//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6: Magic (Rewritten) 
// Story: The Soldier and his Rider 
// by Joe Toon 
//------------------------------//

"Oh Twilight, what have we done?!"

"Why? What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Eep! We had Zecora use some of her magic potions to heal your wounds and Twilight used magic to scan your body for other injuries."

Percival at this point started hyperventilating as he takes a large gulp from his flask. Cold sweat poured out of him as he began to shake uncontrollably.

"Sergeant, sergeant! Please calm down!" Joshua rushed to his rider trying to hold him together.

"I-is this the effect of magic?" Fluttershy worriedly asked.

"No, he just suffers from shell shock," Joshua explains, "Anything that induces a certain traumatising event sends him into a state of panic."

"What exactly does magic do to humans?" Twilight inquired as she approached the two.

Before Joshua could answer, Percival grabbed a revolver from his bag and pointed the muzzle to his head.

"SERGEANT NO!" Joshua charged to the officer before halting as he sees Percival cocked the hammer of his revolver.

All stood up with concern in their eyes, though some of them weren't sure as to what was happening.

"None of you move!" Percival trembled with fear and hesitation as his eyes darted from each of the ponies and dragon until it rests on his steed, "Don't stop me, Joshua! I'd rather die than become another monster! You and I know what magic could do to us! You've seen those worlds! What they did to our boys! I won't lose my humanity! I'd die first!"

"Sergeant please!" Joshua took a small step forward as he begged with tears welling in his eyes, "The men need you! I need you! She needs you! Remember our deal? Think of her!"

Time stood still for Percival when he heard those words, his panting slowed. Images ran across his head; the boys of his company, his division. Joshua when he first chose him as his steed after the war. Matilda in mourning. Gritting his teeth in anguish, he moaned a sob in surrender, lowered his arm and dropped his revolver with a echoing clatter. 

Joshua approached his rider and nuzzled his side, encouraging a hug. Percival embraced him with one arm and while the other brushed the mane on his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he leaned on his steed and continued to caress his mane.

"Soooooo, is this going to be a thing? You going all crazy on us, then Joshua going all sad and hugs you?"

Percival looked up to see the ponies now circled around them. With the exception of Pinkie (who kept her signature grin) they gave him a wary smile with concern. He trembled, feeling his legs about to give out. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he turned to Twilight, "Magic, how does it work in this world?"

Twilight was taken aback by his question. Well, that came out of nowhere considering their reaction when we mentioned magic. Although, I guess it's not unexpected but it does raise questions. A LOT of questions. She cleared her throat and gave her reply, "Certainly, but first we need to know about that outburst of yours. How dangerous is magic to you? What did you mean when you screamed about turning into a monster? And more importantly," the pony princess leaned in closer with a twinkle in her eyes, "What was that object you pointed at yourself? Is it some sort of tool? No wait, it must be some kind of weapon similar to a cannon perhaps? How does it work?"

This time it was Percival (and to an extension, Joshua) who was taken aback. 

"I'm not sure if I have the rank to disclose information of our firearms and what I can tell you about the effects of magic on mankind are limited. Not due to me withholding information but my lack of knowledge of the concept itself."

"If that is the case, how do you know it's magic that harms you?" Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percival eyed her an incredulous look, "Because if you've been there to see every form of magic kill, poison, possess, transform, mutate, and other abominable acts against nature done to your comrades just by merely being exposed, you would come to that conclusion."

"Every form of magic you've encountered?" Twilight asked, "How many have you seen?"

"Three, and every one of them results in either of the same effects; mutating into abominations, possession or a major loss of sanity, and an alarmingly shortened lifespan due to blood-poisoning."

This time it was Twilight's turn to give an incredulous look, "Three? You came to that conclusion after just seeing three?"

Clearly irritated, the sergeant snarled at the alicorn, "Look, I'm just a Non-commissioned officer who failed the officer's academy; not some egghead who has a clear understanding of the concept of magic!"

Rainbow snickered, "He's got you there Twilight."

Twilight glared at the blue pegasus before taking a deep breath to calm herself, "Alright, fine. What is your concept of magic?" 

"Powers that upsets the natural order by supernatural means. Powers that corrupt or distort God's domain."

God? As in...? "You're religious?" Twilight asked.

Percival gave a small forced chuckle, "Not exactly, but from everything I've seen I cannot doubt his existence."

"And why is that?" asked Applejack.

"The Administrator we've been cooperating with admitted to us that he personally works for him. And seeing what he could do, leaves very little room for doubt."

"Wait, really?" Joshua's ears perked up.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" said Percival before returning to Twilight, "I think we're getting off tangent, what exactly is magic as a concept in your world?"

Turning on her teacher mode, Twilight began her explanation, "Well, in comparison to your concept of distorting the natural order, for us it's the opposite; magic is the natural order of all things. In Equestria, magic is in everything; from the sky to the deepest ocean. From a biological stand point, it comes to us naturally as we grow and influence our lives. It's how we get our Cutie Marks when we discover our natural talent; it's how unicorns cast basic spells for simple actions; it's how pegasi manages to fly and manipulate the weather and seasons; it's how earth ponies have a clear connection to the land which in turn, makes them excel at farming and achieve great feats of strength.

Most of our magic functions due to the harmony we maintain with the land and all creatures. There are exceptions such as the Everfree Forest and beings like Discord or the Windegos, mostly due to ancient magic that predates even the pony tribes. In a way, our magic and how we cast them reflects on our emotions or unity with one another."

"That... That sounds like Endowments." mused Percival.

"Endowments?"

"Aye. A few of the Volunteers from Earth in our Division told me about Endowments. Apparently (if they are to be believed), they came from a hidden world within Earth called The Mystic Isles, and what makes them unique from the rest of the world is that the humans (and a few animals) have been granted supernatural powers called Endowments. From what they described, it is a gift granted to them by a being called the Oracle that allows them authority over certain aspects of nature. For instance; the ability to cast fire from the palm of their hands, or the ability to communicate with the spirits, or the ability to see "the strands of destiny" as he called it. 

"Wait, that's a thing in that world?" Spike's jaw dropped, "But I though magic doesn't exist there!"

Percival looked at Spike inquisitively, "First off, I said it was my world of Thera that doesn't have magic. Second, Endowments; however mystical and magical it may sound, is by no means considered magic to them. Endowments are considered to be divine gifts and that Magic or "Mage Craft" is a perversion of such power (and I'm inclined to agree from what I saw). And finally, why do you sound like you've been to Earth?"

Spike casually shrugged, "Twilight, Starlight and myself have been to the human world called Earth before."

This alarmed the human, "Preposterous! You need a gateway for that to be possible, which it wouldn't be! Otherwise we'd have met a unit of guards protecting the Gate we entered and as far as we've seen, it has long been hidden from the lot of you."

"Actually," Pinkie chimed in with a squee at the end, "We have a magical dimensional mirror that connects to the human world here in this castle."

The two outsiders shared the same look of alarm and disbelief. "And you didn't bother to mention this because...?" Joshua asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, we thought you guys came from Earth, but since you said otherwise it seems that's not the case."

"Anyway, back to the subject at hoof," Twilight continued, "How is Magi... "Mage Craft" a perversion? What's the difference between Mage Craft and Endowments?"

"We are the wrong people to answer that question I'm afraid," the human replied, "You're going to have to ask the volunteers from the Mystic Isles for that one. Although, from experience I can tell, using Mage Craft involves poisoning the blood and shortening one's life span by decades."

"Wait, seriously?" Rainbow exclaimed.

"I'm afraid so." Percival sucked in a deep breath and let out a sigh, "Look, please understand. Nothing ever goes well when we involve ourselves with magic. I have to get back to my Division to report the new situation. Nothing in our world is compatible with magic, the closest we've ever had that even resembles such things are Psionics and even that is debatable. You need to let us go and I assure you we will never return."

"But what about the ones you came here for?" Fluttershy asked worriedly, "You're just going leave them here?"

"Yeah, you're just going to leave them here to do Celestia knows what?" Rainbow yelled while pointing accusingly at the two of them.

"You might not have to worry about them. With any luck, the constant exposure of magic will eventually degrade their sanity or mutate them."

As Percival approached Joshua to sort their belongings a thought came to Twilight. What if..., "George, can I call you that? Can you wait for a moment?"

Percival flinched when he heard his given name, "I don't think we could afford to wait any longer, your highness."

"Well I think it is important that you do! Please wait right here while I grabs some of my instruments. Spike, Starlight, come with me please." Twilight and the two she called out followed her out the room, leaving the rest to watch over the two soldiers.



"What exactly are you hoping to achieve here?"

"I need to test out a theory. Spike, can you record this for us?"

"Sure thing."

"Does this theory feel the need to strap the two of us to a table as though you're about to dissect us?"

"Now that you mentioned it, why are they strapped to tables?"

"It's mostly to prevent them from struggling."

"(Sigh) If we agree not to struggle, will you get us out of these ridiculous straps?"

"Oh very well."

The group brought them to a room with various instruments (almost resembling Frankenstein's Lab) where Twilight strapped the two to tables earlier, only to unstrap them (as heard earlier).

"So, what is this theory?" Percival clasped his wrists from the straps.

Twilight stepped in closer to the two, "How long did you say you were in Equestria?"

"About two weeks, right sir?" Joshua counted.

Twilight looked directly at the stallion, "And in those two weeks, what are the changes you've felt?"

"Hmm, other than the ability to communicate to mankind, gain sentience and a greater brain function (Wait, how do I know that?); I'd say, increased stamina and durability, physical strength, and I think that's about it."

Twilight turns to Percival, "And how about you, do you notice anything different coming here?"

Percival scratched his chin for a moment to reflect. He thought about the many things he felt since coming to this world; the uneasiness. "I have. Not in the same way as Joshua, mind you. Ever since I came here, I've always had this feeling pressuring me; like I was resisting against a tide from a beachhead." He looked to his shoulder, "That and my shoulder healing abnormally fast."

"The latter might be the result of Zecora's potions." Twilight smiled sheepishly before straightening her form and igniting her horn with magic, "Please don't be alarmed, I am going to cast a detection spell. There is no need to worry, it won't affect you in any way. It will only scan your bodies for magical influences and make it appear visible." She eyed the stallion with calm, "To be safe, I'll start with you Joshua."

"O-okay." Joshua gulped nervously, "Just make sure it doesn't hurt."

The alicorn smiled reassuringly and released her spell. A purple glow enveloped Joshua as sparkling lights circled and flowed through him. 

"Please don't panic, Joshua. Just breath normally."

The stallion complied as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The lights continued to circle and pass through him in a continuous loop until they spell faded.

"It appears what I thought was going on with Joshua was right. He is pretty much assimilating with the magic of Equestria. In a way, he's on his way to become like us."

Joshua's ears perked at that, "Is that a good thing or bad?"

"I don't know," Twilight shrugged, "But there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, biologically." She then turned to the human and nodded, "I promise you, it won't affect you unless you are already assimilating."

"Just get this done and over with." Percival grunted before shutting his eyes.

Similarly to Joshua, Twilight cast her detection spell to the man. This time however, two things happened: The purple light instead of enveloping his body, domed around him like a bubble. Following that, the sparkling lights that normally circle and pass through the body instead bounced off the dome as though they were rain hitting the head of an umbrella. 

All eyes stared as everyone awed with bewilderment as to what as happening. The Flow of magic seems to be repelled by an unseen barrier. Percival even opened his eyes to observe what was happening and was just as confused (if not more so than they were).

"Interesting," Twilight mused, "It seems you might have nothing to worry about, Sergeant Percival. That feeling of pressure and unease might be because your body is protected by an unseen barrier that is resisting against the flow of magic. It doesn't eliminate magic altogether around you, but it seems to slide away from you like an umbrella." 

"You mean... I'm not affected?" Percival released a sigh of relief as fell down to a chair that Pinkie swiftly placed behind him as he dropped. "Thank you."

"No problem, Arty!" the pink mare squeed.

"I am actually curious about this barrier around you." Twilight began her inquisitive mode as she circles around the sergeant like a shark, "Do you mind if I could scan what kind of barrier this is?"

Spike twitched at her behaviour, "Um, Twilight. I don't know if we should..."

Before Spike could finish and before everyone else could protest, Twilight gave a, "It'll be fine," and ignited her horn once again to cast the detection spell. Once the barrier was visible, she leaned her still ignited horn to poke it. As her horn touched the skin, her eyes flashed with a brilliant light as all of her senses of the world faded.



Wait, where am I? Why is it so bright?

light

What was that?

Twilight

Hello? Is somepony there?

Twilight

Yes, that's me. Who are you?

Twilight, child of the horse. Thou shalt not open the veil.

Veil? What do you mean? I don't understand.

Thou hast attempted to open the veil given unto the child of man. He hast not given thou consent to touch the veil, and thou art not ready to see.

I... I don't understand. What is this veil? Why does it need consent? On top of that, who are you?

The veil is thy oath of guard, of protection. Only on his permission can the veil be opened. So long as the veil remains, his soul shalt be intact.

Intact? You mean, magic corrupts his soul?

No. Thou power shalt not harm his soul, but his soul might corrupt thine power and in turn corrupts his soul.

!!!

The child of man has darkness within his heart. A darkness that haunts his soul. Should thou open the veil, his soul shalt be revealed and his darkness will corrupt the power within thine world.

Which means, it's not magic that changes him but the darkness within?

More or less. Thy veil keeps the darkness from touching thou world and must remain shut. Unless thou hast healed his soul, the veil must not open. Thou powers are not meant for the mortal children of man, not while thine souls are still in darkness.

... I understand. I am sorry. I shouldn't have poked my horn into this.

Fret not child of the horse. When time is thine, thou shalt see into the veil and know. The child of man and his steed shall protect all thine beloved within thou world. 

I see. Thank you. By the way, who are you? I feel like I know you, but... I don't.

Thou shalt know thee once thou meet thy servants. Farewell and speak not a word of this to a soul, lest thou risk thine world for you are being seen.



"Twilight! Twilight!"

The alicorn snapped from her trance to see everyone (including the two soldiers) surrounding her. "What happened?"

"Princess, you kind of started glowing your eyes out of nowhere and began speaking in gibberish." Joshua recounted. "We tried to drag you away from the sergeant but you wouldn't budge until your eyes stopped glowing."

Twilight's eyes widened, "How long was I out?"

Percival pulled out a pocket watch, "About five-ten minutes, give or take."

"Twi, what happened? Did you see something?" Applejack asked.

Speak not a word of this to a soul, lest thou risk thine world for you are being seen.

"It's nothing. It's nothing to worry about." Twilight smiled, trying to reassure her friends. She stood up from the floor, turned to the human and bowed her head in apology, "I am so sorry for what just happened. I promise, it won't happen again."

Percival sighed, "Just, don't use your crazy voodoo on me again. If what you say is true about this barrier I'd rather keep it intact."

"You have my word."

"Very well. Still, if it's all the same for you, I'd like to head back to the base to warn the rest of my division of..." He stopped for a moment, "Wait, what's that noise?"

Everyone joined the silence to listen. There was a commotion outside. Then a series of howls. Then came the screams.