In the end, we ran into two problems.
One, I didn’t actually give off enough passive magic to keep it going. The enchantment wouldn’t hold, even in ‘passive mode’ where it didn’t do anything unless I actively focused on magic. It just broke. According to Celestia, this was expected. Even Midnight or Twilight didn’t give off enough yet. Cadence was old enough to be just over that limit.
Two, when cast, the spell caused the feathers and lock of mane braided into a lock of mine to drop straight through and onto the floor. Apparently that was not expected and according to Celestia, hilarious.
That more than the first version made this version of the spell a non-option. So eventually I would need a different spell unless I wanted to have…
…The dream realm overlaying on top of reality around me. Which was fucking scary and still less scary than Cadance.
Which brought me to this.
I frowned down at the papers strewn across the floor before me, pen floating in my magic as I considered the… okay, pretty crazy looking scribblings.
It was meant to be the first draft of a new spell.
I wanted to try the entire ‘flowing shadows from wings’ thing. But there was no spell like that which meant I had to create it.
Celestia thought it was a good exercise so here I was, doing math. Fireplace on one side for more than enough light and Celestia by my other, making sure I kept on task.
Not my best evening. But far from the worst.
Glancing to the side, I spotted Celestia looking at me closely.
“What?” I asked, putting the pen down, “Looking at the feathers?”
Celestia smiled and shook her head, “Actually, no,” she admitted, shifting her wings, “Your ear.”
I blinked in surprise and turned to look at her fully, “My ear?” I asked, glancing upwards and flicking my ears, “What about my ear?”
“No, nothing,” she said with a smile, “I just noticed how different it was in detail to a pegasus ear.”
“...Pegasi have different ears?” I asked with a frown, “Wait, no I know they do. Do all the tribes have different ears?”
“Of course they do!” Celestia laughed softly, “Earth ponies tend to be a bit thicker and, pegasi a bit smaller, unicorns a bit narrower. Bats are apparently large with a cute little tuft of hair at the tip.”
I watched her in amusement, flicking my ears again.
“What, surely you noticed that ponies differ more than earth ponies larger, pegasi wings, unicorns horn?” Celestia asked with a grin.
“Uhm,” I admitted, “Well…”
Celsetia stared at me for a long moment, “Seriously?”
“I have only really studied unicorns and alicorns in that close detail!” I protested with a blush.
Celestia looked amused but nodded, “Understandable,” she finally said with a smile, flicking her own ear.
“...I can however tell you the difference between how I look now and how I looked before,” I said, “I assume that’s similar to the difference between a bat and a pegasus?”
“Should be, yes,” she agreed.
“Well, starting top to bottom,” I said and glanced up, “You already noticed the ears. Larger than a pegasus, little cute tufts of hair at the tip and more mobile than pegasi ones.”
I demonstrated by twisting them back and forth, “Excellent for echolocation.”
Celestia nodded, grabbing a spare paper in her magic and stealing my pen.
Smiling, I turned a bit towards her, meeting her eyes, “Then we get to the eyes. Adapted for low light, excellent night vision. Slitted pupils as you can see.”
“I can,” she agreed as her pen moved across the paper, “Noticed any difference in color sense?”
“Not really,” I admitted, “So I think it’s similar at least. Size is also similar to pegasi. Maybe slightly better at detecting motion. Moving on, we have a muzzle full of big scary teeth.”
“Stop,” Celestia said, “Forgot the nose.”
“The nose?” I asked, glancing down at mine, “I haven’t noticed anything different.”
She raised an eyebrow, “So I haven’t seen you literally sniff out which apple is the freshest in the fruit bowl?”
“...Okay, so maybe it is a bit better,” I admitted, “But it seems tuned to food. Useful in a jungle setting I would think.”
Celestia nodded, “Indeed it would. Please continue.”
“Then we get to the muzzle,” I said, opening mine, “Sharp fangs, cutting teeth.”
She studied my teeth, “You have very little in the grinding teeth all other tribes have. Bat ancestors didn’t eat a lot of grain.”
I shook my head, “In my experience, it seems to have been a mixed diet of fruit and meats. At least that’s what my nose keeps telling me to eat.”
Nodding, Celestia scribbled it down.
“Also, the tongue is longer and narrower than before,” I continued and stuck it out, giving it a small wiggle.
“Useful,” she said with a small smirk.
“Some think so,” I agreed with one of my own, “Continuing down,” I said as I moved to sit up, “We get to the general bodyplan. Very similar to that of a pegasus, but generally smaller in size. As an alicorn, I am the exception, but I still expect I’ll never reach even Luna’s current size. I noticed the last six months or so that my growth seemed to have slowed a bit already. It’s possible I won’t get as big as Cadance even.”
“Not sure you can count on that,” she pointed out, “Alicorn growth is sporadic. I’m not even sure I have reached my full size yet.”
“True,” I admitted and stood up, “Continuing on, while size is smaller, there is little in the way of difference in proportion to a pegasus.”
“I’m not sure,” Celestia said, studying me with a practiced eye, “I think your barrel may be slightly narrower.”
“Well, it would make it easier to fly in the forest,” I agreed, “Which brings us to the wings!”
I spread and raised mine, “Even ignoring the easily seen things such as lack of feathers and the bare flight skin, they are also larger than pegasus wings compared to body size. Not only longer, but also wider. In short, they are made for slow and very maneuverable flight.”
“Made to fly through a dense forest,” Celestia agreed.
“An equally skilled and athletic bat will never beat a pegasus in a distance or speed race,” I agreed, “But I bet there are bats in Nocturnis that could beat even Rainbow Dash through the forest.”
I flexed my wings, shifting them and spreading them, folding and stretching to let them see before I folded them to my sides again, “Continuing on my tail,” I said and shifted it to the side, curling and flexing it, “While I have seen some earth ponies able to use them to hold things, they aren’t made to take their weight like ours are. Bat tails are also more flexible and outright prehensile.”
Celestia nodded, “Made to be hanging from when sleeping.”
“Yep,” I agreed, “So comfortable. And on, we have the legs. Pretty similar to pegasi until we get down to the hooves.” I said, raising a forehoot to let her see, “A bit smaller, a bit narrower than a pegasus hoof. Also, the surface is a bit grippier.”
Celestia glanced down at her hoof before reaching out to touch hers to mine, “So I feel.”
I smiled at her and nodded, “Actually pretty useful during the winter, which is ironic because bats hate the cold.”
“Which is another point,” Celestia said with a smile, “Thinner coats and better heat resistance. And you shed water a bit better.”
“Yep. It’s not all good,” I pointed out, “Also, naturally nocturnal. In fact, bright sunlight makes us sleepy and if not careful, can burn our wings.”
Celestia frowned in thought, “I wonder why. Why are bats nocturnal when no other ponies are?”
“Actually, I think it’s about where bats are from,” I said, “The jungle is lethal. But the darkness of the night makes it easier to hide when moving about than the day where we can sleep it away in a tree, away from dangers..”
“I suppose that could be it,” she agreed thoughtfully, “But once upon a time the rest of Equestria weren’t that much safer.”
“Thanks to you, it’s not anymore,” I said as I settled back down, smiling up at her.
She smiled back, a bit sadly this time, “Not me. That were other ponies.”
“Ponies you and Luna led.”
Celestia sighed softly and brushed her wing across my back, “I think we have gotten away a bit from our current task.”
“So we have,” I admitted and got comfortable, taking the pen from her magic before I scowled at my papers, “...This is not right.”
“No, no it is not,” Celestia agreed with a smile, “Can you find the error?”
Sighing softly, I got back to work.