//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: PRACTICE // Story: The Son of infinity // by Krystl_Fae //------------------------------// Easier In Theory Than... <<<2 Days Later - Canterlot Castle>>> Andromeda It’s still hard to believe that I’m an alicorn, despite having spent more than 24 hours as one. Yesterday, Celestia pulled out the last document from the adoption papers and we went over it together for the first time. It covered inheritance, titles, nobility, and more political jargon than I was comfortable with. At the time I was to become the son of a Princess of Equestria. Celestia then went over the laws on alicorns with me, since this was stuff I would soon need to know. Cadance and Twilight showed up later in the day with Spike, bringing cookies they had baked while I studied Alicorn history with Celestia. In the end, the laws didn’t concern me too much as of yet... though an important decision would soon have to be made. Would the information about my ascension be made public knowledge and a coronation held, or would I wait for a better time to present itself? Whether I was coronated or not was not up for debate, it was only a matter of when... a fact mum and Cadenza teased me over relentlessly, much to my own embarrassment. Today, given that my horn had grown back during my ascension and whatever force or entity that had been plaguing my magic- and quite possibly my nightmares -had seemingly disappeared, Mum decided it was time to begin teaching me practical magic lessons one-on-one. Thanks to the revision I had done on basic magic theory alongside the advanced magical theory that Celestia covered in her tutoring lessons, I was already up to speed on almost everything I needed to know. There was only one thing left: putting my knowledge into practice, the one thing I had never had the chance to do before. Cadenza and Twilight were watching nearby, but it didn’t trouble me nearly as much as it used to. Of course, I was still overly self-conscious over my wings, but for today Celestia had cast a spell to hide them in case somepony saw despite us practicing in Celestia’s private garden for the very reason that no one is allowed there without the permission of the Princess. Celestia and I sit down on the soft grass in the middle of the garden. “Relax, let your thoughts go, focus inwards, and listen… listen for the heartbeat of your magic.” I sat there, eyes closed, mind blank... there’s a bird in the tree across from me fluttering it’s wings. There’s also two squirrels fighting over an acorn somewhere to my right, a bee buzzing in a nearby patch of flowers, and I’m sitting on a small rock that is incredibly irritating. Okay, so maybe clearing my mind isn’t as easy as I first thought. I’ve never been good at filtering things out which usually makes it hard to concentrate or focus, though it had once been a great boon on the streets, when noticing the tiniest of details could mean the difference between life and certain death. “I’m not sure I can focus... there’s too many distractions.” Mum nodded and erected a soundproof bubble around us. I shifted until I was comfortable, and tried ignoring everything that I could, but there was still too much stimulus to ignore Apparently my struggling efforts were clear enough that Mum darkened the barrier to keep out most of the light, before teleporting something inside the barrier. “Sometimes I find that one needs a focal point to center one's self. I have always found the sound of running water helps me to relax and stay calm, even in the face of great adversity. Maybe it will help you as well? Focus your thoughts on the sound of the water, and imagine it flowing like a stream, just as your magic flows inside of you.” I concentrate on the sound of water trickling over rocks, the sound echoing inside my head... only to grow restless by the 12 minute mark. “It’s alright, not everyone can conjure a spell on their first try.” I sighed. “But I'm not even trying to cast a spell yet; and I know I have one, I’ve used my magic before; you saw me use it.” “In times of great stress we often act on instinct. It also helped that some ponies under extreme pressure can work feats far beyond their normal capacity. It has been well documented that in life-or-death situations, unicorns have been shown to temporarily exceed any normal limitation, at the cost of needing to recover from utilising so much power.” Is that what I did...? Exceed my limitations, and pay the price...? Did that mean my magic was too powerful for my body to handle before, and that was why I had to..... no... something doesn’t quite add up. There’s still more to this, I’m sure of it. “Is something troubling you?” I... maybe now was a good time, but if she found out... wouldn’t it be for the best? It may help diagnose my “condition”, or whatever it was I was suffering... My brow furrowed and I opened my eyes, staring at the ground in front of me. “I... maybe. Can we talk; I need to get something from ho— from our room, too.” Celestia nodded, dispelling the barrier and teleporting away the small portable fountain she had used. “Any luck?” asked an eager and hopeful Twilight. Cadance also seemed on the edge of her metaphorical seat for news. Celestia shook her head, “Nothing as of yet, though that is not entirely unsurprising after the feats he only just accomplished a few days ago. A week or two of rest will do him good, and maybe then we can get onto flying lessons.” ...I can fly...? ...I have wings and...?! “I... I can fly!?” I look up to mum in shock, the realisation had only just hit me, and was as amusing to Celestia as it was to Cadenza. Twilight didn’t seem too impressed, but still smiled to herself at the dumbness of my question. “Of course you can fly, you’re an alicorn now,” she replied sarcastically. “What do you think those things on your back are for? Painting?” Cadenza mimed using her wing to paint art on an imaginary canvas, attempting to mimic some sort of aristocrat “Yes, yes; very good. A little more blue to the left, and some yellow to the right. Ah! My feather got in the way again! How dreadful!” She said in a haughty voice, attempting to imitate a stereotypical high-class noble. We all chuckled a little, though I soon parted from them and made my way up to where me and Celestia once lived. Mum stayed behind to talk with Cadenza and Twilight for a moment before she followed me. I reached the open doorway, looking through to the far side of the room where most of the wall had fallen away- not that the lack of windows helped seal the room anyway. I could see the city below, a breath-taking sight for sure, but not what I was here for. I walked over to one of the few pieces of furniture that hadn’t been toppled over- a heavy set of mahogany drawers that barely made it out unscathed. “At least that survived. It was a gift from an old friend of mine that I couldn’t bring myself to leave behind in my old castle when I was moving to Canterlot,” I hear mum say as she enters the room, having caught up to me so quickly thanks to her long stride. I get down low, my chin against the floor as I reach underneath the drawers for the item I was searching for- what I had left there, specifically so that no one would find it. Much to my chagrin, Mum then proceeded to simply lift the drawers up and away allowing me easy access. I gave her a look of ‘you couldn’t have done that before I had to get dirty in all this soot and ash?’ She raised an eyebrow. “I can always move it back if you like, and you can continue to scrabble around on the ground for whatever it is that you are looking for.” She smiles, and I have to smirk slightly at her sarcasm. She sets the drawers down to the side as I walk over and pick up a small box. Compared to how the room we stood in once looked, it wasn’t particularly ornate, but it more than made up for that in durability. It was the only thing I ever truly owned from my time on the street, and it’s contents were beyond precious to me. It was thankfully intact. I had almost worried that I should have left it in its hidden place on the streets instead of bringing it back home after the devastation the rest of the room suffered. “Mum, promise you won’t, uhm... be mad, ok?” Noticing my concern and reluctance, her demeanour instantly morphed into one of seriousness, yet also care. “Of course. Whatever it is you have that you want to show me, there is nothing that could...” She trails off as I open the box. Inside were a collection of twelve ivory rods- all embossed with the same pattern. But they weren’t just any old sticks, they were... “...Unicorn horns...” Mum said, almost disbelievingly. The colour drained from her face as it twisted in an expression of shock and morbid horror. “...but how...?” “...mine.” Mum raised her head to look me in the eyes, not sure what to think. “They’re all mine... see the broken tips on each one, from where I severed the one before it?” Celestia looks back at the box’s contents to affirm my claim. Indeed, each and every horn was missing it’s tip- scarring having taken hold from where it was broken. Somewhat calmed, she was now puzzled more than anything. “But how...?” “...every time I broke it off...” I looked over to the fireplace where I could see a small amount of miniscule white fragments among the ash- my most recent attempt at “shaving” my horn before my unexpected ascension brought it back, “...it would just grow back. Bit by bit. And as it grew longer the nightmares would get worse, too...” “Andromeda... breaking one’s horn is a serious thing. It is certainly possible for unicorns to perform limited amounts of magic without their full horn, but it is directly linked to the brain. Even minor damage can cause a life-threatening injury; and I haven’t begun on what it can do to one’s magic...” Mum shook her head. “And yet, ignoring the anomaly that your horn grew back- something I have never heard of before- you removed the majority of your horn not once, not twice, but... twelve times? How are you even still alive?” I look up at Mum. “I honestly don’t know.” We sit there in silence for a while, Mum’s head bowed as she was deep in thought. I couldn’t see her face to read her expression. “Andromeda...” I nod for her to continue. “...if there is ever anything else, and I mean anything else at all...” She raised her head to look at me, tears streaming from her eyes. “Please don’t hesitate to tell me again, alright?" She pulled me into a hug, "I’m always here for you.” I reciprocated; my wings making a futile attempt to encompass her in a loving embrace as her wings held me in hers. “I love you Andromeda.” “I love you too, Mum.”