Magnus slept in the next day, though it did little to ease the grogginess he felt when he did wake up. It had taken quite some time for him to fall asleep when night came, due to his mind being occupied by the revelation of the elderly mare he was supposedly related to, although the word ‘related’ was a stretch. There was so much that separated them: five millennia, an entire universe or dimension, with the bloodline thinning each and every generation on both sides.
Still, Magnus had decided to push these thoughts away for now, as he had other plans today. He wanted to salvage his past.
While searching through his possessions in his room, he had found his cell phone and remembered all the photos and videos stored on it. He wanted to save the photos somehow, both on his phone and the ones in his wallet that he had remembered to bring with him from Canterlot.
‘They have cameras around here. I wonder, maybe it’s possible to take a photo of the phone while it’s displaying the photos stored on it. The same should go for the photos in my wallet,’ he thought while browsing through the photos on his phone. It still held a decent charge—his investment in a new battery a few months ago had paid off. His last battery had to be charged once a day.
It was an easy decision for him to make. Salvaging the past was important to him and no cost was too great, which was why he remembered the gems he found the day when he had helped out Rarity. She had mentioned that he could probably sell them to a local jewellery maker in Ponyville who would also appraise them for him.
Magnus emptied his backpack of clothes onto the bed. There were no more than twelve gems in total, but he made sure to wash the dirt off them in the bathroom to make sure they would look appealing to the jeweller before he shoved them into his backpack.
Slinging it on his shoulder, Magnus walked downstairs to find Twilight in her study. As usual, she sat with her blackboard filled with weird equations, and several thick books rested on the table while she herself was busy scribbling down her thoughts on paper.
“I’ve seen you work on this almost every single day since I came here,” Magnus commented, announcing his presence to the alicorn. Walking up to the blackboard, he endeavoured to make sense of all the numbers and equations but might have well tried to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs, so alien were the symbols to him.
Twilight looked over to Magnus and the blackboard. “Oh, that’s the result of the scan of the remnants of the portal you came through; all the information we managed to pick up.” She stood up and trotted over to the blackboard. Picking up a pointing stick, she directed it to the various numbers. “This here is the normal ambient magic in any given area, far away from a ley line. These numbers show the magical energy lingering around a ley line, while these are the same numbers broken down using Glamour’s Third Thaumatic Rule of Magic, which would be needed to open a portal and maintain it for a specific time.”
Twilight began to pace, chewing on her lip as she did so. “As you can see, we would need an enormous amount of magic to open a portal between two destinations three hundred hooves apart and maintain it, much more than any ordinary unicorn could accomplish. Even seasoned wizards would find it extremely taxing.” Twilight pointed to an equation resulting in an absurdly high number, which took up almost a fourth of the blackboard’s space. “This is the estimated magic required to open up a portal between, say, Manehattan and Las Pegasus. As you can see, it’s a daunting amount and not efficient at all, thus making teleportation spells much more economic, thaumatically speaking, since teleportation only requires one unicorn.”
Magnus looked from the blackboard over to Twilight with a confused expression on his face. ‘It’s like she thinks I understand what she means.’
“What does thaumatic mean?”
Twilight smiled. “Well, thaumatic is another word for magic that comes from old pony Latin, the language commonly spoken by all three pony tribes long before the unification. Some of the old words are still in use today.”
Nodding, Magnus turned back to the blackboard. “Huh, I see. So, all this is an effort for… what, exactly? Are you still trying to find a way to create a portal to Earth?” he asked, a smidgeon of hope in his voice.
Twilight grimaced and shuffled her hooves. “Yes. No. Maybe? I-I don’t know, honestly. I’m trying to analyse everything we found out at the site; maybe a hidden clue or something, something that can tell us more. But so far, everything’s been crystal clear.” She sighed and glanced up at Magnus. “As it stands, there is no discernible way to create a portal to Earth… I’m sorry.”
Pursing his lips, Magnus turned back to the blackboard so that Twilight wouldn’t catch the disappointment in his eyes. So many numbers, so many variables, so many… numbers. He was never good at math, and if magic was more like math than anything else, he wasn’t sure if he’d continue to pursue advanced learning on the topic.
Still, he was grateful for her efforts. “Thanks for trying, Twilight.”
“It’s what friends do,” she replied, perking back up. Taking notice of Magnus’ backpack, she asked, “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah, I found some gems when I was with Rarity a few days ago, and I plan to go to the jeweller to see if they want to buy them. Problem is, I don’t know where the store is.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Twilight began enthusiastically cantering towards the doors. “I can show you the way. I need some fresh air anyway.”
Happy to have a guide, Magnus followed Twilight outside, and together they began their trek into town. While Ponyville itself seemed mundane enough, what soon caught his attention was that Spike wasn’t tagging along with Twilight today. He had seen Spike leaving the castle occasionally, and often enough he was either at Rarity’s to help her, or sometimes he went to hang out with Applejack’s sister and her friends.
However, when Magnus glanced at Twilight, he noticed that something seemed to be troubling her, as she hardly paid any attention to her surroundings or the ponies greeting her.
“Something wrong, Twilight? Looks like you’ve something on your mind.”
Twilight eyed Magnus for a second, giving an unconvincing smile that quickly diminished. Exhaling, her eyes sought out the direction of Rainbow’s cloud home.
“It’s about Rainbow Dash, and what happened. It still bothers me that you two aren’t on speaking terms. You had such a good start to your friendship.”
Magnus shrugged. “Shit happens. What happened was deliberate shit, but shit nonetheless.”
Twilight shook her head and huffed. “Your language is awful and coarse. Can’t you at least try to not swear so much? Besides, aren’t you at least a little bit worried about what might come of this?”
“Not at all.”
Stopping abruptly, Twilight stared up at Magnus in disbelief. “How can you be so callous about it? This is a friendship situation, one that can be mended if you only decide to talk to her.”
Magnus also halted and crossed his arms defensively. “I’m callous because stuff like this isn’t a priority to me. I’m really not that interested in running around, making as many friends as possible in the shortest amount of time. I’m not Pinkie Pie, you know.”
Raising a hoof, Twilight tried to object. “But—”
Sighing audibly, Magnus crouched down in front of Twilight. “You told me how important friendship is for you ponies, but really, it isn’t a priority for me. Friendships form and break all the time among humans. While these things may happen in a specific way for you guys, it’s different for humans. I choose my friends carefully, and I let things unfold on their own. It’s my way, and I can’t simply change that on a whim.”
Still standing with her hoof raised, Twilight pondered a response. A few suggestions bubbled within her mind, but logic dictated that the firmness in Magnus’ voice meant that he would not be swayed, at least for now. Lowering her hoof, she sighed. “Fine. But this isn’t over yet.”
The pair continued their journey through Ponyville, this time in silence. Magnus understood Twilight’s reluctance towards his attitude against Rainbow. With her being the Princess of Friendship, this situation was a real conundrum to her, one that she needed to fix somehow. Still, Magnus wasn’t worried. In his experience, this would either work out, or he and Rainbow would only be mere acquaintances. Either way was fine with him.
“Hey, Twilight, can I ask you something?”
“If you must,” Twilight replied rather curtly.
“Is it hard to learn new spells?”
The slight chill in Twilight’s voice faded slightly. “It varies from pony to pony. Some unicorns pick up new spells quite easily, but others can have some trouble with the same spells. The difficulty of the spell also needs to be considered. Some are easy to learn on your own, provided you have basic knowledge of magic, while you’ll need an instructor to help you other spells. It’s about the required amount of magic, finesse, the strength of your magic, as well as the thaumatic pool you currently possess, also called magical endurance,” Twilight explained, taking care so that Magnus could understand her. She shot him a slight smirk. “Are you planning an education in magic already?”
Magnus grinned while shaking his head. “No, more like finding a new spell to learn. I think I’ve got the basics of levitation down now, but my strength, endurance, and finesse need to be worked on.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll build magical strength and endurance the more you practise magic. As for finesse, there are easy training methods for that, such as threading a needle or stacking matches with magic. When it comes to spells, levitation is the easiest to learn. Most fillies and colts are able to do it when they’re three or four years old. However, they aren’t adept at it, and usually it’s a parent who helps them along.”
“Just like a parent helping a child learn how to walk.” Magnus turned his attention to the path ahead. They turned a corner, and at the end of the street was the jewellery store in sight. Gold and silver made the entire window display sparkle in the sunlight even from this distance.
“What’s the next easiest spell to learn?” Magnus inquired.
“The light spell, I suppose. It’s a basic spell that shines a light from your horn, illuminating a small area around you like a lantern. It’s doesn’t drain a lot of magic, and can be taught quite easily.” Twilight opened the door with her magic and stepped into the store. “Want me to teach you?”
Magnus grinned. “I was hoping you’d ask me. Yes, I would like that very much.”
Entering the store, Magnus found himself surrounded by precious metals and gems turned into art. Rings, necklaces, brooches, earrings, and various others jewellery sat on silk pillows behind glass cases for all to see. A few customers were already inside the store, mares and stallions, singles and couples, all searching for that perfect gift for a special someone.
An elderly mare with a greying blue coat and pale green hair stood behind the counter, smiling at the new arrivals, the alicorn specifically.
“That’s Miss Jewel, the owner. Why don’t you go talk to her while I look around for a bit?” Twilight told Magnus. He nodded and walked up to the counter. The mare craned her neck to peer up at the human, giving him a nervous smile.
“Um, hello there, Mister Human. Are you looking for anything specific?” Her high-pitched voice betrayed that she was getting up there in age, though the elegance in her voice belied that assumption. Magnus wondered if the mare thought him to be a bull in a china shop, considering the fragile and precious jewels and metals surrounding them.
Giving the mare a friendly nod in order to put her mind to ease, Magnus replied, “Not looking today, Miss Jewel. Rather, I want to sell you some gems, if you’re buying of course.” He opened his backpack and retrieved a couple of gems, which he placed on the low counter in front of him.
Upon seeing the gems, the mare’s focus shifted to them in an instant. She picked one up, eyeing it critically while turning it around in her hoof, humming to herself.
“An emerald. No interesting shape, a few scuffs and scratches. Quite common, if I may be so honest. Where did you find this?”
“Near Rambling Rock Ridge. I was with Rarity searching for gems and decided to keep a few good-looking ones myself. I have several more here and would like to have them appraised and sell them to you if you’re interested.”
“Ah, I see.” She paused for a second, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Well, I would be happy to appraise them for a small fee, and if I decide to buy them, I can deduct the appraisal fee from the price I wish to buy them for. Would that be sufficient?”
“Sure. I don’t have a single bit to my name, so your suggestion sounds perfect for me.”
The mare nodded in satisfaction and pulled a wooden tray from under the counter. “Excellent. Just place the gems into this tray and I’ll take a look at them. It’ll take some time, so feel free to have a look around my store in the meantime.”
Doing as she suggested, Magnus placed the gems into the tray, upon which the mare headed into the back of her store. A younger mare who had helped a couple earlier took her place behind the counter.
Having spent time watching his grandfather work on necklaces and rings years ago, he could tell that the creator of the jewellery surrounding him was skilled. However, while Joseph focused heavily on engraving motifs from nature and mostly used precious metals, pony-crafted jewellery focused more on gems of various types and sizes. From golden brooches with one large red ruby surrounded by small diamonds to earrings made entirely of a single finely cut gem, aside from the fastener, gems seemed to be highly favoured.
“I remember you telling me that your grandfather was a jewellery maker,” Twilight noted, appearing next to Magnus as he admired a unicorn mannequin head, a beautiful silver filigree ring with a single black gemstone in the middle set on the horn. “Do you have any experience making jewellery?”
Magnus shook his head. “Only once. Silver and gold is very expensive on Earth, far too expensive for someone with no experience to play around with, not to mention the price of gemstones.”
She cocked her head inquisitively. “Oh, I see. But what did you make then?”
“A simple ring. I only had to melt the silver and then pour it into a mould my grandfather had lying around, under his supervision of course. It turned out terrible.” Magnus laughed. “Not enough heat, you see, and I didn’t knock on the mould to dislodge the trapped air bubbles. It looked like worms had burrowed into the ring itself. Still, after my grandfather had a chance to work on it, it turned out okay. I think it’s still in a drawer back home in my house, on Earth.”
Twilight suppress a short laugh. “Maybe jewellery making isn’t your special talent then?”
Looking to the alicorn, Magnus grinned. “Are you referring to cutie marks now?”
“I may. Who knows, you might get one someday, maybe even a jewellery-making mark if you try again. Cutie marks sometimes don’t appear on the first attempt.”
Looking back to the silver filigree rings brought a memory to Magnus’ mind. “When I woke up after Princess Luna found me, someone had slid a ring on my horn. I tried to touch it, but all it did was cause me pain. Why would unicorns wear rings if they hurt so much?”
“It was probably a magic suppression ring. Unicorns who are arrested are fitted with an enchanted ring on their horn so that they are unable to use magic, in case they try to teleport away or harm somepony,” Twilight explained. “My guess is that the royal guard probably thought you could use magic and wanted to make sure you couldn’t do anything.”
Magnus hummed. Twilight’s answer had served to educate him on one particular topic: the ability to enchant objects existed here. A fleeting image came to his mind; a wizard's staff crackling with electricity.
It made Magnus grin.
***
Half an hour had passed since Twilight and Magnus had entered the store. They both sat down and had a drink of water while waiting, conversation flowing casually between them.
“So let me get this straight,” Magnus sat up straight on the chair, having unconsciously slouched down, “if you want to teleport, you don’t have to worry about ending up halfway into a wall?”
Twilight shook her head with a smile. She had been educating Magnus on quite a few spells during their conversation, and she was surprised to discover that Magnus actually knew a fair bit of them. When asked how he knew so much when he was from a world almost devoid of magic, Magnus explained that humans had created a wide variety of games and movies that featured magic, and the type of spells they had made up through pure imagination was unnervingly similar to already existing spells created by ponykind.
“No, the spell has a built-in safety feature that ensures you won’t fuse with an object upon arrival at the designated spot,” she explained, taking care to use basic terms so that Magnus would understand. Quite a few times, she’d gone on as if she were speaking to a fellow wizard of equal intellect and knowledge, leaving Magnus scratching his head.
“That’s actually pretty clever. How far is it possible to teleport?”
Placing her hoof under her chin, Twilight mulled over the question for a second before answering, “Most unicorns who learn teleportation can teleport a hundred hooves or so, but if you have a sizeable magic pool, you can teleport much further. I can teleport from my castle to Sweet Apple Acres without a problem. My best distance is… probably someplace halfway between Ponyville and Canterlot. I’ve never tried to test my maximum distance before.”
“I see, the length is determined by the amount of magic you have available.”
“Correct. Most archwizards who’ve studied magic and trained their entire lives are capable of teleporting several kilotrots. When I was a filly studying under Princess Celestia’s tutelage, I once asked how far she could teleport. She told me that one time there was a crisis centuries ago, and that she had to teleport from Canterlot to Manehattan. That’s a day and a half by train.”
Magnus grinned for two reasons. The first one was the obvious worshipful tune Twilight used whenever she spoke of Celestia. The second was that it gave a good measure of Celestia’s magic compared to that of ponies, as long as ponies didn’t move the sun.
“However, the distance you want to teleport isn’t the only obstacle. The further the distance, the magic required grows exponentially. So you see, Princess Celestia is by far the most powerful magic user I know of.”
Magnus rubbed his chin. “What about Discord? He teleported me and himself to Canterlot and back in the blink of an eye and still had the energy to smile like a damn lunatic.”
Twilight grimaced. “Eeh, I don’t know, honestly. I haven’t had a conversation with Discord where we talked about magic, so I can’t really say if he has any limits at all, or even if thaumatic rules apply to him. Since his domain is chaos magic, I doubt he obeys those rules at all, if there are any to begin with.”
‘Well, that does sound like Discord; taking rules of nature and spanking them to his will. Wa-pish!’
There was a lull in conversation, broken by the return of Miss Jewel as she appeared with the box of gems on her back. She waved Magnus over, and they walked over to the counter.
“Well then, I’ve appraised the gems you gave me. Some of them are of decent quality, with few scratches and blemishes, which I can certainly use. However, most of these gems have small discolorations inside of them and at least three have minute fracture lines within which will cause some trouble if I attempt to cut them into smaller pieces.”
She picked up a clear hexagonal crystal the length of a carrot. “This one is interesting. This is crystal quartz, a fine but common mineral that is actually not a gem at all. Still, it has its uses as a polishing compound if ground to dust and mixed with fine clay and water. It is also sought after as it is easy to work a light enchantment into, making it a fine choice for inexpensive lamps, other light sources, or simply as a pendant or brooch that can emit a low glow of light. Still,” she placed the quartz back into the tray, “it’s a common enough material, so its price would be relatively low.”
Magnus nodded as the mare spoke. He already knew the price would lower because of the impurities. Also, the quartz was not the diamond he had assumed it was. He thought he had struck paydirt that day with Rarity. He should have known that luck never came easy to him.
“I understand. What can you offer me?”
The mare looked down at the gems, moving some of them to the side while tilting her head slightly. “I’m willing to pay one hundred and twenty bits for these gems as they are. I do have some work ahead of me cutting and polishing them, and then they will lie in a box until I make a ring or necklace.”
That wasn’t a bad offer, Magnus thought to himself. By now he’d learned more about the Equestrian economy and the value of their currency. The sum was more than he expected for imperfect gems. Perhaps if he had chosen more carefully, he could have gotten a better price, and even more if he had remembered to bring his backpack the day he and Rarity went gem digging.
“If I came back tomorrow or another day with more gems, would you be willing to buy them?” It wouldn’t necessarily be fulfilling work, but he’d be satisfied with acquiring a somewhat steady stream of income.
Miss Jewel shook her head, dashing those plans. “No, I’m afraid not. I already have a decent selection of gems in store. These you brought me will be sitting in my storage room for a while before I decide to use them. I am not a hoarder of gemstones.”
Well, he had to ask, and he got his answer. Slightly disappointed at his stream of income vanishing, Magnus stretched out his hand towards the mare. “Alright, we have a deal.”
Miss Jewel gingerly shook his hand and smiled. “Perfect.”
***
“Now that you’ve earned your first bits on your own, what do you plan to do with them?” Twilight asked while watching Magnus attempt to fit the bag of bits to his belt. It wasn’t an easy task, as the bag slipped out of the poor knot Magnus had tied. Ponies used saddlebags for transporting things, while bipeds, such as minotaurs and sometimes diamond dogs, used belts with hooks to attach bags to them.
Cursing under his breath, Magnus gave up on trying to keep the bag on his belt and instead stuffed it into his backpack. “I need to find a photography studio,” he replied, looking around at the store windows as they passed by. He had completely forgotten about asking Pinkie if she knew a photographer in town the day he spent with her. “I have some photos in my wallet and on my ~phone~ that I want to save. Hopefully, the photographer can take pictures of the photos displayed on the screen.”
Twilight nodded, Magnus having previously explained the reason why he wanted to do so. Having a sizable collection of photos taken ever since she arrived in Ponyville, she knew precisely where they should head.
“I know a photo studio not far from here, run by a stallion named Snapshot. I’m sure he can take care of that. I’ve used him several times before and he can even frame the photos for you.”
Magnus let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Twilight. Lead the way.”
It was a short walk to the photo studio, a cosy two storey building nestled between a flower store and a family home a stone’s throw away from the market. It was easily recognized from the sign that declared it as Snapshot’s Studio, along with the cameras, photos, and frames on display in the window.
Upon entering, a bell above the door chimed, and Magnus looked around the store. A wide variety of photos were on display on the four walls, depicting all manner of motifs. From ponies to landscapes, it seemed as if the photographer knew what made for a good picture.
The owner quickly appeared at the sound of the bell. It was a pegasus stallion with a slight off-white coat and an orange mane with red highlights. He had a stylish bow tie around his neck, and his cutie mark was, to no one’s surprise, a camera.
“Why hello, Princess Twilight! And the human as well? Magnus, was it?” he greeted the pair with a slight bow and an awfully optimistic voice. “How can I help you today?”
“Hello, Snapshot,” Twilight responded. “It’s not me who's your customer today.” She nodded towards Magnus.
He stepped up to the counter. “Hello, Mr Snapshot, I have some photos I’d like to have ‘saved’, for lack of a better word.” He produced the photos from his wallet and placed them on the counter.
The photos had taken some battering from their involuntary dip in the sea. The photos were bent and bulged from having absorbed water and then dried. The photo of his parents was more than twenty five years old and had some crinkled edges, water damage, and had a slight bend down the centre.
“Humans? How interesting.” Snapshot stared at the photos with interest. He delicately picked up a pair with his wings, manipulating the feathers almost like fingers.
“My family,” Magnus stated, running a finger gently over the photographs. “Is there any chance of saving these?”
Snapshot tilted his head, holding the photos up towards the light from the window. He winced. “Uh, not really. The water’s done a number on the paper. Really glossy photo paper too... very nice. I’d like some of this stuff.” Magnus felt his heart sink.
Snapshot placed the photos back down and looked up at Magnus with a smile. “However, I can take pictures of these photos. I just need to flatten them out a little, get rid of any creases, and they should be good to go.”
Magnus sighed in relief. “Can you enlarge them too?”
“Of course. Do you have any specific size in mind?”
Magnus glanced around the shop, specifically the frames hanging behind the stallion. He wanted them large enough so that they could hang on a wall, just like home. He spotted a decently-sized wooden frame right behind Snapshot’s head. According to the price tag, the frame was reasonably priced.
“That one.”
Snapshot turned and looked at the frame. “Ah, good choice. That frame’s made of pine and sanded down smooth. Our cheapest model too. Don’t worry, it’ll last for ages.”
“Can you fix up the blemishes in this one? Perhaps fix the colours a bit? As you can see, it’s an old photo.” Magnus pointed to the photo of his parents that he greatly valued since it was the only one he had of them. He had several more at home on Earth, but here he only had this.
Snapshot tilted his head a bit while rubbing his chin. “I can’t make it look like new, but with a bit of time, I guess I can make it look prettier, maybe fix the colours a little with some restorative magic, courtesy of my wife.”
Magnus knew the price was steadily rising the more he asked. It would be money well spent, as far as he was concerned. The past was worth saving, the memories even more so. They were all he had now.
Next came the million dollar question. Magnus’ phone had a plethora of pictures on his phone: his house, his car, his friends in various situations, his grandfather’s cabin, his grandfather himself, landscapes of home, and much more. However, he knew that taking pictures of a screen could occasionally produce a blurring effect due to the frame refresh rate.
“That’s great! I have one more question. I’ve got this device with me.” He picked up his mobile phone, turned it on, punched in the code, and in a matter of seconds, the display was lit up. Now that he was used to his fingers having grown thicker due to the transformation, his dexterity with his fingers was back to its old self.
Even though Twilight had seen the device before, it never ceased to amaze her. How could humans make such advanced technology without magic? She knew the answer was that humanity was a lot more technologically adept than ponies, but still…
Even Snapshot was surprised at the phone. Standing with both forelegs on the counter, he stared in wonder and amazement at the alien device. “How… What… What is this?” he managed to stutter.
“Well, it’s many things in one. It can take pictures, record films, perform complex mathematical calculations, and even allow me to talk to someone over great distances, if that person also has one of these. However, it’s mostly useless now. The thing is, I have several pictures on this device that I’d like to save, by any means necessary.”
“Pictures?” Snapshot looked up, still wearing a flummoxed expression. “On this thing? How can it do that? How many pictures?”
Magnus grinned. “I don’t know the entire process of how it takes pictures and stores them on it, but the thing is, I want to save the pictures. Let me show you.”
He clicked his way to the image gallery, revealing rows upon rows of pictures. He tapped on one, enlarging it until it filled the entire display. It was a photo of the last day he spent with his friends. They all sat around a table, with a large pizza and bottles of beer between them.
“Amazing…” Snapshot whispered in awe.
“Yeah, pretty neat,” Magnus replied, cutting straight to the chase. “The problem is that I have no way to get this image out of this thing. Would it be possible to take photos of the images on this device just by taking a picture of the screen?”
Snapshot was transfixed by the phone, as if he was staring at some ancient, legendary treasure. Magnus waited patiently for his reply, coughing to regain the pegasus’ attention after almost half a minute had passed by with no response.
“Uh, what? Take pictures of the pictures on this device? Uuh…” He scratched his head nervously. “I have no idea. I’ve never done this before. Nopony has.”
“I understand that, but do you think you can try, just a small test?”
Snapshot considered the proposition for a few moments. “Sure, we can try. If you’ll just follow me into my studio…”
Said studio was a medium-sized, windowless room with white walls, light equipment such as white umbrellas to soften the bright light, tripods, lenses, and of course, a multitude of cameras. He even had backdrops depicting various landscapes and motifs.
Snapshot walked over to a table and picked up a camera that he hung around his neck. “Just put the device on the table over there and choose a picture, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Magnus did as he was told and placed the camera screen up on the low table. He noticed that the screen was a bit smudged and asked Snapshot if he had some type of cleaning solution for windows and a lint free cloth. Snapshot was happy to help, and just a few moments later, Magnus’ mobile phone screen was smudge free.
Snapshot took to the air, hovering above the table, his camera deftly pointed at the phone screen, and his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrated. His movements were the complete opposite of Rainbow Dash. While Rainbow was about speed, Snapshot’s wingbeat was so controlled and slow, it was almost as if he was simply floating mid-air.
“Ah, I see. The screen on your camera gives off a faint light. That could cause a problem. Let me try something…”
Snapshot flew over to a switch on the wall and turned off the lights. The room was cast in darkness, only the screen glowing. He returned to hover over the table while peering through the viewfinder.
“Still a bit bright. Let me try something else.”
***
After an hour of trial and error, Snapshot was able to figure out the correct balance between light and dark. The end result was an image perfectly centered, free of any glare caused by light or reflection. Not even the blur caused by the screen’s refresh rate had appeared, nor were there any edges of the phone itself visible.
“There, that’s as good as I can do,” Snapshot said, visibly pleased with the result.
Magnus held the photo in his hands, smiling, feeling relieved that this memento of home and precious memory was finally safe.
“It’s perfect,” he said happily. “I was a little worried that this wouldn't work, but damn, you really pulled through. Would it be possible to have this photograph enlarged to fit the frame I chose earlier?”
“Not a problem at all. I just have to use a different camera, maybe even use a tripod to get a perfectly still image without any movement blur. Not quite satisfied with this one, if I have to be perfectly honest. Hovering while taking photos can be a hit and a miss sometimes—tripods are much better.” Snapshot pointed to his other photography gear standing to the side.
Magnus nodded. Snapshot was skilful and professional to the letter. Now came the next big question. “How much would it cost to take a picture, enlarge it, and then frame it? I have several more pictures on the device that I’d like to keep.”
Snapshot spent a second doing the math in his head. “Well, let’s see. A single picture, enlarged, framed… I’d say ten bits a piece.”
Ten bits. It was a bit more expensive than Magnus hoped for. With his current financial situation, he’d only get twelve pictures. He would have to resort to haggling, no matter how shoddy his skill was.
“Any chance you could go lower? I only have a hundred and twenty bits and a lot of photos I want to save. Perhaps a discount is possible?”
Snapshot wasted no time in replying. “Sure. Ten photos are a hundred bits, and for every ten photos you want developed, I can knock off five bits.”
“Any chance you can go lower?”
Snapshot shook his head. “No, I’ve got to make a living too, you know. Photographic paper costs a lot.”
“He’s right,” Twilight said, having been a silent bystander while the photography session took place. “Plus, he did spend a lot of time to make corrections to the lighting in here. Somepony makes the frames too.”
Magnus wanted to give Twilight a glare, but held himself back. They were both right in their counter arguments. Plus, the repairs to the water-damaged photos would also cost a pretty penny. Still, he desperately wanted to save the rest of the pictures, the last physical reminders of his past.
“Alright, alright. Let me think for a moment.” Magnus started pacing back and forth while tapping his skull with a finger. There were a fair number of photos, and some he could afford to lose as they weren’t that valuable. However, the rest were a veritable treasure to him.
“I need a job, something even I can do, something that pays well for a few days’ work,” he muttered to himself. Magnus stopped pacing and turned to Twilight, asking hopefully, “Anything you need doing that I can do for a few bits?”
She shook her head. “Not really, I’m afraid. There aren’t really that many chores to do around my castle, and Spike can do most of them competently. He’s very dedicated to being my assistant, enough so that he once got jealous of my pet owl. However, I can take care of the bill for you.”
“Like paying for me?” Magnus asked, his voice taking on a firm tone. “I don’t like owing money, not even to friends. And this,” he pointed to the picture, “is a lot of money.”
Twilight’s heart sank a bit at hearing her proposal rejected so quickly. However, Magnus referred to her as friend, which meant that he was softening up a bit around the edges, even towards ponies that he had been so careful around. It was a step in the right direction, even though he was as stubborn as a particular earth pony who wanted to clear out an entire apple orchard on her own.
“I have a proposal,” a chipper voice interrupted. Magnus and Twilight both turned to Snapshot, who stood there with a cheery smile. “It’s clear to me that you really want the pictures saved, at any cost even. After all, photos are memories, and I’ve read enough about you to know that you must be terribly homesick, Mr Magnus. Perhaps a payment plan would be in order?”
Looking at the pegasus with scepticism in his eyes, Magnus asked,” What kind of payment plan?”
“It’s a deal I sometimes offer ponies. I can take the pictures and keep the negatives, then when you have enough bits saved, I can develop the photos and frame them. You pay when you have bits, and you choose how many pictures you want, easy and affordable. How does that sound?”
Magnus didn’t even hesitate to agree. It was a much better deal that he could ever hope for.
***
It was late afternoon by the time Magnus returned to Twilight’s castle. The sun was on its downward path towards the horizon, yet many hours of the day remained. The photography session had taken time, as there were quite a few photos Magnus had to go through. Twilight decided to return to the castle after half an hour, stating that she wanted to visit her friends before the end of the day.
Magnus made photos of his parents and his grandfather a priority, then his friends, and lastly mementos which included his house, Joseph’s cabin, and the lake near the cabin. A grand total of thirty-eight photos were taken, all of which Snapshot promised to take care of the negatives until such a time Magnus could afford to pay for them all. He paid in advance for five photos; Joseph and him, his parents, Lisa and him, a group photo with his friends, and one of him sitting on his grandfather’s lap. Snapshot promised to have them all ready before Magnus returned to Canterlot. The restoration of the photos was pricey, but Magnus still had forty-five bits in his pocket.
All in all, it had been quite a productive day.
Upon returning to the castle, Spike had made dinner; thin slices of potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and carrots in a pan, covered with a sprinkling of cheese and a generous amount of cream. Dark bread and butter were served along with the dish. While Magnus had never been a vegetarian, Spike’s meal was phenomenally good. As usual, Magnus offered to help cleaning up the dishes.
After dinner, Spike scampered off to his comics while Twilight and Magnus sat down in the library.
“Now then,” Twilight began as she sat down, “you asked me earlier today to teach you the light spell. I will, of course, and I’m also interested to see how somepony who has never known about magic until recently approaches learning a spell.”
Magnus sat down opposite Twilight. “Well, you said the light spell is easy. Can’t say that I’m not excited.” The sheer enthusiasm in his voice was impossible to hide.
Twilight giggled. “It is, I promise. Let me show you a quick demonstration.”
Twilight’s horn lit up, the aura covering her horn from base to tip. She kept her magic steady for a moment, and then a ball of light smaller than a ping pong ball appeared at the tip of her horn. The light was soft, not like a flashlight, but more like a large, bright candle.
“See? It’s easy. There are a lot of different light spells—some can direct light in a certain direction while others create balls of light that can be moved around. This one is the easiest one to learn.”
Magnus rubbed his hands together, excitement bubbling up within him. “Okay, I’m ready. How do you do it?”
“First, you must harness your magic and move it to your horn and hold it there.”
Following Twilight’s instructions, Magnus took control of his magic and felt it move through his body, the sensation still strong within him. His magic knew the way to the horn, and he felt it congregate on his forehead and being funnelled through his horn. The sound of magic chimed the second Magnus spotted his green magic surrounded by the ribbon of white at the top of his line of sight.
Twilight was all smiles as she saw his magic, specifically the white ribbon. She had seen it previously, but Star Swirl’s remaining magic was still a spectacle to behold.
“There you go. Any problems holding it?” she asked.
Magnus felt the strain, but it was significantly lighter now than it had been weeks prior. Simply focusing his magic had become easier, and the practise he had squeezed in from time to time had also helped.
“Nope, I can do this for a while,” he replied, basking in his magic.
Twilight nodded. “Good. Now, while holding your magic, you must try to divert it towards the tip of your horn.”
“How?”
“Your magic obeys you; your magic is part of you. You can simply direct it to the tip of your horn.”
Doing as Twilight instructed him, Magnus began the task asked of him. However, it proved to be somewhat tricky. Usually when he used his magic, like in a levitation spell, he always felt as if he was pushing it. He recalled a certain piece of advice that Princess Luna gave him; to let magic flow at its own pace, which brought a new concept on magic to his mind, at least when it came to this spell.
“I think I get it. It’s like… an extension of my body, a limb that hasn’t been there before. I see now! My magic is me! A limb, but one that is incorporeal, shapeless, formless. I should be able to move it as easily as I move my arm. In theory, at least...”
Closing his eyes, he focused intently on his magic, feeling how it moved, how it felt, how it was a part of him deep, deep down. It was there, as clear as day, like a limb had fallen asleep, but without the needles and pins that usually came with the experience. The more he poked and prodded his magic, the more alive it felt, yet it was by no means an easy task. Still, he managed a smile.
“It’s difficult,” he said, feeling moisture gathering on his brow.
“Just keep trying. I can see that you’re doing it correctly,” Twilight encouraged him.
Magnus gradually directed it, felt it move, but didn’t push, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that his aura had moved towards the tip of his horn.
Adding more magic, he felt a slight warmth and pressure building at the tip of his horn. Although his horn was made of bone, he could still feel certain things from it, most prominently magic itself. He felt it travel up and around the grooves, round and round, until he felt as if his magic collided at the tip of his horn, at which point a ball of light appeared, though it was smaller than the one Twilight had produced.
Twilight applauded by tapping her hooves together. “Look! You did it! And on your first attempt too!”
Feeling a huge sense of accomplishment, Magnus grinned. “Let there be light…” He looked over to Twilight, who smiled approvingly. “And you did this in… a fraction of a second?
Twilight giggled. “I have a lot of training. You just started.”
Magnus nodded in approval. She was the Element of Magic; he was the Element of Noob.
‘Still…’ he thought, looking up at the ball of light on the tip of his horn. He could feel his magic burning away, though it was nothing compared to the excitement coursing through his body. ‘That’s another spell in my book. Come to think of it, I should buy a notebook and write this stuff down.’