really don’t know where to start,” I admitted. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to sense his magic.” I rubbed my head, where my horn would be in unicorn form. The three Equestrians looked around, seeing what attractions the park had. While it was nothing compared to the more famous amusement parks in Orlando, they seemed to find Silver Springs to be a novel experience. “What’s a glass-bottomed boat?” Sweetie Drops asked. “It’s exactly what it sounds like, a boat with a clear bottom, so you can see the fish and plants in the river,” I replied. “Let’s do that!” Lightning Shield said excitedly. He cleared his throat. “I mean, the boat ride provides a good method of surveying the park. It’s the best way to begin our search.” I chuckled. “You are allowed to have fun in the Guard, right?” “Of course.” “Then let’s go.” We headed to the pier where the boat launched. We were just in time, as a boat was pulling up while we got in line. And as the passengers disembarked, I saw something I did not want to see. I swore. And then I ran away. I needed to get out of sight, and the first place I could hide was the bathroom. I ran in, saw it was empty, and locked the door behind me. The door rattled as someone tried to open it. “John?” Lightning Shield said. “Yeah.” “What happened? Did you see Discord?” “Worse,” I said. “My parents and grandparents.” “Why is that bad?” Lightning Shield asked. “I’m supposed to be in Tampa now. If they see me, they’re going to want to know why. And that kind of throws a wrench in this whole secret mission, right?” Lightning Shield didn’t have an immediate response. I wished I could see his expression, to know what he was thinking. But he soon made it clear. “They say no plan survives contact with the enemy. In the Guard, when our plans go awry, we regroup and come up with another plan.” “How do I change what I look like?” “You have a brain and magic. Use them both. But make it fast. I’ll stand guard, and keep the other humans away.” Lightning Shield was right. I was thinking I needed something like makeup and a wig, but I had something better. I took out Minuette’s first wand and the list of spells. Illusion was one option. I stood by the sink, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I started the spell, imagined by dark brown hair as light blond, held the image, and released the spell. The spell washed over me, and my hair changed color. It didn’t match my complexion, so I also lightened my skin. I looked at my reflection closely. I still looked like me. With the transmutation spell, I could change my facial features, assuming the spell worked on living creatures. I tried, and it did. I imagined a bigger, more rounded nose, then puffy cheeks, and then jowls. It really wasn’t an attractive look; I sort of looked like a comic strip drunk. But it accomplished the goal. Satisfied, I turned to leave, but then noticed my jacket. I’d worn the same blue jacket since high school, and I realized it might catch the attention of my parents. Using the illusion spell again, I changed its color to red. I unlocked the door and walked out. There were several people waiting outside the door. Lightning Shield pulled up beside me and urged me away. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked. “Yeah, I guess,” I said. “Good.” Once we were further away, he continued. “I told them my friend was sick, and that’s why the door was locked.” “Good thing I kind of look sick, then!” We had to hurry, but we managed to get on the same boat before it departed. We took a row of seats, allowing our group to see both sides of the river. Sweetie Drops and Greta remained vigilant, looking as if they were memorizing the layout of the park. Lightning Shield started doing the same, but he was soon distracted by the fish seen swimming under the boat. He must have been a nature lover. “Now I’m getting hungry,” he commented. Or that. As for me, I paid some attention to the tour guide, but I was primarily trying to feel with my magic. My recent dream reminded me of just how Discord’s magic felt, but I wasn’t sure just how well I’d be able to sense it. I was in human form, and hopefully, Discord’s magic was less powerful as well. The boat completed its lazy circuit, and we disembarked. Once separated from the pack, Lightning Shield spoke. “Anything?” “Sorry, nothing,” I replied. “Looks like we need to walk around the rest of the park and play tourist.” We worked to blend in with the crowd. I bought a box of popcorn to share, and then we visited the animal exhibits. “Minuette said something about magic, how like attracts like. Discord looks like he was sewn together from a bunch of animals. Might he be trapped as an animal? One that shares a part with him?” I asked. “That would be amusing, but probably not,” Sweetie Drops said. “I think the statue seems more likely, or something made of stone. Call it a gut feeling.” We got a good look at all of the animals, but none of them looked at us with any strange level of curiosity, nor did any give me a creepy feeling. “Any other animals?” Greta asked. “Well, it’s not an exhibit, but there are monkeys living in the park,” I said. “Yeah. I see hairless monkeys everywhere,” Greta quipped. I decided not to correct her on the whole apes versus monkeys thing. “We’ll see them in the place we go next.” The area of the park I had in mind was the forested area only reachable through the wilderness trail ride. It was a guided tour in Jeeps, so I briefly explained to the Equestrians what to expect. Even with my explanation, they looked uncomfortable in the open-topped vehicles. “Are you sure we’re not going to fall out?” Lightning Shield whispered to me. “Don’t you transport ponies through the air in open-topped chariots?” I said. “That’s different,” he retorted. The trees were heavier through this part of the park, resembling a jungle. It was so much like a jungle that several old Tarzan movies were filmed here. In fact, seeing Tarzan’s home was one of the sights on the tour. The guide pointed out the old set as we approached. Memories of past trips came back to me as I saw the jungle home and the Tarzan statue, which showed the iconic presentation of the character by Johnny Weissmuller. The statue was old and weathered, and with all the trees around, attracted more than its fair share of bird droppings. The guide recited all the movies filmed at Silver Springs. I also felt something sick and twisted, a miasma of wrongness. The statue seemed to look at me. I could also feel it trying to pull my magic away, not only the spells on me, but also the magic contained within the mana crystals I was carrying. I held them, and all the wands, and said no. As I imagined the symbols, I remembered it was the simplest shield spell from the elementary magic textbook I had studied. I kept concentrating. The Jeep moved, and as I left sight of the statue, the foul feeling faded. I don’t know if my attempt at a shield spell worked, or if I was saved by moving away, but my disguise held, and I could still feel the magic in the mana crystals. “You notice something?” Lightning Shield asked me quietly. “I’m sure Discord was in that statue. And he was trying to take all the magic I’m holding.” “Good, good,” Lightning Shield said. “That suggests what his first action will be when we face him. That’s information we can use.” For the rest of the tour, Greta and Sweetie Drops talked softly to each other. They were clearly plotting. And they made it obvious when we finished the tour. “You wait here,” Sweetie Drops said. “We’ll go back and scout the area.” “Are you going to join them?” I asked Lightning Shield. “Actually....” The transformed pegasus rubbed his hands. “Can we see that bird show?” Lightning Shield asked. “It starts in 15 minutes.” I smiled. “I think that can be arranged.” I pointed to a nearby bench. “Greta, Sweetie Drops, meet us here when you’re done.” I’d seen the show, one showcasing birds from around the world, when I was younger. It was mildly entertaining, but Lightning Shield was enraptured. “They’re so much like our birds!” he exclaimed. When the show was over, we sat on a bench, watching the passers-by, just your ordinary tourists taking a break. With my disguise, my parents and grandparents didn’t even notice me when they walked by. Half an hour later, the others returned. The two women were grinning. “I’m not sure I like that smile,” I said. “Relax. We just found the perfect place to enter,” Greta said. “A little climbing, a little breaking and entering. Nothing too challenging,” Sweetie Drops said. “Great. Do we have anything else to do?” I said. “Not here,” Lightning Shield said. “It’s time to make our final plans.”