//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: The Mage's Jump 
// by Marvelous Cheshire 
//------------------------------//


THE MAGE’S JUMP
BY GENOSABER
CHAPTER 4



(Twilight)


“Twi come on, you told me to make sure you were up early.” I heard Spike’s voice call. I shifted a bit and covered my head with my pillow.

“Five more minutes.” I muttered. I heard somepony sigh and another chuckle softly.

“You wanna try?” Spikes voice asked. I could faintly hear footsteps as Trace walked up to the bed and spoke.

“Twilight, you asked Spike to ensure that you woke on time, I got him to let you sleep in a bit longer, but it’s time to get up.” I moved farther under the covers, I was too comfortable to get up. “Of course.” Trace sighed. “I didn’t want to do this Twi, but so be it.”

“Demi.” In an instant, I felt my self float into the air, feeling suddenly weightless. As I started to get my bearings, Trace spoke again. “Aero.” I was suddenly spun in the air for several seconds before Trace snapped his fingers and cancelled the spells. As soon as the spinning stopped, I fell back onto the bed. I stared up at the ceiling as my eyes slowly regained focus. After a minute, Trace’s face came into view, a small frown on his face. Annoyed, I opened my mouth to ask why he woke me up like that, but Trace spoke first. “I’m sorry I woke you like that, but as I said, you’ve already slept in. I hope you’re not angry.”

I blinked at his tone, he seemed....off. “N-no, just surprised.” I said, my annoyance being replaced by a mix of curiosity and concern. Trace nodded before making his way downstairs. I trotted to the bathroom and started getting ready for the day. Once I was finished I headed down to the main room. The smell of cinnamon drifted from the kitchen and I smiled at the pleasant scent.

As I passed by the kitchen I saw Trace making breakfast. He glanced at me and smiled, I returned it as I sat down at a table across from Spike. After a few minutes, Trace place a large stack of pancakes and three plates on the table. We each took some and ate. The entire time, I continued glancing at Trace, noting the distant expression on his face. “Trace?” I said, making him turn his head towards me. “Are you alright, you seem distracted by something?” I asked.

He sighed before replying. “Sorry Twi, I just have something on my mind is all.” I relaxed a bit at his words, but suddenly remembered something I was curious about from yesterday.

“Trace, you mentioned yesterday that you said you received a ‘magical scar’, wh-” Trace quickly raised a hand to stop me.

“Twilight, I don’t want to talk about it.” He said with a hint of aggression in his voice. He noticed, and closed his hand into a fist while taking several deep breaths before continuing, his voice much calmer, but it seemed a bit forced. “Sorry, but its a very uncomfortable subject for me. I might talk about it one day, but not anytime soon. Please Twilight, don’t bring this up again, Please.” The desperation in his voice was clear. I frowned, but nodded anyway, Trace would speak of it when he felt he was comfortable telling me. “Thank you. I promise I’m fine Twi, so don’t worry about it, okay?” I nodded again, giving Trace a weak smile.

After we were finished, Trace collected the dishes and put them in the sink. “Would you like to go over our plans for the day?” Trace asked as he re-entered the main room.

I paused and tried to remember. “We’re both going to go to one of our friends and inform them of our relationship, have them promise to keep it a secret, and judge how we should progress depending on their reaction.” Trace nodded, smiling warmly, which I returned with a smile of my own. “Do you know who you’re going to talk to? You barely know anypony yet.” I asked, my smile dropping slightly.

Trace simply shrugged. “I suppose Alex would be the best choice, he has experience in dating a pony, as well as having good standing with everyone else, besides, he and Fluttershy are the only ones that I know where they live.” I nodded in agreement, telling Alex first would be a good idea. That brings to mind through, whom should I talk to?

“I’m sure everything will go okay though, your friends seem understanding enough.” Trace said, kneeling down and pulling me into a kiss. We stayed like that for a minute, earning a mock gag from Spike as we broke it. I stared into his bright, golden eyes, matching his smile, feeling a sudden warmth in my chest. After a few seconds, Trace stood back up and turned to the door. “Shall we go?” I nodded, Trace grabbed a bag hanging by the door and threw it over his shoulder as we made our way out of the library.

It was around noon, Trace wasn’t lying about letting me sleep in. We both traded a glance at one another and nodded. I heard Trace mutter “Warp” and teleport away. Without paying attention, I made my way towards the town square. I couldn’t decide who to tell, AJ might be understanding, but I don’t think she’d be interested in getting involved in another pony’s relationship. Dash would be able to understand, but she’s married to Alex, he might tell her after Trace has talked to him. Fluttershy, maybe, she could definitely keep it a secret, but there’s no telling how she’d react, Pinkie, no, she’d probably want to throw a party for us, and she’s still planning Trace’s welcoming party. I was so caught up in my own thoughts I didn’t notice the pony in front of me until I bumped into them.  

“Oh, sorry.” I quickly said, before looking up and seeing that I bumped into Rarity. “Oh, hello Rarity. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” I said.

She waved her hoof dismissively as she stood back up. “It’s fine darling, no harm done.” She said as she used her magic to brush the dirt off her coat. “But I must ask, what has you so distracted?” She asked with light concern. 

I paused for a moment, carefully choosing my words. I could tell her, but I’d have to make sure she promises to keep it a secret. “Would you mind if we went to the boutique to talk?” I asked. Rarity seemed a little surprised, but smiled kindly at me and without question turned towards The Carousel Boutique. I followed right behind her, planning how I was going to tell her.




(Trace)


I watched ponies go about their daily routine from my position in the sky, thankful I remembered that spell to summon a small cloud to stand on. I turned my attention to the direction of Alex’s home and warped down to the path by his house.

I walked slowly, taking the time to admire the scenery. There were a few clouds in the sky, enough to make the light bearable for my eyes but not darken the sky too much. It was cool out, a light breeze blowing. I loved days like these because they just seem to be right, not to hot, cold, bright, or dark; just right. Perfect time go for a walk or spend a day out with friends, just an all around good day.

I reached My destination and paused. Alex was polite the other day, but he hadn’t known about my magic then. He didn’t say anything at the time, but I definitely picked up a sense of caution from him, mixed with a hint of guilt. I walked up to the front door and knocked once.

A minute later Alex opened the door, his face held a confused expression for a second, but quickly changed to a neutral gaze. “Hello.” He said, his tone polite, but with a hint a suspicion.

“Hey.” I replied with a nod. “Mind if I came in. I need to talk to you.” He eyed me for a moment before giving me a curt nod and a tight smile.

“Sure.” He said, opening the door the rest of the way. As I passed by him, I caught a glance of his knife hanging at his side. I paid it no mind, and let Alex lead me into the kitchen. I sat down at the table, Alex standing by the seat right across from me. 

“Would you like something to drink? Most elves I knew drank wine all the time. All I’ve got is coffee, tea, and apple juice. Oh, and water of course.” He asked.

“Tea would be nice. Thank you.” I said. After a few moments, he sat down and passed me a cup. 

“So. What can I help you with?” He kept his tone polite, but I could still sense a bit of tension in it.

“First, I have to ask you keep this a secret from the rest of the group.” He raised an eyebrow, and I could see his body tense a tiny bit. I lifted my hands slightly. “Its nothing bad Alex. If it was I sure as hell wouldn’t come to you about it, I’m not an idiot.” He stared at me for a second, then gave me a half smile.

For a moment he didn't say anything, obviously having some kind of internal struggle until he sighed and nodded slightly, looking at me directly in the eye. “As long as I don't think anyone... or any pony, will get hurt, you can trust me. Not even Dash will know.” It was the best I could hope for, so I simply nodded in agreement.

“Then I’ll just get to the point. I’m dating Twilight.” He blinked, apparently not expecting that. “We both admit we began feeling affection for the other while back on Gaia, and agreed to try and pursue a relationship. I came to you because we felt it would be good idea to tell someone.” He nodded and remained silent for a moment, before looking at me with a serious expression.

“Let me make one thing crystal clear, Twilight is an adult and she can date who she wants, but she's still very young and very inexperienced. I'm sure you're approaching this in good faith, just don't forget she's..." he seemed to be struggling for the right word, "innocent. Please, don't confuse that with stupid." He looked into his cup, seeming to stare at it for several long minutes."I also want to remind you that both Matt and myself are willing to go to great lengths to protect them." His expression softened a bit. “But if Twilight feels this way, and you feel the same, I sincerely hope you’ll be happy together.” I nodded in relief. Same with her family.

“I’ll say what I told her brother yesterday. I have no ill intentions, and I promise to treat her with respect.” He nodded with acceptance, and we both drifted into silence for a minute before Alex spoke again.

“Oh, and don’t try anything she’s uncomfortable with, I know elves are a randy bunch, but keep it under control. And before it gets to that point, we'll talk again. Trust me, you'll thank me.” I spit my drink out in surprise before turning to him, staring at him wided eyed. Did he really just say that?

I managed to get myself under control after a few seconds “I promise you, I won’t try anything, not unless she’s okay with it.” I said. before adding. “If I didn’t consider you a friend, I’d kick you in the head for even suggesting such a thing.” He chuckled a bit at that, his face turning into a small, but friendly smile.

“Noted.” He said. I chuckled a bit in response before something came to mind.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect interacting with you would go like this, Twilight told me about your past with wizards.” He frowned slightly, shrugging in response.

“As I said last time, Twi trusts you, that counts for a lot, I’ve chosen to judge you by your actions, not by my past experience.” He looked into his folded hands with a somewhat bitter expression. "I want to distrust you, to warn her away for the evil wizard. But I can't." He balled his fists. "I just can't. If these people have taught me anything, it's not to judge. I'm truly sorry I can't," he squeezed his eyes shut, "just forget." I nodded. He’s a good person, I wish more people I’d met in the past could think like that.

“Well, this went better than expected, mind if I hang around here for a bit.” He nodded and stood up. I followed him out to the backyard, noting the heavy bag a few meters away. I found a good spot and sat down, pulling my bag in front of me. Alex watched me with a small amount of caution. I reached in and pulled out the metal cylinder I received yesterday.

“What’s that?” Alex asked, keeping a bit of distance from me. I shrugged in response as I began inspecting it.

“A letter carrier, as far as I can tell.” I stated. “I’ve seen a few in the past, its made of frost steel, a durable metal found in the realm of Shiva.” Alex blinked and stared at me in confusion. “An Esper, basically the goddess of ice.” I began placing my fingers at certain points on the case. “It has a special locking mechanism, Shouldn’t be too hard, but it will take a little while.” I went to work on the lock, wondering how Twi was doing at the moment .




(Twilight)


I’m regretting my decision.

“How romantic. A powerful unicorn and a mighty mage able to share the secrets of the universe, together. Oh, I may have a lovely saddle that would be perfect for you." Rarity said, turning towards a dresser.

“That’s okay Rarity, but I don’t think a saddle would appeal to Trace.” I said politely. Rarity looked back at me in confusion. “Humans have a different opinion on what is attractive, Trace probably wouldn’t be attracted to something like a saddle.” She frowned a bit, but nodded in acceptance. Her expression instantly changed to that of intrigue, and she rushed towards me.

“Alright Twilight, but you simply must tell me all about your relationship.” her eyes narrowed, and she spoke with a suggestive tone. “Has he tried anything like,” she trailed off, then suddenly continued, “ you know?” She gestured with her hoof. "A certain pegasus I know chatted to me about the advantages of fingers."  I began to open my mouth to ask her what she meant, before realization hit me. I could feel my cheeks heat up as my mind became focused on the idea. I am definitely regretting this decision.




(Trace)


“So, how’d the meeting with the Princess go?” Alex asked as he started punching the heavy bag. I shrugged lazily as I focused on opening the carrier.

“Not bad, thanked by them, granted citizenship, given a bit of cash, not too happy about that.” Alex gave me a glance. “Principles, my family believes in doing things to help others, and ask for nothing in return, only took the offer because I felt it would be wise, hold me over till I can find a proper form of income.” I felt the carrier vibrate slightly, indicating I was making progress. I continued telling Alex about the events, leaving out the little incident with Cadance. After about ten minutes, the turning points on the carrier, stopping with a single “click.” I pulled one end out, revealing the sealed scroll.

I pulled the scroll out and opened it. “Shit.” I said as I stared at the handwriting, Elegant, but it’s old runic, a lost script made up of various symbols and small images. I only recognized a few words, but the one at the bottom seemed disturbingly familiar. “There’s no fucking way.” I said in shock. Alex stopped what he was doing and walked over, looking at the letter with a raised brow.

“Important?” He asked. I nodded slowly, mentally going over every signature I knew, it was definitely hers. “What’s it say?”

“Not entirely sure, but I know a spell that can translate it.” I said. I looked towards Alex. “I need a sheet of paper, ink, and a quill, do you have that?” He nodded. “Then can I please make use of them?” He paused for a second, then nodded again and walked into the house, returning a minute later with the necessary items. I Thanked him before standing up and walking a few feet from the house.

I pulled my knife from the bag, using the tip to carve out a decent sized circle in the dirt. Sitting down in it, I laid the items Alex gave me down like they would be on a writing desk, then placed the letter down directly in front of me. I muttered a few words in old tongue, forcing the ring closed, and bringing the quill to life.

‘All right, let’s see if I can remember the words’ I began looking back to the lessons I took under the scholars, and the words flowed onto my tongue. “na focail a thabhairt chuig mo theanga féin” I said, slowly dragging my finger across the text. The Quill followed my movements, translating the letter into Cardian. The process took about five minutes, and once it was done, I muttered another command and broke the ring. I stood up and gathered the items, passing the quill and inkwell back to Alex before taking a look at the translated letter.

Dear Lord Reinhart

I write to you to inform you of oncoming danger. There are powers at play that threaten to cause havoc for the world you are in. I wish I could provide more, but I am unable to at this time.

I also wish to once again thank you for your services in the past, had you not been able to save them, my daughters would have certainly perished. I must remind you that I am still in your debt, and should you need anything, I will do everything in my power to provide you assistance.

I hope I can hear from you again, best wishes to you, and your new lover.

SHIVA

“Wait, what?” Alex said, looking between me and the letter after reading it himself. “Am I reading this right, you have the debt of a goddess?” I shrugged and gestured to the letter.

“As it says, I saved her children, Espers have this need to repay favors, I refused to accept her offer of money, so she claimed herself indebted to me. I never thought about calling it in, never had a reason.” I took the letter and looked over it again. “Though, if what she claims is true, I may end up needing it.” I rolled the scroll up and placed it and the old letter into the carrier, tossing it back in my bag. “But there’s no point in worrying about it for now, would you mind if I hung around for a bit? I have nothing else to do today.” Alex nodded and led me back into the house.







I chatted with Alex for a few hours, trading stories. After hearing about why he distrusts wizards, I actually want to knock some sense into them, assholes like that give magic users a bad name.  I looked out the  nearby window, noting it had gotten to be around late afternoon, so I decided it would be a good time to leave.

“Thank you for your time Alex, and for giving your opinion.” I nodded in thanks as I made my way to the door, I stopped and looked back. “I almost forgot.” I walked back and held out my hand. “Should you ever need my assistance, be it knowledge, an enchantment, potions, or anything else I may be able to assist with you need only ask, and I will gladly provide any help I can.” He met my hand with his own and gave it a firm shake.

“Good to know." He paused again. Again that internal struggle. "I'm glad I was wrong. And for the record, you're always welcome in my home. Goodbye.” Alex said, giving a friendly smile. I returned the courtesy, and made my way out of his house.

A few minutes walk found me in what appeared to be a park. noting that I still had a little time to myself, I made my way to a nearby bench and sat down, pulling out a small book I kept on hand and opening it. I stayed there for a little while, before getting the sudden sensation that I was being watched. I quickly looked to my right, spotting a light green unicorn mare staring at me  just a short distance away. Once she realized I had noticed her, she turned and galloped away.

“Well that was just freaking weird.” I muttered. Deciding I might as well head back, I placed the book back into the bag and made my way to the library.

As I reached the library I breathed a small sigh of relief, this entire day had gone better than I could have hoped for. I opened the door and went in, finding the library empty but for Spike and a familiar green stallion. “Hello Doctor Emerald.” I said.

“Greetings Mr. Reinhart, I was waiting for you to return.” He said. I raised an eyebrow. “I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me a bit about your world?”

“Oh.” I said, remembering the conversation from the other day. “Sure, can it wait till tomorrow, around say, mid-afternoon, I’ll drop by the hospital for the screening a in the morning? ”

Emerald nodded. “Of course, I’ll come by then. Good day Mr. Reinhart.” He said with a polite nod.

“You as well, Doctor.” I responded with a nod of my own. He left, and I placed my bag back by my messenger bag upstairs before returning to the main room. “Spike.” The little dragon stopped putting books away and turned towards me. “Which shelf are the history texts on?”

“Over there.” He pointed to the wall opposite of him. I nodded in thanks and began searching. After a minute, I found a decent sized book on Equestrian history. I took a seat on the nearest couch and started reading.

I was about half way through the book when I heard the door open. I looked up to find Twilight, visibly exhausted. “Welcome back,” I said. She mumbled something incoherent, before walking over and making her way onto the couch. She got up and laid on the  couch, placing her forelegs under her head and laying them on my lap. “Something wrong?” I asked as I reached down and slowly ran my hand through her mane. She gave a small sigh before answering.

“No, just tired, Rarity got a little carried away when I told her.” I gave an amused snort. “How about you, everything go okay with Alex?” She asked.

“Yeah, way better than I thought it would. I also managed to get that metal cylinder open.” She readjusted herself so the she was looking up at me, curiosity evident on her face. I gave her a summary of what Shiva had written. Twilight’s eyes widened as I spoke.

“The letter said something dangerous was coming, we should tell the Princesses.” Twilight said, getting up from her position. I place a hand on her back to stop her.

“It’s late, Twi, Spike’s already asleep, and I’m sure its nothing immediate.” I said. Twilight paused for a second, then sat back down on the couch, leaning against me. “I might know a way to get in touch with Lady Shiva. Once I’ve gotten word from her, we can send a letter to the Princesses.” Twilight nodded as she let out a yawn.

“How long will that take?” She asked.

“About two to three days at the most.” I responded. She nodded once more but remained silent. After a minute, she let out another yawn. “Go on up to bed Twi, I’ll be up in a moment.” She nodded lazily, making her way up the stairs. I waited till she had closed the door before getting up. I made my way to the bookshelf and placed the book I had been reading back in its proper place, before walking over to the window.

“No matter how far you go, you can never escape the hands of Fate.” I recited my family’s old saying before closing my eyes and letting out a sigh. “Seems that even as I try and start a new life, I can’t have a break.” I opened my eyes and stared out at the night sky. “What does fate have planned for me now? What does the future hold? If only these questions were simple, life would be so much easier.” I shook my head and turned towards the stairs, no sense in losing sleep over this. I’ll worry about it when I have the time.