Chapter Twelve: … How’s It Go Again?
I barely managed to get any sleep at all before there was a old, young woman with fiery red hair shaking me like a loon, trying to rouse me to get out of bed. She got shoved via hand to the face for her actions, but Ladesa managed to get me up and moving for the day, though I severely needed a cup of coffee, and I hoped beyond hope that there would be honey to go along with it. Thankfully, Granny Smith was also fond of honey in her coffee, though when I asked if she’d ever been a Ranger, she denied it readily and stated that she was never sneaky enough to be something like that. McIntosh, Applejack’s older brother, was happy to keep his silence during breakfast, which was something I mirrored while Ladesa, Applejack, and Apple Bloom (Applejack’s younger sister) filled the early morning with a constant, droning chatter that was only cut up by loud laughter and horrendous snorting. Ladesa and Applejack talked the most, however, but it didn’t seem like anyone actually minded.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that they were either two peas in a pod or sleeping together. Either one.
With that fun little thought in my mind, I made it through the fantastic Apple Family breakfast with only one instance of falling asleep where I sat, though when I did that, I was instructed to go and take a nap by Granny rather than staying up through my exhaustion. I assured her that I would be fine after filling my stomach with her wonderful cooking, but after breakfast, I passed out while sitting on one of the worn, comfortable couches in the living room while Applejack and Big Mac figured out what Ladesa and I would be doing to earn our breakfast, rather than letting me just pay for it. I didn’t particularly mind, and I minded even less when Applejack told me that I had to nail some shingles to the roof. I like hammers because they’re useful, and nails are fine because they can be put into plenty of things, and as an added bonus, Applejack’s house provided an excellent view of the surrounding area.
Once I woke up from my little cat-nap about an hour after everyone else got moving, I got my duties for the day from Granny (She repeated them for me since I was a little brain dead) and started limbering up for the climb onto the roof. I had to find a ladder in the barn rather than trust the old structure to let me get up on it from the porch, but I wasn’t exactly worried about falling through the ceiling/roof since Applejack and Big Mac were both considerably heavier than me due to their status as Earth Ponies. Maud was also heavier than me and it was a little difficult to pick her up, and by a little, I mean I couldn’t carry her like a Prince would a Princess from the fae tales from my homeland, though neither of us really needed that in our lives.
The weather was nice and mild in Ponyville as compared to the constant heat in Grey Grotto, and the air was definitely sweeter, more floral than any in Grey Grotto had been. Apparently Ponies loved their flowers, and even more of them loved the apples that surrounded the farmhouse on every side because the acres of orchard, not farmland, spread for a good while in all directions. It was a nice, peaceful view that I had to abandon all too soon since the roof started getting lime-suckingly hot while I was still on it, though I’d made short work of my task. After re-shingling the roof, which was odd in and of itself because I had to nail the damn things down instead of cementing them in place with mortar, I got the ladder back into the barn and went inside to ask Granny Smith a few questions.
I found her sitting peacefully, sharpening a rather worn-looking hunting knife that I was hesitant to call anything other than old. I imagined that she’d probably kept the damned thing for a long time. “Heirloom, or just a lifelong friend?”
Granny Smith started, her blade rasping over her whetstone gratingly. “Oh, shoot! Didn’t see ya there, Sonny!”
I offered her an easy smile. “I didn’t mean to spook ya, but I just had to ask.”
“Ask what?”
“Your knife. Was it passed down to you, or is it a personal item?” I inquired patiently, though I didn’t have much experience with the elderly. Most people don’t make it past thirty in Capersport, twenty or so in Maric, and if you were dumb enough to live there? Average age in Hell’s Kitchen was less than twenty, though that’s because it’s ran by teens and psychopaths. All in gangs, but I digress.
“Ah... “ She sheathed the blade, and the sheath too was old, its rough leather not striking me as terribly interesting. “It’s jus’ an old story I’m sure ya don’t wanna hear.”
“Any knife with a story is one that’s been used.” I commented idly.
Granny Smith chuckled. “Ain’t exactly dim, are ya?”
“I survive by being attentive. I’d like to hear the story, if you don’t have anything else for me to do, that is.”
She gave me a toothy grin that seemed a little odd for some reason. Then her teeth jutted out of her fucking mouth! At my dumbstruck look, Granny started laughing. “Gotcha there! Do ya still wanna hear the story?”
I blinked a few times. “... Yeah?”
She grinned again and I cautiously had a seat nearby as she started her tale. “Now, ta be honest with ya, I wasn’t really expectin’ ya ta come in so soon, and that’s the only reason I had Wind Song out in the first place.”
I tilted my head at her. “Is it enchanted with Wind Magic?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Good guess, or do ya know somethin’ I don't?”
“It’s called ‘Wind’ Song.” I said slowly.
Granny gave me a look. “I might be old, but I still know how ta bust an ass an’ tan a hide in the same swing.”
I raised my hands. “Don’t beat the backtalker, just give him a time-out.”
She snorted derisively. “You don’t seem like the type to learn from a time-out.”
“Tch. Learn better from a time-out than a beating. I’m more of a nomad, though I guess it’d be nice to settle down.”
“Eh. It’s nice an’ all, but I miss the glory days.” She sighed.
“With Wind Song?”
“Didn’t always have her, but she was a good partner when I needed her. Care to hear about some history nopony wrote down?”
“Ooh, that’s the best kind!” I breathed, hooked instantly, giving her my full attention.
Granny gave me an odd look for that. “Don’t tell me you’re a history buff.”
“I’m a sucker for a good story that needs to be passed down from mouth to ear, y’know? Nothin wrong with written history, but the most interesting tales are the ones that come from people like us.” I maintained.
She nodded. “I don’t think we’re much alike, but I hear ya, Sonny. Now let Granny Smith tell ya about the Pioneer Paladins…”
And so Granny launched into a tale of a group of people who were basically Rangers, but without longbows to make them a threat from a long range. The Pioneer Paladins were Earth Ponies who wanted to colonize the surrounding areas about the Everfree while not actually going into the Everfree itself, claiming the land from the Buffalo Tribes in what was a bloody conflict from beginning to end with throwing axes from each side flying alongside crossbow bolts and arrows aplenty, both sides taking casualties as Granny’s family did their best to strike it out in unfamiliar territory. Granny’s family won in the end, but Wind Song, her father’s old knife from the conflict, was passed down to her since her oldest brother had died in the conflict as well, so Granny just held onto the token and the story for prosperity’s sake.
I thanked her for the tale and thanked her again for her time, but Granny was more eager to see my knife and hear the tale behind it since I carried it around all the time, no matter what I was doing, so I traded her a story for a story. Mine began with a freshly made Varas taking stock of his coffers at the Guild, only to find that a knife he’d never seen before topping his piles of shillings. To switch back to the first person narrative, I took the knife, as beautiful as it was, to Desmond to have it appraised and to check if it was someone else’s. As it turned out, the Warbling Blade was supposed to be a Guild heirloom, passed down from Varas to deserving Varas, the last owner of the knife having been Mercer himself. I was supposed to be the best knife fighter at that given time, so the ebony handled, Thesuvian steel piece was given to me as a prize for being a capable thief and as well as a dangerous one.
“So we’ve both got ourselves an heirloom, don't we, Sonny?” Granny chuckled, a gleam in her eye as she studied me.
I nodded. “I don’t think that my little knife is enchanted like yours is, but it’s worthy nonetheless.”
“Yours might not be enchanted, but it sure is a pretty piece.”
“Eh, pretty only counts for so much. Would you like to see it for yourself?” I offered her the sheathed blade.
“Why not?” Granny asked casually, taking the knife from me for all of two seconds before dropping it and covering her ears. “Ah!”
“Granny? What’s wrong?” I asked.
She brushed the knife off of her lap and glared at it. “What in Tartarus is wrong with that thing, Gauche? I ain’t never heard a’ nothin’ screamin’ when ya pick it up!”
“... Um…” I picked the knife up from the floor cautiously and examined it. “... It’s never screamed before, but then again, you’re the first person to touch it in a few years other than me. Guild equipment might be enchanted for all I know.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me, iffin’ it really is some type a’ heirloom.”
I shrugged. “I’ll have to ask my Goddess about it sometime-”
“You worship a Goddess?” Granny
asked quietly, looking around shiftily.
I leaned in and dropped my voice.
“Yeah? You know what the Gods are?”
“... Ain’t supposed to say more than I
already have.” Granny confessed. “Empress
Diliculum wants her name out of the books, so I keep her quiet, but if you worship too…”
I perked up at the mention of an Equisian Goddess. “There are Gods on this planet?”
“There are, but they don’t wanna be
worshipped. The only one I know of is Her Majesty, the Empress of Solstice Circle.”
“... Hmm… Doesn’t sound like one of my Gods. Furladra, the Goddess I serve, is very fond of her offerings.” I said quietly.
“How do ya give her offerin’s?”
“Scratch her symbol into a soft slab of something, whether wood or stone it matters not, and you chant the mantra. It helps to have other people help you with the chant, but still. She’ll take most of what you have to offer.”
“Ah, so what does she give in return?”
I bobbed my head from side to side. “Follow the rules and she grants you protection. Fail to follow the rules and you’ll get nothing.”
“I see… So do ya wanna help an old nag pray ta her Goddess, or would ya rather get on with your day?” Granny Smith asked.
“Let’s see what we need to do.” I answered cautiously.
“I already got the offerin’ baked, I just need your help with the Seal.”
I didn’t know what kind of offering needed to be baked, but apparently I was going to find out. On our way to the kitchen, Granny offered to let me have a few of her tarts to give to Furladra and I accepted them, trading her a few silver drachs that I had kept from the exchange while she happily hummed along and started icing her tarts in an odd pattern. The symbol looked strange, but it was easy enough to copy over to a few more tarts, and when I had the three made for Furladra, I used the icing tool to paint Furladra’s Seal onto them. We chanted for Diliculum first, and then for Furladra, but we both just had a good time of it once our offerings disappeared and praised our Goddesses for their general geniality.
Granny sent me off with promises of more offerings to be made and sent off as long as I helped make them, and I started by walking outside, scratching Diliculum’s Seal in some dirt, and sending her a few more of my coins to curry a bit of favour with her in hopes of earning a bit of leeway in her eyes. Furladra might be powerful, but Equis seemed to be full of people more powerful than what they were supposed to be, so it came as no surprise to me that there might be a Goddess who rules over the entire Solar System itself rather than just a single planet. I knew my offerings didn’t amount to much, but I thought they were nice gestures as I walked into town to go see Twilight.
❖☬❖
Twilight gave me one of the tarts she was given and it was as good as Granny Smith’s work ever got, which is to say that it was apple-flavoured Heaven in my mouth. Granny really was one of the most capable bakers in history, but I’d had better stuff. Still, the little distraction was nice as I tried to relax and not freak out about my plans possibly going to shit. I resolved to go and talk to Celestia one-on-one, and so I did, popping into Day Court as a commoner with a question.
“Your Majesty, Princess Celestia.” I inclined my head to her.
Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Most ponies choose to bow before me, but I see that you’re of a different breed.”
I corrected my form, settling on my Human suit, and looked at her calmly. “That I am, Celestia.”
Her breath caught in her throat and she glared at me. “What do you want, Max?”
“I want us to have an understanding that isn’t ‘Do what I tell you or suffer horribly for your mistakes’ while maintaining subtle undertones of just that. I’m willing to grant you all manners of boons, but you’ve got to give me reasons to want to give them to you.”
“... What are you plans?” Celestia asked persistently.
“To shift the tides.” I answered enigmatically. “What are your plans with Garrison?”
“Like you don’t alr-”
“Humor me.” I deadpanned.
“... I want him in chains.”
“He’s an ally of yours, you know. You knew of Odysseus, the Minotaur.”
“I know of him, yes. What about that mentally unstable fool?”
“Gauche is the one who put him down.”
Celestia stared at me. “So he is an enemy of Bite-Back?”
“Not quite. He’s not a member, but he is loosely affiliated. He left Minosia because he didn’t want to be one of them.” I answered.
“Why did he kill Odysseus if he was an affiliate? He was an efficient leader and a competent commander at most times.”
“Odysseus made the mistake of crossing Garrison by way of making him eat a Satyr woman.”
“... I can see how that would push one to the brink of insanity.”
“Define ‘brink’.” I scoffed.
“... What is this about, Max? Why are you here?”
“Get off of Gauche’s case. He’s going to end up doing you more favours if you don’t keep an eye on him than if you do, and that’s coming from experience with the guy. When he’s not being followed and generally harassed, he’s generally more open to going out and doing some good.”
Celestia eyed me cautiously. “You want me to leave him be?”
“I want you to actually like the guy. He took down Odysseus and the restaurant that was serving up live Demons as entertainment and food. The guy’s just a valuable ally.” I said truthfully.
She inhaled and sighed. “I wouldn’t know if you were lying, would I?”
“Not if I really didn’t want you to know.” I shrugged. “It’s not in my best interest to lie to you outright anyway.”
“So you say… You know I could have Gauche arrested for putting his hands on and threatening the life of one of my agents, correct?”
“I would rather you not.” I said patiently.
“No threats this time?” She asked sarcastically, testing said patience.
“Take your steps. Feel free to throw away the sword I’ve placed in your lap. The struggles that no doubt lie ahead will only be that much harder with a blade dulled by time, allowed to rust in a dank cellar.” I sighed. “I would have to start again, but that’s all I can do. There’s no point in being so invested in this anymore. Equis will fall if you fail to use Garrison. Equis will fall if you do not take my advice. Equis will fall in time, and the weight rests on two sets of shoulders right now. Care to guess who those people are?”
Celestia steadied her breath. “It has always been Luna and I-”
“Have you just not been listening?” I asked, exasperated.
“... Garrison and I, then.”
“There you go.” I nodded slowly. “Whatever you need to make that guy loyal to you, it’s a good idea to do it. Trust me on that, Celestia.”
“Why should I trust you at all?” She countered.
“... When an Eldritch being that claims to have created the world you live on tells you something is a bad idea and the other option is a good one, how much stupidity does it take to ignore its advice?”
“Discord.” Celestia pointed out.
“What must I do to earn your trust? Because I can tell you certain secrets; warn you of your most threatening enemy that looms at the moment.” I offered.
Celestia narrowed her eyes. “... Who is the current threat?”
“King Herodotus. If you want, you could make one of Garrison’s first missions as a Ranger an assassination.”
“... Could he actually do it?” She asked, knowing my words to be likely.
“He was going to be hired to do it by Bite-Back one way or another.” I answered flatly. “It might be in your best interest to up the bounty on Herodotus’ head soon.”
“I’ll be sure to arrange for the funds to be increased, I suppose. What would I get from allowing Garrison-”
“You’d be preventing a war, saving thousands of your own people’s lives. You don’t need a better reward than that.” I answered irritably.
“What would Garrison’s reward be?”
“The bounty attributed to such a task. You wouldn’t deny him his due, would you?” I asked, brow raised.
“A Ranger would expect no more-”
“You fuckin’ wot.” I interrupted. “You don’t offer rewards and bonus bounties?”
“Few Rangers are actual Equestrians. I refuse to pay them more than citizens of my own country.”
“... So they’re slaves that get the most dangerous jobs.” I said, my voice dangerously level.
“It’s the price of admission.” She said haughtily.
I thought about it for a second. “You’ll pay extra for the mission as a reasonable leader would, and you’ll most likely be surprised as to where most of the money ends up.”
“And if I decide to disobey you?”
“I’ll strip you of your Magic for a week since it doesn’t affect Garrison at all if you struggle. Or I’ll curse you so that anything you try to wear bursts into harmless flames.”
Celestia’s brow furrowed. “What would that accomplish?”
“You’d be naked constantly.” I said flatly.
A blush slowly creeped across her face as she thought of the innumerable blockades surrounding her possible loopholes. “... So you would humiliate me?”
“It would seem to be the best way to get you to learn a lesson.” I replied.
“What would Garrison’s punishment be if he decided to disobey your orders?”
“Eternity in fire and brimstone. Trust me, he’s more screwed than you are at any given moment.”
“Ah. I see.” Celestia said dubiously.
“Trust me, if Garrison disappoints me, then he’d better hope that he can scratch it out on his own. I won’t let you persecute him for no reason, but I won’t protect him from everything.”
“Not much of a loving Creator I see.”
“I love all my creations, it’s just that I have no problem taking my gifts back. Life is more of a privilege than a right most days.” I said casually.
“... It’s odd to hear that the one who created all living things is so callous to the loss of life.” Celestia murmured.
I barked out a harsh laugh. “Celestia, how do you feel about your casualties during war? How did you feel after the first ten thousand? Tell the truth.”
“... I think I understand. You’re the one who sees the most death out of all the beings in Solstice Circle.”
“See it, feel it, comprehend it. When you go over the process of creating over forty universes from scratch, bang to bang, you stop caring as much about... “ I trailed off and inhaled before sighing out my answer. “Everything. Nothing really matters anymore Celestia. Nothing except the plan.”
“... If I help Garrison; not coddle, but help, will you guarantee Equis’ continuation?”
I conjured my Seal, altered as it was due to the passage of time and shrank it down. As it formed and came into the dimension as I willed, I crafted it into a necklace for Celestia, though making it out of gold was probably a bit much. I tossed it to her, and like most lazy arse Alicorns, she caught it with Magic. “Consider that my insurance policy. The boons on that should be enough to keep things running well as far as your little spells go. The more you aid my little boy, the stronger the enchantments get.”
She gave me a dull look. “What’s the catch?”
I smirked at her and started pacing, chuckling. “The catch is that it’ll nullify other enchanted gear since it’s so powerful.”
She gave me an even flatter look. “What else?”
“It’ll only work for you or Luna and it has to be worn during your specific times. If you wear it before sunrise or after sunset, you’re not gonna wanna take it off. Ever.” I gave her a dark grin.
“... I don’t want this. No wise person would ever take this.”
“Ah-ah-ah!” I wagged a finger at her. “Are you sure that an amulet that would grant you a fragment of the Sun’s power wouldn’t be useful?”
Celestia blinked and clutched the amulet to her chest. “... What would Luna receive?”
“A larger piece of the Moon’s essence. That’s all I’ll say on the matter, but should you choose my little deal, I can tell you that there might be room for more bartering in the future rather than brutish assurances.”
“If I take your bribe now, I don't have to worry about getting handled the hard way in the future?” Celestia snorted, her lip curling. “... I don’t have a choice here, Max. It’s by some holy grace that you’ve even chosen to be merciful.”
I spread my hands. “I hate to pressure you into things, but that was most of my experience as both your husband and a Prince. Well, not your husband, but a Celestia’s husband.”
She gave me an odd look. “You married an alternate version of me?”
“I did. She was the first woman I loved when I got transported to her world, and she was the first and only wife I’ve ever divorced.” I crossed my arms and gave Celestia the shittiest of looks.
She didn’t like my attitude, but there wasn’t much she could do about it, frankly. “What does that have to do with me?”
“You suck more than she did in different ways.” I replied drily. “My Celestia would’ve gotten to know Garrison before trying to throw him in jail, and most Celestias don’t swear blood grudges against mortals in the first place.”
White Bitch rolled her eyes. “Sorry for being different.”
“Better be.” I threw a water balloon full of honey at her.
She caught it with her hand and it exploded within her grasp, making her just a little sticky. “... Was this really necessary?”
“I’ll have five of the hottest guys you’ve ever seen in your life come lick it off of you if you want to take a break from Court.” I offered amusedly.
“Why is it going through my clothes!?” Celestia asked, a little distressed. “What in Tartarus is this!?”
“An aphrodisiac, courtesy of a slimey Queen. Tastes amazing if you wanna take me up on my offer.”
The look in her eyes was priceless. “Are you just waiting for a show or something?”
“We can have a dog lick it off. It’s saliva soluble and that’s about it.”
“I hate you so much.” She groaned, trying to keep D’vora’s love juice from touching her nether regions.
“Oh, and Celestia~?” I sang.
“What.”
“Human semen is the best way to cool the heat. Just thought I oughta let ya know.”
“No.”
I left and laughed since it was amusing, though I got reamed by Twilight for essentially making Celestia crave something like proper salami while giving her the person she currently despised most the antidote to her ailment. It was comedy gold to me and Roxy, but Twilight being Twilight was saltier than an ocean and twice as large, which got me hit for just thinking that. It was properly worth it though, and I was glad that I’d been able to get a little of the weight off of my shoulders before looking back to my little hero.
❖☬❖
Naisyn was visibly perturbed when she saw me after answering the door. She had a few choice words for me outside in harsh whispers and I bore them with the full extent of my patience. I’d never been someone to let a secret about myself eat away at me, so I couldn’t really understand where Nai was coming from, but still. I talked her down over the course of a few minutes and she even gave me a hug by the end, but she still insisted that I never try something of the sort again, lest I be beholden to her wrath. It was most likely going to be doled out in slaps judging by the general limpness to her wrists. Twilight, however, was happier to see me and greeted me in the library with a small smile and a cup of black tea. She offered me some cream and sugar, but I just gave her an odd look and sipped my beverage to see if it was actually palatable. Other than being a little weak for my tastes, it was fine.
“Alright, Twilight. Yes, I made that rhyme. Sue me. Anyway, where shall we begin?”
She blinked at me and smiled. “Well, what do you know about Magic?”
“I know that everything on Equis has it in one form or another, and that it basically makes this world go ‘round.” I answered with a straight face.
“... Well, you’re right, but that’s…”
“I know I have Wind Magic.” I said, staring into her eyes.
Twilight held the eye contact without being fazed, as many women do. For some odd reason, men don’t really need eye contact during a conversation. It’s just something I’ve noticed. “Well that’s… We can work with it?”
I raised a brow. “Is it that bad?”
‘Well it’s not good.’ “It’s not exactly great news, Gauche. Not if you actually want to use it for something.”
“Can you teach me how to form wind into arrows?” I asked, recalling a story of Stelor’s, the God of Hunters, Poachers, Trappers, and Beastmasters.
‘... What? That’s actually interesting…’ “Where did you get an idea like that?”
“A God from Terra, Stelor, God of the Hunt, could make arrows from the very wind itself and guide his arrows with it. He was told to be a legendary shot with his wind arrows, piercing even tornados with his might.”
‘That’s incredible! These Gods really are something!’ “Well, it’s certainly been said that Wind Mages can form objects through their connection to the wind. I don’t think it’s supposed to hurt much when you get hit by a Wind Element weapon, though. If I’m remembering correctly, it’s more of a way to wear down your target, but I didn’t get into it beyond that because Combat Magicks are usually only good for combat and that kinda stuff. As you can see,” Twilight held her arms out and gave me a bashful smile, “I’m not exactly made to take a punch.”
I smiled because my head hurt. “... Wouldn’t that make it even more imperative for you to learn Combat Magic? I’m not exactly tryin’ to nag you here, but it makes more sense to me to make Magic cover up my shortcomings.”
Twilight blushed and coughed. “W-Well… I’m a little… Accident prone, you see. Ah-heh-heh-aww.” She sighed. “It’s generally a bad idea for me to mess with stuff that can actually hurt somepony.”
“So you can teach me the basics and we can find someone else for the fine tuning.” I said simply, sensing her souring mood. “It’s not like we have to do everything now.”
Twilight nodded and gave me a heart-warming smile. “That’s right! I mean, I don’t really think you should be learning Combat Magic to begin with, but broadening your magical horizons never hurt anypony, right?”
I tilted my head at her and gave her the absolute blankest look I could conjure up. “Yeah. Never summon anything again.”
She blushed and burped, covering her mouth shortly after. “S-Sorr-” Another burp occurred and I gave her an odd look. “... Di-” She burped again and it was just as adorable as the first two times. “... I got you hurt, didn't I?” Twilight asked, holding her left arm with her right and looking down, too ashamed to look me in the eyes and ask.
“We’re going to start with the burping though.” I said amusedly. “Why?”
“It happens sometimes, but I don’t really know why…” She said softly. “Gauche, please answer my question.”
I sighed and considered my options as they lay before me. In one hand, I held Twilight’s entire week, and I could easily destroy that with a simple sentence. Less than ten words would have someone with a heart as soft and bleed-y as Twilight in tears, riddled with intense, merciless guilt that would probably eat away at her until she earned my forgiveness, which I was not ready to give. She’d gotten me a little more than hurt, but then again, how much of that was actually Max’s fault? Thus, I am left with the other hand, which was a lie, but a kind one, and Twilight just struck me as a young woman would do her best to return any kindness extended to her.
That, and Twilight’s just an utter and complete doll. A regular cuppa something sweet and a little salty. It was mostly the cuteness, but the sweetness didn’t hurt.
The thing was, I didn’t actually want to
lie, so I said, “I got a little roughed up a couple of times, but nothing you should be worried about.”
Twilight’s little forehead gem glowed slightly. “You’re not telling me everything, Gauche…”
I waved it aside. “I’m not exactly worried about it at the moment, so-”
“Gauche, do you want to have any kind of relationship with me?” Twilight asked, her voice as soft and gentle as her hands.
“I’d like to be friends.” I answered cautiously.
“Friends don’t keep secrets, Gauche.”
“... Stuck me fuckin’ foot in me gob.” I grumbled to myself. In an audible volume, I said, “Look, I got banged up and whatnot, but I came out okay, Twilight. That’s what matters.”
“What happened?” She asked with baited breath.
“...” I spoke in full stops for a few moments before I just shook my head at her. “I don’t want to talk about it, Twilight.”
“Maybe-”
“That topic ends here.” I said tenderly, though firmly. “Let’s get onto learning how to use Magic, no?”
“... Gauche, I really want to continue that topic. If I got you hurt, then I’d like to know about it!”
“Like I said, the topic is dead. Leave sleeping dogs lie, Dearest.” I requested a little less pleasantly, but not by much.
“Gauche-”
“No.” I said savagely, hoping that she’d drop it.
She frowned and bit her lip before saying, “... I don’t really like being talked to like that, Gauche…”
“I know Dearest, and I’m sorry that I snapped at you, but I don’t want to talk about what went on in Minosia. I would much rather talk about Magicks and what we can actually teach me about them.” I said, resuming the tone I’d used for Aria when she was doing dumb shit.
“... Okay, I’ll give in this time, but we are gonna talk about it at some point, okay?” She bargained.
I slowly let my hands rest on her shoulder and bent down to look her in the eye with every ounce of compassion my blackened, sinful soul had to offer. “I’m not telling you. Full stop. I’m not telling you because you wouldn’t look at me the same way, and yes, I know that’s what I said when you asked me why I kept being a thief from you, but… Twilight…” I inhaled and I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and shaking my head, my eyes on the ground. “... I don’t think I could stand having you look at me like that, Dearest. Not you.”
Twilight, being the kind soul that she is, evidently heard the ache I didn’t bother to mask in my voice. “Gauche… I know I’m at least partly responsible for what happened, and I… I don’t want you to think that I’m just gonna be okay with knowing that I got you hurt by not coming for you soon enough… It might be the link between Summoner and Familiar, but I’ve really come to like you in the short time we’ve actually been together... “ She seemed to struggle to find her words for a moment. “... Gauche, you don’t strike me as someone who really cares what other people think.”
“That’s because I rarely give a fuck about what people think.” I replied flatly.
“So why do you care about what I think?” She challenged.
“You’re worth the dirt you walk on, Dearest. Most people in my experience aren’t.”
“... That’s… Grim. That’s really grim.”
“At least it’s not morbid. Can we go do Magic now?”
“I’d like to go back to the thing we were talking about, like why you think I evidently need to be protected from stuff! I’m a grown Mare, Gauche. Not some filly with wet ears and cotton between them.”
I gave her a look and backed off. “How would you feel if I told you that a Cow attacked me because of a few chuckles at the wrong moment?”
She flinched. “Did that actually happen?”
“After I dealt with her, two more Minotaurs, a Stallion and a Mare, a Griffin, and what I later learned was a Cat all attacked at the same time.” I said levelly, my voice not given anything away.
“... That’s true, but it’s hard to believe, Gauche. It really is.”
I nodded. “It is.”
“... Did you have to fight all of them?”
“I did.”
“... And you won?” She asked in disbelief.
“Ask Maud if you don’t believe me.” I said coolly.
“I don’t need to… I just… Gauche, how are you alive?” She asked incredulously.
“I don’t die easy, Dearest. A lot of people have learned that the hard way.”
“How many times have you been attacked like that?” Twilight clasped her hands together, concern written all over her features.
“Broad question, that one. How many times have I gotten attacked by multiple people, no?” She nodded. “More than a few, less than fifteen or so. I tend to run more than fight, but running wasn’t much of an option during the last one.”
“... How bad did you get hurt?” She asked carefully, tiptoeing around the bush, not even quite beating around it.
“Not too bad. Nothing that some poultice and some care didn’t fix.”
“Gauche, that tells me that you’re either extremely dangerous or that you’re not telling me the whole truth. I don’t need a spell to know that you’re not telling me the truth, and Celestia already told me that she thinks you’re at least a little dangerous since you’re an ‘old’,” She used some light air quotes, “thief. I don’t know why you being an old thief would make you dangerous, but I trust my teacher.”
I took a deep breath and sighed. “What do you want to hear first?”
“... How badly were you hurt?” Twilight asked.
I blinked at her before shaking my head. “It really is staggering that you’re more interested in my relative safety than possibly being in danger.”
She waited for me to say something else and I just shrugged. “Are you not going to say?”
“Wasn’t planning on it. It only kept me down for three or four days, so don’t worry about-”
“Only three or four!? Gauche, what in Tartarus- I… Gauche, it took Rainbow a ‘few days’ to heal from a broken wing, and you’re telling me that you got hurt bad enough to be down for that long?”
“... Is breaking something bad news? It wasn’t uncommon where I come from. Most people break fingers and arms like it’s going out of style. Or coming in. Either one.”
“Did you break something?”
“Don’t worry about it.” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I’m going to worry about it whether you tell me to or not.” Twilight huffed, pouting like the child she was on the inside.
“When someone older than you tells you not to worry about something, it’s usually for a good reason. There’s no point in fretting over the past, Twilight. I got hurt, I went down, and I got back up. Clean and kosher. Kinda.” I nodded off to the side and shrugged. “Getting back up was the part that mattered.”
“... Gauche, I... “ She sighed deeply. “Okay. I can see the wisdom in that. Can you explain why an old thief is more dangerous than a normal one?”
I gave her a look. “I’m only old by thief standards, young lady, so keep that in mind. The first thing, however, is that you need to know how long a Thief’s Life is-”
“Wouldn’t that be entirely relevant to the thief in question?”
“Exactly. Most thieves don’t see the second day of their thirteenth year in their career without losing a hand or getting gaoled. I got out of gaol because I escaped, so technically I’m on the lam, but my point is that I’ve been a thief for about fifteen years now, coming up on sixteen, and that means that I’ve outlived my life. I’m officially on time I bartered with Furladra for.”
“... You had to make a deal with her to stay alive?” Twilight asked, her tone not giving her thoughts away.
I looked into her eyes and focused, trying to peer behind the violet-tinted windows of her soul, though I still responded while trying to activate the Mind Link. “In a manner of speaking. I played by Furladra’s rules my entire Thief’s Life, and I’ve kept up my side of the bargain past that, so she keeps up her side. It wouldn’t surprise me much if Furladra kept me alive for Max’s little plans, but it’s a living, no?”
‘Wow… I’m…’ “... Gauche, your life kinda sucks.” She said bluntly.
“Kinda?” I asked flatly, snorting. “It does suck for the most part, and I can’t even really be grateful for half of what I do have because I don’t know how I’m supposed to use it, and the other half looks mildly poisonous. So far, Maud’s been the shining diamond in the coal mines, but I don’t even want to go there because apparently Furladra wants my heart as well.” I shrugged. “Life sucks and then you die, but maybe there’s happiness on the road somewhere. I don’t know.”
Twilight didn’t waste any time in giving me a hug, so I hugged her back. “I can’t promise that I can make you happy, but I can promise that I’ll try to make your life better in any way I can!” She let me go and gave me a charmingly innocent smile, making my heart melt like a candle’s wax to a flame.
I gently cupped the back of her head and pressed my forehead to hers, taking in the scent of lavender that permeated from her along with a hint of alcohol. It took me a few moments to find my words, but when I did, all they amounted to was, “Thank you. Thank you for your sincere compassion, Twilight Sparkle. If you do stay in my life beyond what we have now… I’ll never deserve a place in your heart, but knowing that I have one…” I choked up a little and chuckled, earning myself another hug.
“... So… Are you guys dating or something?” A tomboyish, somewhat raspy voice asked.
Twilight sighed and we let go of each other at the same time, both of us facing the new person with more than a little irritation. The new Pony was a light, near sky blue-coated, technicolour-maned, athletic looking Mare. The first thing I noticed was that she was pretty, though the little tan stripe across her nose (Whatever it was) made her look like she’d been hit recently. I hadn’t really met too many Pegasi, and I tend to avoid them as a rule of thumb because things with wings? Damn near everything with wings was some kind of arrogant, but the new Pony didn’t look like she’d be too terrible. I did a spot check and saw that she had a smaller bust than Maud’s handful-plus-some-for-fun, and her hips were narrow, but I had to admit, she was some kind of attractive.
“Rainbow Dash, can you not read the mood, or do you just like ruining bonding moments?” Twilight inquired in icy inflections.
“My bad, Twi. Still though, do you have a boyfriend now, or…?” She rolled her hand forward, gesturing for Twilight to continue.
“How long have you been here?” I
asked neutrally.
She shrugged. “I heard something
about making a deal, but then Twilight said your life sucked, I zoned out, and then you dudes were practically about to kiss-”
“Rainbow, even if Gauche and I didn’t have a somewhat kith slash kin relationship, why would you interrupt us if we were about to kiss instead of leaving?” Someone wasn’t happy, and that person happened to be a purple Pony Princess, pretty pissed about pop-up people plopping themselves in her moment.
Rainbow blushed and scratched her
head. “... Uh… Dragon Fire a friend?”
The look Twilight gave her was a little
on the deadly side from what I’d seen from Twilight so far. By that, I mean that Twilight was glaring daggers and it came off as pouty and puffy. “I’m your friend. I got your note, and my reply is ‘Think before you act, you utter nag.’.”
“Hey! I was just trying to figure out if I should be threatening this guy or high-fiving him for being nice to you and stuff! Don’t be mad, alright?” Rainbow asked, folding her hands together, trying for a winning smile.
“Yeah, no.” I said flatly. “I would say thanks for fucking up the little thing we had going there, but I don't thank many people for much. I will say, however, that you should’ve tried talking with the other set of lips.”
Dash gave me an odd look before her lips started wavering and she burst out into giggles. “Alright, Dude, I’ll try next time!”
Twilight whacked me, but it didn’t hurt because she’s weaker than Baby’s Brew, a mixture of breast milk and a shot of fortified wine. “You stop encouraging her!” She pointed a damning finger at Dash. “And you stop being oblivious! I swear, it’s like you only pay attention to butts and bird stuff!”
“Now that’s uncalled for.” The blue one replied, her tone less amused now. “I wouldn’t call your Magic stuff ‘hoo-doo’ to your face, and I kinda expect the same respect, Twi.”
“Then respect my privacy, and expect to be chewed out for being thoughtless. Again.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Princess. Do you want me to bow and grovel now, or do you want me to lick your hooves?”
Twilight glared at her a little harder. “Do you want to be furless? Because we can make that happen, Ms. Smarty-Pants.”
Her friend rolled her eyes again. “Stratosphere above, just let it go, Twilight.”
“I will once you actually apologize.”
Dash nodded. “Twilight, I’m sorry for mucking up your thing with the guy. I don’t get it, but I don’t get paid to get stuff.”
“I get paid to get stuff, but it’s generally physical rather than mental.” I said jokingly.
Twilight gave me a sour look. “Aren’t you going to curtail your bad habits at all?”
“Yep.” I answered. Because I’m being followed and I’ve spotted another tail lurking outside.
“Oh. Okay!” Twilight beamed at me.
I patted her head and looked at Dash. “So are you here to harass Twiwight or what?”
Dash shrugged. “I wasn’t doing anything and wanted to know if Twilight wanted to do something. Mare always has something to do, even when the rest of town is quieter than a mouse fart.”
Twilight sighed. “You know you have trouble picking up Stallions because you talk like one, right? And act like one. Don’t forget that.”
Rainbow went to give her a scathing reply, which I could see by the look in her eye, so I stepped in with, “With a figure like hers? Fuck off, Twilight.” I scoffed.
Dash blushed and cleared her throat. “Uh…”
Twilight gave me a puzzled look. “What about her figure?”
I returned her look with one of my own. “What do you mean what do I mean? Dash looks good. There’s nothing else to it.”
The purple one and the blue one exchanged a brief glance before Dash asked, “Are you low-key trying to hit on me?”
I shook my head. “I’m taken, but I’m allowed to look at the selection, no? I’m just not allowed to order anything.”
Rainbow Dash’s face stayed rosen for a little while longer. “Thanks, I guess. Not many guys are into the ‘Fit-and-Fun’ thing, y’know? It’s nice to hear that somepony thinks I don’t look like a guy.”
I looked at Twilight, my eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’ve just been letting the prettiest friend of yours that I’ve met feel that way about herself, Twilight.”
“The buck.” Twilight said bluntly.
“Kinda with Twilight on this one. You must not have met AJ, Flutters, or Rarity yet.” Dash said uneasily.
“I’ve met Applejack. I find you more attractive than her.” I answered slowly. “Why is this weird?”
Twilight looked at me for a moment, pursing her lips. “Well, we kinda have to take your tastes into account here, Gauche.”
“Like, who are you with? Do we know her?” Dash asked.
“Maud Pie, Pinkie’s sister.” I said, giving both of them odd looks in turn. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Rainbow gave me one of the most fuckedemupedest looks I’d seen in years. “How do you- I mean… Look, Dude. You’re weird.”
I gave her the two-finger flag out of instinct. “Guess where you can shove these. Here’s a hint; they go with your opinion of my taste in women.”
Dash shook her head and gave me a little smile. “I know that was supposed to be, like, an insult, but I’m pretty sure I just told you that your compliment was wrong. I’ll eat my loss on this one.”
I nodded. “Stay smart and you won’t get nagged at.”
Twilight hit me again. “I was not nagging!”
“Then what would you call it?” I asked, rubbing my arm for show.
“I’d call it nagging.” Rainbow said blandly.
Twilight flipped her off. “Take your pretty hiney out of my library!”
Dash blew her a kiss. “Love you~”
Twilight huffed. “I love you too, but unless you want to stay for Magic lessons, then I suggest you find somepony else to frustrate.”
“I’m having fun.” I chuckled.
“I can always send you back to Sweet Apple Acres and we can start tomorrow.” The Princess deadpanned.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Why waste precious time? I’ve only got a few more days to learn the basics anyway, so let me shut up so we can get on with it, no?”
“Are you sure you two aren’t-” Dash started.
“Yes.” I answered before she could finish.
“Absolutely certain. It’d be like falling for Spike or Shining Armour.” Twilight huffed haughtily.
Rainbow raised a brow at me and I raised a brow at her. “I only know who one of those people are.”
“Ah, so you know Spike, but not Shining? I suggest telling him that you’re not interested in Twilight like that if you ever do meet him.” Dash said.
“I’ll tell him.” Twilight said. “Shining listens to me, after all.”
Rainbow and I looked at each other. “Do you want to explain to her the dangers of a big brother, or should I?” I asked.
Dash raised her hand. “I got this. Twilight-”
“I think it’s better if Gauche explains it.” The Princess said quickly. “He’s very adept at giving comprehensive elaborations that are relatable and understandable you know.”
“Don’t take it personal, Kaari, it’s nothing personal.” I said for Twilight.
“Kaari?” Dash asked.
“It technically means ‘arc’ in Varic, but it’s an abbreviation of rainbow.” I replied.
“Varic?”
“My third language. Only two people on this planet actually know Varic to my knowledge.”
Dash scratched her head. “... I kinda dig it.”
I nodded and turned to Twilight. “Alright, so the Big Brother Clause of a sibling relationship means that as a big brother, you have to pummel anyone who’s not doing right by your sister if she’s in that kind of relationship with them. For example, I beat up a few guys that tried to get too close to Aria and I’ve stabbed some adults who thought that they could take her from me and use her until she faded away.”
“Hardcore!” Dash said in awe. “Dude, I wish I was your little sister! Having somepony who doesn’t mind messing somepony up for screwing with me would be awesome!”
Twilight looked a little green around the gills. “Please don’t hurt anypony on my behalf, Gauche.”
“All you have to do is ask.” I replied. Most of the time, at least.
“Thank you, Gauche, but I don’t think Shining is that kind of big brother.” Twilight touched a hand to her heart.
“He should be! Gauche sounds like a badass big bro!” Dash maintained.
I chuckled. “My little sister did her part too.” I fingered the bracelet that I wear, made by her.
“So where is she now?” Dash asked.
“She’s in a better place than Avalesce, that’s for sure. Other than that, I don’t know which God would have taken her in, though I suspect that Amelemme or Xana would have allowed her to remain in their realm.”
“... What?” Rainbow cocked her head to the side and gave me a confused look.
“She’s passed on, Kaari.” I replied calmly.
“Oh… Sorry for your loss, Dude. When did you lose her?”
“Rainbow! You don’t just go digging into a sensitive subject like that!” Twilight objected.
I waved her worries aside. “It’s fine, Dearest. I lost Aria when I was thirteen, so she would have been ten or eleven at the time.”
“Damn, I’m sorry that you had to deal with that so early in life. It must have been really hard on your family.” Dash said empathetically. “I know that it was super harsh on my parents when we lost my little sister, but I wasn’t really old enough to get it at the time, you know?”
“You had a little sister?” Twilight asked, surprised.
Dash nodded. “I don’t talk about her because I never really knew her.”
“I both feel bad for you and envy you at the same time.” I chuckled. “Ah, split feelings and all that.”
“... Why would you envy me?” The blue one asked.
“Not knowing the person you lost seems less harsh to me than knowing someone your entire life, talking to them, suffering with them, triumphing with them, only to lose them when you need them or want them most.” I shrugged. “It only seems preferable because I was a little cold by the time I started making friends after Aria’s passing, and losing them hurt less because I didn’t know them as well as I did her.”
“Oh… Sounds like you’ve lost a lot of people in your life.”
I nodded. “I have. It’s the dangers of working in my field from a young age.”
“How old were you when you started working?” Dash asked, interest keeping her talking.
“Eleven. I-”
“Dude! Were your parents farmers or something!?” She exclaimed.
“I never knew my parents. Aria and I were told that we were dropped off at the same time, so we assumed that we were from the same family since our eyes and hair were the same color. We also favoured a little, so it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.” I explained.
“Okay, but what kind of work do you do before you’re even old enough to see over the counter of most places?”
“One, I’ve always been tall. Two, thieving.”
“... You’re a thief?” Dash asked, giving me an obvious once over. “... I can kinda see it. You look like you’re really good at sneaking and stuff.”
“I’m surprised that you don’t have a problem with it.” Twilight said before I could.
Dash gave her a look. “I just learned that this guy was an orphan, and I’m willing to bet that the place he was staying at kicked him out when he was ten or eleven. It’s hard to not understand why he had to start breaking laws to survive. I mean, I’m not supporting it, but I see where the guy’s coming from.”
“So you do have a brain!” I teased with a smile.
She glared at me until she saw the curvature of my lips. “Hardy-har-har. Think you’re funny, don’t you? Beanpole son of a whorse.”
“Technicolor-toned twat.” I chuckled in response.
Dash gave me a big smile. “Well, with that, I think I gotta be somewhere else now. You guys have fun with your Magic thing.”
“It’s Wind Magic.” Twilight said flatly.
Rainbow coloured. “Hey! Wind Magic is perfectly fine, dammit!”
“Just because you’re technically a Wind Type doesn’t mean you have to get your panties all wadded up, Rainbow. It’s just that none of the stuff that make it useful for you would work for Gauche.”
Her friend jabbed a finger in her direction. “Some non-Pegasi can fly with their Wind Magic, so it’s perfectly fine!”
“Fly…” I muttered to myself.
“True. We’ll see you later, Rainbow.” Twilight said dismissively.
Rainbow turned to me and gave me a frustrated look. “Don’t let Twi limit what you can do with your Magic, Dude. If you ever want to learn a few more tricks of the trade, I can give you some helpful hints.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you, Kaari.”
She blushed lightly and gave me a winning smile. “No problem, Dude. See ya later.”
Dash headed out of the door and Twilight sighed. “That Mare… She just stirs things up wherever she goes, I’m telling you.”
“I like her well enough.” I commented. “Now, Magic or no?”
“We have to see if you can even find your Mana pool first, so we’re heading down to the basement. Let me find Spike so he can tell ponies where we’ve disappeared to while you head on down. It’ll be the second door to your right once you take a left out of here.” She pointed downward.
I nodded. “See you downstairs, then.”
We headed off in the same direction and I took the instructions/directions she gave me, which lead me to the roots of the tree, all of them having been made to not grow in random directions somehow. The basement was lined with the tree’s roots, and though the floor was made of a solid sheet of stone, it was quite interesting to see all of the wondrous things in Twilight’s downstairs laboratory. I wondered if she dabbled in Alchemy when I saw one of her work tables, and then I wondered what the Hæl she spent her time doing after seeing multiple other machinations that made no sense to me. They looked somewhat similar to the machinery that you could find in the more advanced Avalesch factories, but on a smaller scale, and they also seemed to be engraved God’s Tongue or similar runes. The multitudes of rune ‘circles’ on Twilight’s floors made me a little wary of the space since rune circles often accompanied Dæmons and Revenants born from the darkness, but I knew that some of the Dæmons on Equis were harmless, and that my expectations were soon to be obliterated in the face of actual facts about what I was to be learning.
By the time Twilight got down to her basement, I was watching and waiting for some of the glowing squares and multi-sided shapes to explode or something, so I caught Twilight at the bottom of the staircase. “Hi, Gauche. Sorry that took so long, but Spike’s out of the house, and I didn’t know that until I sent him a note.”
“It’s fine, Twilight.” I waved her worries aside. “In the meantime, do you want to tell me how the Hæl I’m supposed to get around these things?”
“You don’t go around, Gauche. You can walk through any of them without worry.” My temporary tutor assured me.
“... Yeah, no, I’m not doing that.”
“You actually have to step into two of them. Come on, I’ll show you that it’s harmless!” Twilight said with a smile.
I gave her a blank look. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t trust Magic.”
“... Are you seriously rhabdophobic?” Twilight asked.
“I don't know what that means, but if it’s something along the lines of wary with Magic, then yes.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the ‘circles’. “You’ll be fine, you big baby.”
“Waah! Waah! Mommy please!” I said theatrically.
She gave me a dull look. “Do you want a spanking?”
“The only person between the two of us who might even come close to wanting one would be you.”
“I don’t like being hit at all, so I take it that we’ll be fine with walking through the rune circles. Just trust me on this, okay Gauche?”
I sighed heavily and flinched as we started stepping into and out of the circles. “... I really don’t like this, but I do trust you. I guess.”
Twilight gave me a winning smile and stopped us at a blue rune ‘circle’ that was actually some sort of eight-sided shape. “And this is where we’re going to test your Magic Rank.” She stepped out of the circle and snapped her finger, a blue window of some sort appearing in front of her. “Now this is going to either tickle or prickle, but neither actually hurt. You might feel some goosebumps or you might giggle.”
After a moment or two, my hackles raised and I felt chills across my body, an impossible wind blowing my hair. “Uh…”
Twilight blinked at me as my hair whipped back and forth and started rapidly tapping on the strange magical window in front of her. “Oh dear. Oh dear. Gauche, don’t. Move.”
I froze in place. “What’s happening, Twilight?”
“Your Mana is going wild.” She breathed. “The circle must have woken it up from its dormant state, but that’s an odd coincidence. The probe shouldn’t have done that.”
The wind picked up near the end of her sentence and it got harder to hear her. “What the fuck is going on then!?”
“Breathe, Gauche! It’ll pass in a few more minutes, I promise!”
I stayed as still as I could with the wind blowing up until it started blowing me around from within the confines of the circle, but I eventually lost my footing and the wind made me stumble around as it changed directions. I couldn't even keep my eyes open, so I sat down against an invisible wall until the wind picked up further then picked me up and started spinning me about. As suddenly as it started, it finished and I fell back to the hard stone floor, back first. It wasn’t a terribly hard fall, but I’d rather wished that it hadn’t happened.
“Gauche? Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“Peachy.” I grunted, picking myself up to glare at her. “‘It’s harmless’, she says. ‘Nothing’s going to happen!’ she says. Blah!”
“Well I wasn’t expecting you to be an A-Rank Wind Mage!” Twilight said, distraught. “Most ponies period don’t go above a high D-Rank or a low C-Rank!”
“That’s not stopping me from beating you with a stick.” I grunted.
“I can stop you from beating me with a stick, but I think you’d avoid it in the first place if I apologized properly, so here goes: Gauche, I am so sorry you got blown around like that!”
“Dear Gods, what would have happened if I was a strong Fire Mage or something?”
Twilight waved a hand. “You would have been surrounded by flames that couldn’t hurt you, and a Water Mage would have been waist deep in water at your rank. We really should have started with the MPT rather than the MRF.”
“The whats?”
“The Mana Pool Test and the Magical Rank Finder.”
“Ah. So can we call it a day, or-”
“Weren’t you the one who said we’re crunching time as it is?” Twilight asked.
I sighed. “Point Twilight. Let’s get this over with.”
She extended a hand through the circle and I took it with a little apprehension, but no hesitation. I figured that finding out where my ‘Mana’ was would tell me where I was drawing it from so I could actually use Magic, but I had to ask, “So what’s the difference between Mana and Magic?”
“Oh! Mana is the rawest form of Magic that ponies can use. There are wells of Mana that pop up around the planet, but everypony has their own Mana Pool. Sometimes ponies go without ever learning where their Mana resides, so the MPT is usually a good way to find out where it is.”
“That explains a bit. So can I draw from my Mana Pool once I know where it is?”
“It’ll be a lot easier, yes. You might have been passively using your Magic for all we know, however. You could be a natural with Magic, or you could be completely inept.” Twilight said, making a face.
I thought back to my conversations with the higher powers, specifically to my one with Furladra. “I’ve been passively using some of my Magic, but not a lot of it.”
“Oh, then let’s get the Mana Pool Test done as soon as possible!” Twilight said happily. “We might be able to start teaching you spells right away!”
“Victus. Let’s do it.” I nodded.
Twilight led me over to another rune circle, but this time it was green and it was actually one of the few true circles in the room. We repeated the process of me standing in the circle while she tapped away at her little window-thing until we heard a ‘ding’ of some sort that signified the end of the test. “Alright! Do you want the good news or the great news?” She asked excitedly.
“Let’s start with the good news.” I said passively.
“Okay, well the good news is that you should have a pretty easy time with your Magicks, no matter what you want to do!”
“That sounds pretty great.” I admitted.
“Oh, it gets better! The reason you should be able to do Magic easily is because, and I’m super excited to have been the Mare to learn this first, but you have dual pools! You have a large well of Mana in your head that’s linked directly to some strange Magicks that I don’t know of, and there’s another pool in your belly that’s smaller, but sooo densethat you’re gonna have to actually try to run it dry in the course of a day! Your Mana Pools are linked, so you can either focus on a feeling in your head or in your stomach and use your Magic accordingly, which isn’t always the case. You should be, like, ecstatic, because you can probably spend three full days casting spells and only run out of Magic on the night of the third day!”
“... Holy fuck, that sounds overpowered.”
“Well, in Comparison, my Mana Pool is located in my head, but it’s easier a hundred times larger than both of your combined since I’m both an Alicorn and my Cutie Mark is based in Magic. We’re both prodigies, and I get to teach you!”
“Ah. This is going to be interesting.” I said amusedly.
“Right!? Oh my gosh, this is gonna be the best ever!” Twilight made a strange noise of some kind, only describable as a ‘squee’ or something of the sort.
I stared at her for a moment before a smile crept onto my face and I gave her a hug. “Dear Gods above, you are adorable!”
She squeezed me back and looked up at me. “Are you ready to start learning Magic?”
“Can you make that noise again?” I asked.
Twilight rolled her eyes and let me go, but I just gave her one more squeeze before letting go myself. “We Ponies don’t exactly do it on purpose, you know.”
“Aww… I’m just gonna take what I can get then.”
She patted my chest. “Good colt. Now let’s get to learning!”
