Not My Destiny

by Smayds


Chapter 03: Much More Magical

Not My Destiny
by Smayds

Chapter 3 - Much More Magical

They had her back out on the couch, still curled up, but not shaking any more. The five mortal ponies in the room cast worried glances at each other, and at their potentially newly-immortal friend. Everypony felt uneasy about something they couldn't quite put their hooves on. Predictably, it was Pinkie Pie who brought up the elephant in the room, in the way that only Pinkie Pie could.

"Okay, we'll just have to hold off on the party until later, that's all. So tell me! Is Twilight really an alicorn?! Huh? Huh? Is she? Is she gonna help Celestia and Luna rule Equestria from the castle in Cante-"

Everypony gasped. Twilight gave a shudder, but then lay still again.

"Oh no," Pinkie said in a very small, very sad voice.

"We'll never see her again!" Rarity wailed. "Of all the things that could happen!"

"Now hold on a minute!" Dash said, with heat in her voice. "Twilight lives HERE. In PONYVILLE. Sure, she grew up in Canterlot, but this is her HOME."

"We ain't lettin' her go without a fight," Applejack almost growled.

"The Princesses can't just come and take her away! I won't let them!" Fluttershy shouted, then immediately squeaked and tried to hide behind Spike.

"Why would Celestia want to take Twilight away from Ponyville?" Spike asked. "Like Rainbow Dash said, this is her home now. Where her friends are."

"Spike!" Rarity said. "You woke up? How do you feel?"

"Fine, now," Spike grumped. He didn't sound fine. "I just had a shock, you know? And I did run pretty hard to get you ponies here. I am just a baby dragon."

"Spike, do you know anything about what's happened to Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not a clue. They're definitely alicorn wings. They got a certain feel to the feathers. Right after I touched them this morning, I think I had a bit of a meltdown. I mean, come on! Twilight's gotta be an alicorn! Explains why her magic's so powerful, huh?" Spike offered. "Anyway, when I came round again, Twilight was out cold herself, so I sprinted for help."

"D-d-d-d..." Twilight murmered. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Twi'?" Applejack asked, deep concern in every feature of her expression.

"Spike... D-definitely alicorn wings?"

Spike looked anxious. "Feel like alicorn feathers to me, Twilight." He rubbed his wrist with his other hand.

"Don't let it get you down, Twilight! We're all here for you and we'll help you and we won't let the Princesses touch one hair of your mane!" Pinkie Pie said with uncharacteristic seriousness as Twilight started to shake again. "Speaking of which, you really should brush it out. I almost can't see your pointy new horn!" Pinkie giggled, then poked a hoof at the tip.

BANG.

Wailing in pain and shock, Pinkie flew violently through the air and smashed into a bookcase. Everypony else shouted in surprise. Twilight leaped from the couch and moved with surprising speed towards the smoldering pink heap that had slid down the wall to the floor.

"PINKIE!!!"

They all crowded around Twilight. She was shoving books off Pinkie and turning her over, rubbing her face. "Pinkie! Pinkie!"

Fluttershy bent an ear to Pinkie Pie's slightly-smoking chest. "She's breathing. Her heart's beating. Oh my goodness!"

"Owie-owie-ow!" Pinkie said, shaking her head. "Oooh!"

"Pinkie! You're alright!" Twilight gasped. "Are you hurt? Anything broken? Should we get you to the hospital?"

Pinkie sat up, now shaking her head violently. "I think I'm okay. Wowie, Twilight, what was that? That hurt! My Pinkie Sense sure didn't see that one coming!" She looked at her hoof. There was a small black burn-mark right where she'd touched Twilight's horn. "Oochie! Lucky that's on my hoofsie! That coulda really hurt otherwise!"

"The party hat!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Twilight, you didn't make it catch fire on purpose, did you?"

"What? On fire?" Twilight asked with a confused expression.

"I put a party hat right over your horn and it went up in flames! I thought you were just adding a really nice touch to the decorations, but then you went and curled up," Pinkie explained.

"Wait, wait. This morning... I went to brush my hair..." Twilight said quietly.

She ignited her horn and telekinetically poked the bronze pony-head bust sitting on the centre table. It rocked back and forth. "Feels the same as ever," she said. She picked it up.

Her aura was still deep red. She glanced up and saw the same colour surrounding her horn... But it was definitely brighter than it had ever been. Sharper. And those little motes of light...

The bust groaned.

They all looked at it.

With a deep, metallic crunching sound, the hollow bust collapsed in on itself. Shrieks all around.

I've never been that... strong before!

Twilight swayed on the spot as the realisation threatened to overwhelm her.

I've never been anywhere near that powerful...

"Twilight, dear, is it correct to assume that you... did not mean to do that?" Rarity asked.

"Rarity! I've seen you levitate dozens of things at the same time! You're really good at telekinesis! Could you have... squashed this bust?" Twilight asked, waving the still-groaning piece of metal in front of her.

"Twilight! Please! I can lift dozens of things like ribbons and fabric and needles and thread and scissors at once, and I could cheerfully lift that bust, but I couldn't have CRUSHED it! It took all the effort I had to levitate you downstairs this morning!"

I'm TOO strong.

"I couldn't have crushed it yesterday either," Twilight said. "I'd have to use a spell designed to crush it... Not just ordinary levitation. I did the same thing to my hairbrush this morning as well. Telekinesis... Telekinesis. Hmmm." She reached up and tapped the tip of her horn.

"Twilight! No!" shouted the entire room.

Nothing happened. Twilight poked it a few more times. It felt a bit... warm. "It's attached to my forehead, girls. I'm sure it's only if something else comes into contact with it. Looks like I can't control my magic at the moment."

Because you've never had any reason to learn how to control this much magic before.

"Spike! I need 'So How Exactly Do You Control A Floodgate?' It's around here somewhere!" She grabbed a book off the top shelf with her horn, and it exploded into dust. "Oh! Right. Spike, looks like you'd better, uh, try to find it."

"It's over here! Don't grab it!" Spike called, zipping down a ladder and trotting over with a book that was almost as big as he was.

"Floodgates? What in the hay?" Applejack asked.

"It's a metaphor. It means how to control the amount of magic you're using. Most unicorns don't need to know how to do that," Twilight said pensively as she turned pages with a hoof, "but I did. And I can't remember how to, uh, throttle it right down. Aha!"

Twilight read voraciously. "I need to keep my mind off certain things at the moment, girls. If I keep thinking about them, well... I think I'll have another breakdown. And we want to avoid that for the moment. I need to figure out how to really screw my magic down to a trickle, and then I think we're all going to go and pay Celestia a visit."

"What?!" from two or three ponies.

"No way!" from Rainbow Dash.

"She'll make you live in the castle and never see us again and you're our friend and I'll miss you so much and..." Pinkie trailed off. Twilight looked up from the page and over to her. Pinkie's face was sadder than Twilight had ever seen it.

"I'm not going anywhere, girls! I need answers! I need them fast. And the only pony that can give them to me is Celestia!"