Mecha stood in his back yard with his blades out, concentrating. Having dealt with the whole bounty issue, he was much more relaxed, and much more willing to try and figure out exactly what happened in both the arena and Canterlot. After all, if he could figure out how to do that technique on demand, as well as the sword glow thing, he'd be a much more formidable opponent come the gala.
Focusing hard, Mecha thought back to the feeling of power he felt, and looked inward, hoping to find it. After several minutes, he gave up, before trying a different idea, shifting his stance. Swinging his sword lightly, Mecha slowly went through various forms, recalling the events that led up to his use of his wave attack, the desperation, the rush of combat, the... power that he slowly felt building in him. Concentrating on that power, Mecha slowly stopped, focusing on the diminishing power, feeling its flow from his... heart.
Snorting, Mecha thought how cliché that was, before shrugging. It may be cliché, but who was he to judge when it was powerful enough to cut off a wendigo's arm? Sitting down, Mecha tried once more to call on the power, focusing on his heart whilst he did so. Finding it, he slowly dragged it up, wondering what to do with it now that he had it. Looking around, he saw Wolfgang staring at him, gnawing on a piece of ironwood that Mecha had brought back with him from Canterlot. Staring at his pet, Mecha decided that if nothing else, he could try channeling the energy to his eyes, and see if they improved.
Doing so, he wasn't quite surprised when things did in fact get clearer. He was surprised though, when he saw a brownish-green aura around Wolfgang, who merely continued gnawing on his treat. Blinking, Mecha slowly pulled the power away from his eyes, the glow around the cub vanishing as he did so. Pushing it back into his eyes, the glow returned. “Okay...” Mecha said, slightly shocked at this turn of events. “I think... that I'm going to have to talk to Twilight about this,” before he started to walk away, forgetting to remove the strange power from his eyes.
He only realized this when he walked into town, and saw each and everypony glowing. Unlike Wolfgang though, the glows where concentrated in various locations for each pony, instead of completely surrounding them. In fact, it seemed that fellow Earth Ponies had their glows centered in their chests, around their hearts if Mecha were to guess. Pegasi had glows emitting from both of their wings, and their hooves, baffling Mecha, trying to figure out what was causing the glow. His thoughts were interrupted when he ran into Twilight Sparkle, and noticed that like other unicorns, the glow was centered around her head and horn.
“Oh! Sorry about that Mecha, I was just on my way to...” she said, trailing off as she stared at Mecha.
Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “Is something wrong?”
Eyes widening, Twilight replied with a remarkable imitation of Fluttershy, saying, “N-n-no! At least, n-n-nothing appears to be wrong, i-i-it's just...”
“Just what?” Mecha said, getting a little impatient with her.
“It's just... the whites of your eyes are completely black!” she told him, waving her hooves in the air.
Blinking, Mecha replied, “Really?” to which Twilight nodded her head. Looking around, Mecha spotted a nearby fountain, which he trotted over to in order to see his reflection. Stopping, he looked into the water, and found himself speechless. The whites of his eyes did in fact turn black, but that wasn't it. It was the fact that they were glowing, much like the rest of the ponies he'd seen, only in the same black color of the energy wave he'd let out earlier.
Getting over her shock, Twilight used her magic to pull out a quill and pad, turning to Mecha and asking, “Do you feel sick, euphoric, anything different at all? Did you come into contact with a strange plant, get bitten by a weird animal, or go somewhere unusual? Are your eyes the only thing effected?”
Still getting over the shock from seeing his eyes, Mecha turned to face her, before stopping, and blinking, rubbing his eyes all the while. When he finished, he laughed before saying, “It appears that Earth Pony magic is more active than I thought.”
Quirking her head, Twilight asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Shaking his head, Mecha looked into his reflection once more, while withdrawing the power from his eyes. Just as he thought, his eyes slowly turned back to normal, color draining away with the power. Turning back to Twilight, she gasped before writing down her observations on the notepad.
Chuckling, Mecha asked her, “Has Celestia briefed you on what happened in Canterlot recently?” Nodding her head, Twilight didn't respond as she kept writing. “Well, if my hunch is correct, then the black wave I used as well as the glow around my swords was magic. To be more exact, my magic.”
Looking up, Twilight Sparkle looked startled while saying, “But that should be impossible! Unicorns are the only known users of active magic, while Earth Ponies hold passive magic!”
Chuckling, Mecha told her, “Try channeling a little magic into your eyes, instead of your horn and take a look around.”
Looking at Mecha with an exasperated look, Twilight closed her eyes, doing as she was told. Opening them, she gasped, as she looked around with the white of her eyes taking up the magenta color of her magic, confirming Mecha's thoughts. Turning back to Mecha, she asked, “Is this glow everypony have their magic?”
Channeling his own magic into his eyes once more, Mecha got yet another gasp from Twilight, noticing that her eyes held a concentrated glow compared to earlier, saying, “Yeah. And I'm guessing I have a line of magic connected to my eyes, similar to the line of magic I saw connecting your horn to the objects you levatated earlier.”
Getting a nod in response, Mecha stopped channeling the now confirmed magic to his eyes, before turning around, saying, “Thanks for the help!” as he started to trot towards Sweet Apple Acres.
LINEBREAKER
Upon arrival, he noticed that Big Macintosh was plowing the fields with the old plow. Walking up, Mecha frowned, and asked, “Didn't you replace that thing with your cut of the dragon's hoard?”
Sparing a glance, Big Macintosh struggled as he pulled the ancient dull thing, saying, “Eenope. Ran out of money after Granny Smith's surgery.”
Frown deepening, Mecha channeled magic into his eyes for the fourth time that day, Mecha looked over his friend, noticing that his friend's magical center was proportional to his body. Nodding to himself, Mecha said, “Okay, just stop for a minute. This may sound crazy, but I should have a better method for you to pull this thing.”
Stopping, Big Macintosh turned to face Mecha, staring at his black eyes. “Yeah yeah, they're weird, I know, but just listen okay? I need you to stop and concentrate on your heart, while trying to find what feels like a flow of power. When you find that, channel it into your eyes and I'll explain then.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Big Macintosh closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. Mecha watched, as the core of magic slowly calmed in Big Macintosh, before a strand broke off and made its way towards his eyes, forming into a small sphere in each of them. Opening his eyes, Big Macintosh widened them rapidly when he looked around, saying, “Whoa...”
Nodding his head, Mecha got Big Macintosh's attention, saying, “Yeah, neat isn't it? What you just did was tap into your magic actively, instead of subconsciously like most Earth Ponies. For the record, your magic is a couple shades lighter red than your coat, and so are the whites of your eyes right now.”
Blinking, Big Macintosh nodded his head, having no reflective surface to look into to confirm what Mecha said. “Now then,” Mecha continued, “I want you to try and channel that magic into your legs, before trying to pull that plow again.”
Nodding his head, the work horse cut the flow to his eyes, focusing all of it into his legs, before walking forward. To his surprise, he barely felt the strain on his muscles that pulling the plow normally did.
Chuckling at his friend's look, Mecha cut the flow of magic to his eyes as well, noting that their was no sign of the magic in Big Macintosh's legs, unless you counted his sudden ease at pulling the plow. “See ya tonight Big M!” Mecha hollered, leaving the suddenly beaming farmer to his work.
LINEBREAKER
Mecha was laying against a tree he'd planted in his front yard, munching on an apple while he waited for his friends to show up for poker night. He didn't have to wait long, as Big Macintosh showed up first as always. Only, unlike other times, this time he had a displeased look on his face as he dragged the alcohol filled coolers behind him.
Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “What's wrong Big M? You look like somepony just told you your dog died.”
Snorting, Big Macintosh told him, “Was ambushed by a bunch of ponies wanting to buy mah hard cider.”
Curious, Mecha asked, “So why didn't you?”
Shaking his head, Big Macintosh replied, “Ah don't have a liquor license.”
“Ahh...” Mecha said, understanding his predicament immediately. Thinking for a minute, he grinned before saying, “I could help you get one easily.”
It was Big Macintosh's turn to raise an eyebrow, asking, “How?”
Smiling Mecha said, “By opening up a small bar with you and getting the license for the place. That way you can sell it their as you aren't actually selling it to the place, but making it yourself for sale there!”
“Sounds like an interesting idea,” Doctor Whooves said, interrupting the conversation while being followed by Solaris and Shining Armor.
“Indeed it does,” Shining Armor added, gaining a thoughtful look.
“In fact, why don't all five of us chip in for it?” Solaris said grinning. “After all, what could be more interesting than owning a bar?”
Blinking, Mecha said, “Owning a bar in reindeer lands?”
Laughing, the five friends walked into Mecha's house to play poker, discussing the possibilities of opening the bar whilst grabbing drinks from their coolers.
LINEBREAKER
Poker night was in full swing, the five roaring with laughter after Shining Armor finished with his story from boot camp. “You know what?” Solaris suddenly said.
“What?” Doctor Whooves asked, still grasping his side from his laughter.
“I just realized that we have yet to hear from Shining Armor about the mare that's caught his eye!”
Chuckling, Mecha asked, “Do we even know if this mare is real? Or if she's even a mare?”
Laughing, Doctor Whooves said, “He has a point Shining Armor! After all, we know nothing about this mare, should she be a mare!”
Choosing to laugh off his friends comments instead of taking offense, Shining Armor replied, “She's a mare, and she exists. In fact, why don't we go ahead and get tonight's drunken affair out of the way, and go visit her?!”
Happy with their friend's sense of humor, the five got up, stumbling out of the door, only to meet Rarity. Quirking his head, Mecha asked, “What are you doing here?”
Looking over the drunken bunch, she replied, “Twilight asked me to keep an eye on you gents, in hopes that I could keep you out of trouble.”
Snorting, Mecha replied, “It's poker night! You could be Celestia herself and you wouldn't be able to stop the trouble!” before blinking and turning towards Shining Armor, saying, “It isn't Celestia is it? Cause no offense, but she's waaaaaaay out of your league!”
Shaking his head, Shining Armor told him, “Nah, but she lives in the same building. Can we get going though, I don't want to have to wake her up to ask her out.”
Nodding his head, Mecha swayed in place as a flash of light overtook the drunk friends, leaving Rarity behind as they teleported their way towards Canterlot in a zig-zag pattern, occasionally missing their target by four feet... in the air. Fortunately, they wound up in Canterlot in one piece, as well as with a cooler full of hard cider!
Laughing rambunctiously, the five ignored the stares they received from the ponies watching them in the streets. Approaching the castle, Mecha stopped them, turning to Solaris and asking, “Was Shining Armor telling the truth when he said these two guys are actual statues?”
Nodding his head, Solaris said, “Yeah, they were put their by Celestia herself when the complaints from the guards finally got to her. That was also the day that she snapped and threw pies everywhere, with Luna laughing manically whilst handing her the pies.”
Blinking, Mecha tried to make a mental note of that, before turning to the statues. Grinning evilly, he pulled out a marker before he started drawing all over them, whilst his friends laughed and downed another round of drinks. Putting the cap back on the marker, Mecha threw it over his shoulder, saying, “Lead the way Shining!”
Swaying a little, Shining Armor took the lead and walked into the palace, guiding them through several hallways until they stopped in front of a door. Walking up to knock on it, he stopped before turning towards them and saying, “I just realized that walking up to a princess and asking her out drunk is probably not the best idea if I want to keep my job.”
Snickering, Mecha said, “Bah! What's the worse that could happen?”
Laughing, Big Macintosh said, “He trips and gropes her?”
Chuckling, Mecha said, “Nah, she says no and then he trips!”
Rolling on his back, Solaris said, “No no no, she says no, he trips and gropes her, then she shrieks, slaps him, kicks him out, fires him, and then Celestia banishes him to the sun!”
Paling, Shining Armor asked, “What are the actual odds of that happening?”
Doctor Whooves replied, saying, “One point seven three percent.”
Blinking, everypony stared at him, before Big Macintosh asked, “And the odds of mah case?”
Thinking for a moment, Doctor Whooves replied with, “An even three percent.”
“And for a positive case?” Solaris asked, shocked at the odds calculated so far.
Lifting up a hoof to write out imaginary numbers, Doctor Whooves nodded his head after a few minutes and said, “I'd give around a seventy seven point eight three percent.”
Whistling, Mecha asked, “Where'd you get those numbers Doc?”
Still nodding his head, Doctor Whooves said, “Made 'em up.”
Shrugging, Shining Armor said, “Works for me!” as he turned and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately, revealing a stunning pink alicorn. Clearing his throat, Shining Armor asked, “Princess Cadance, would you please giving the honor of attending the gala with you?”
Blushing lightly, Cadance nodded her head, saying, “Of course! It's the least I can do, considering the fact that I accidentally hit you with a wayward spell so long ago!”
Smiling Shining Armor jumped for joy, happy that she'd said yes, and hit his head on the top of the doorway, knocking him out.
Laughing at his friend, Mecha suddenly stopped, before turning to the princess, and asked, “What spell did you hit him with?”
Blushing deeply, she replied, “With one meant to get ponies to start thinking about acting upon their crushes.”
Blinking, Mecha stood up and pointed at her, shouting out, “YOU! You are the source of the curse of poker night! I should be thanking you, but-” and was promptly cut off via potted plant to the head, courtesy of Solaris.
“That was getting a bit annoying, wasn't it prin-” Solaris said, before having the favor repaid by Big Macintosh.
Grinning, he bowed to the princess, saying, “Ah figured that such-” and had his head bashed by a potted plant held by Doctor Whooves.
Smiling, he grabbed another plant, handing it to Cadance, saying, “If you'd do the honors?”
Tentatively grasping the potted plant with her magic, she gave him a glance before shrugging her shoulders and hitting him in the head with it. Having completed the task asked of her, she looked over the five unconscious ponies, saying, “That was interesting.”
“That it was indeed niece,” Celestia said, walking around the near by corner. “Although I wish I knew why everypony thought that I'd just up and banish them! Really, you do that once, just once, and suddenly everypony thinks it's a common punishment.”
Luna walked out of her room next to Cadance's, levitating an abacus with her, saying, “My banishment was quite famous. Although, what intrigues me most ist the fact that the percents given where close to the actual figures.”
Blinking, the other two princesses walked up to Luna, asking, “Really?” hoping to see the actual figures.