Sunburst's eyes flit left and right as she examined the dusty tome before her. "I'm ready..." It was as much to convince herself as anything else. "I can do this." She sat up, horn glowing as she fixed a normal-seeming rock a few feet away. "Alright..."
She wove the delicate magic in her horn, that wonderful horn that seemed to be cooperating with her, unlike how most of her life prior to that had gone. "Let's do this..." With a thin ray that exploded against the rock, the rock shuddered and exploded in magic.
A rabbit landed where the rock had been, at first trying its best to imitate a rock before it seemed to recognize that it was no longer a rock. It looked around, baffled, little button nose twitching.
It looked up at Sunburst with a little squeak.
Sunburst reached for the rabbit, and was soon gently petting it. "You, little rock, make for a curious rabbit." It was a very rock-like rabbit, which meant it seemed to have very little survival instinct. On the positive, it seemed to be content being pet and curling in Sunburst's grasp. "But.... I did it..."
"What did you do?" Starlight was looking from the open door, casting light into the gloomy room. "And why are the lights off?" She waved at a few of them, prompting them to gentle brilliance. "That's better, and is that a bunny? Why do you have a bunny?"
Sunburst lifted her cooperative lapine in her magic. "They were a stone. Now they're a rabbit. Considering, they're adjusting well."
Starlight approached with a lifted ear. "Wow, also kinda neat, but mostly... That means your magic is really cooking." She clapped her hooves with a big smile. "Which is great! So... When do we get to duel? Twilight's fun and all, but a little variety in the duels would be really great."
Sunburst flipped both ears back. "Um... What if I don't want to really... do that?"
Starlight sank next to him. "Then I'll be sad. Also, if you never do that, you can't help when things get really thorny, and, sorry to inform, but things will get that way. Welcome to Equestria."
Sunburst cuddled the transmuted bunny closer, biting her lip anxiously at the thought of flinging destructive magic Starlight's way, playful duel or no. Her talents had always leaned more protective than combative in nature - the notion of training to battle sat poorly in her scholar's heart.
"I take your point..." Sunburst sighed, letting the snuggling bunny hop down to explore its new mobility. She raised resolute eyes to meet Starlight's patient gaze. "Very well - I shall strive to marshal what offensive aptitudes I possess should crisis arise in our lands." She managed a wan chuckle. "Though I make no guarantees on dueling finesse. My talents trend more...esoteric perhaps."
Starlight waved at the sleepy former rock as the beast it was nudged along into the kitchen for some fresh fruit and water. "You made a living thing out of... stone... That's not nothing." She let the bunny hop away to explore in its sedate way.
She turned back to Sunburst. "I'll teach you real magic if you're willing to learn, but we'll discover your talents along the way. I am... actually relieved, you don't want to turn your horn on me... or anypony." She leaned in to smooch Sunburst's cheek. "You'll do what you need to, I know that... But I don't think you have a mean hair anywhere on you."
Sunburst blushed at that declaration. "I'll take the compliment. Now, um, I know spells..." She rubbed her hooves together. "It's just, before things changed, I couldn't be the one casting them, and now... I can." She glanced where the bunny had gone. "And part of me wonders if I should."
Starlight half-fell onto Sunburst. "Just because you can doesn't always mean you should, sure. You made a bunny! Very cute, by the way. You can either return it to being a rock, which I don't think it'd mind all that much, or you get to adopt it and give it the best little life you can."
Sunburst chuckled at either thought. Returned to stone, it'd be a rabbit-shaped rock, but it would be a rock. It was still, mostly, a rock, with increasing rabbit tendencies. "Part of me... is curious." She wandered the same path the rabbit had gone, following it. "Your friends have pets, don't they?"
"Most of them, yeah?" Starlight followed Sunburst instead, far more interested in them than any rabbit. "If you want pet tips, I suggest Fluttershy. She can't shut up about them. Seriously, this is a rock. Don't feel bad making it a rock again, that is an option." She bumped into Sunburst from the side. "But if you want a rock-bunny, well, whatever. I'll do my best to help."
Sunburst followed the bunny's faint hopping trail towards the dining hall contemplatively, Starlight trotting in easy support beside. As unusual a creature to add to their household as it may seem, something about the ambling former stone tugged her scholar's heartstrings already.
"You know, it's peculiar..." She smiled musingly stroking her beard. "I had considered 'creature transfiguration' strictly theoretically to date - at least in terms of my actually doing it.."
She watched the wobble-hipped bunny sniff curiously at the grand hall's entrance as if scarcely fathoming finding itself within such splendor. At a small comforting noise from Sunburst though it began lapping happily from a saucer of water set out for it. Rivulets coursed down gray stony fur as it soon sat contentedly mopping itself with familiar mannerisms that made her heart melt. That wasn't a stone anymore.
"But now with more magical control thanks to my 'liberation', such arcane arts respond in reality," Sunburst marveled softly. "Glimpsing life's delicate balance anew, I feel compelled towards compassion for all critters great and small... Especially where my magic touched"
She smiled decisively meeting Starlight's patient gaze. "In the end, I'd rather be nice than just pretend nothing's happened. So be it!" She scooped up her new ward, resolve glinting brighter than quartz. "Let's give this bunny the happiest home possible!"
Starlight let off a happy squeal and crushed Sunburst into a hug that left all three of them smooshed together in a giggling ball. "Love it! Love you! Love everything that led us here!"
She let Sunburst breathe, the two parting. She leaned in with a smirk. "So what are we going to name our new... pet rock with a brain?"
Sunburst rubbed their chin as Starlight mentioned names, considering. "They come from stone... so perhaps a nice solid name? Like Flint? Or Chip?"
Starlight wrinkled her nose. "Those are pretty boring...oh! What about Pebble! That's solid but also kinda cute."
She scritched under the bunny's fuzzy chin enthusiastically. "Do you like Pebble, lil hopper?"
The rabbit snuggled into Sunburst's embrace contentedly, not disputing its christening one way or another. Sunburst chuckled giving their unexpected new roommate an affectionate nuzzle.
"Pebble it is then! Welcome to the family, darling." A grumbling in multiple bellies reminded her of their original dinner intentions. "Now then, I believe some salad greens are likely eagerly awaiting downstairs..."
Spike proved to be the most curious. "Cool. It's, uh... like Angel, with way less attitude." He picked up Pebble carefully, petting with one hand in slow long motions. "An improvement, if you ask me. He.... Wait..." Spike angled the bunny left and right. "Are they are a he or a she?"
Twilight laughed tensely. "I have no idea... That sounds like a grand question for Fluttershy, who you should see in any event if you want to raise a new pet correctly."
They each enjoyed their dinner. Fortunately, bunnies and ponies largely shared their diets. One little curious thing came up though. As Spike dashed his food with gem flakes, Pebble hopped up and leaned in, getting a lick of the stone.
Spike blinked at the action. "Hey, you're not..." But the bunny took another lick, thumping its leg with satisfaction. "Huh..." Spike shook the shaker firmly, making a little pile of garnet. "Here?"
Sunburst inclined his head, watching the interaction as Pebble nibbled eagerly at the pile. "Amazing. I suppose he remains a little rock, on the inside." He gently pet down the back of their new pet. "Eat up."
Twilight shook her head slowly. "I can't give much advice on this. I confess, the life I've created, I allowed nature to take its course. I never adopted it."
Starlight snorted as she threw an arm around Sunburst. "And that's one more thing that makes Sunny awesome! She's a wizard that cares."
"Hey!" Twilight scowled. "I care! Caring is... half my job..."
Sunburst pinned her ears back. "Sorry. Star, don't be like that..."
A contrite hush fell around the table as Twilight ducked her head, looking a bit hurt.
Spike cleared his throat diplomatically. "We all care in our own ways, I'm sure Starlight didn't mean anything deeper." He raised his glass Pebble's way in wry salute. "I mean hey, now we got a bunny with a mineral deficiency on our hands! Important thing is we figure out how to help the little guy together."
That elicited a round of chuckles lightening the atmosphere once more. Starlight gently bumped her humbled girlfriend's shoulder, communicating wordless apology as Sunburst returned a reassuring nuzzle. Twilight offered up a faint smile as well before returning attention to her salad with a hint more vigor than strictly necessary.
Delicately changing tacks to steer them fully back on course, Sunburst turned an inquisitive smile Spike's way. "So, what can you tell us about proper bunny care then since you've experience with certain privileged palace pets?"
Spike eagerly seized the olive branch, regaling the table with Owli's many exploits and opinions (mostly complaints) on ideal accommodations. By the time the plates cleared, grim clouds had lifted from all gathered there.
Sunburst cradled drowsy Pebble indulgently, curiosity kindling regarding his unique needs. "They ate the rocks, and the greens. They are a rabbit, and more." She nosed gently at her new pet. "And now you're tired."
Pebble let out a little squeak and rolled over, closing their eyes.
Starlight laughed at that exchange. "Now, I'm no rabbit expert, but that sure looked like they trust you, a lot. Congratulations, you're a bunny mom."
"Bunny mom." Sunburst gently rocked her new pet. "I like that... Let's go see Fluttershy right away. I don't want to make any mistakes."
Starlight's grin broadened as she witnesses Sunburst readily embracing this impromptu bunny parenting role with all the studious devotion of any research project. "Fluttershy it is then! We can see if any of her critter pals want a nice playdate with our little Pebbly too." She gently scritched behind the snoozing bunny's fuzzy ear then practically skipped ahead to the door for the brief jaunt over.
Sunburst trailed after her vibrant partner, excitement kindling from Starlight's infectious enthusiasm despite the new worries needling her scholar's practical mind. She parked Pebble on her head, smooshing her poor hat, but seemingly making a happy rabbit.
Twilight and Spike waved them off, the dragon already scribbling a list of insightful tips relayed over dinner for later reference.
They didn't make it through town, at least not without being spotted.
"Aw, look at you." Lyra bounced over to examine the bunny on Sunburst's head. "So cute! Can I pet him?"
Starlight perked an ear at that. "You know if they're a boy or girl?"
"Duh?" Lyra looked baffled at the idea. "That is a boy bunny, a sleepy boy bunny who is so cute!" With no objections given, she grabbed the rabbit in her magic, floating them the brief distance for nuzzles and happy noises. "What's their name?"
"Pebble." Sunburst smiled at the exchange, tail wagging. "We're going to Fluttershy for tips."
"Ooo, good idea." Lyra gave Pebble back. "But, after that, I'll be by to nuzzle a good little bun bun!"
With gentle waves, Sun and Star left Lyra behind, their eyes ahead towards Fluttershy's cottage.