//------------------------------//
// Tame Critter Pony 
// Story: Ace's Spell Shop 
// by Aceofgods 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Nine: Tame Critter Pony



Ace stood over Twilight as she slept on the side of the road, relaxing in the shade of the tree along the way to Fluttershy’s cottage, which rested on the outskirts of Ponyville near the Everfree Forest.

Preferring his magical senses to his normal ones, Ace looked as though he had fallen asleep as well, with his eyes closed peacefully. Monitoring his student’s vitals with his magic senses, he could tell that she was having a mildly troubling dream; likely based upon the latest snippet of her dear Princess Celestia’s past she heard, tinted by Ace’s view of the matter.

’Do not be partial, trust only what you can personally prove as truth.’ The lesson that Ace had learned the hard way echoed in his mind at the thought of Twilight lending too much weight to his words.

Time passed slowly, his mind distorted by the flood of information his extrasensory skills afforded his mind, but this fact was not unaccounted for by Ace’s wisdom. Having long ago learned how easy it is to lose one’s self to the flow of time when one traveled the water differently, Ace had started to use a simple clockwork spell to maintain a view of the present time within in his own mind.

Ace mused to himself for a time, again contemplating just how much he truly relied upon his unnatural senses, as he checked for maybe the hundredth time that day to be sure his left limb, coated in pre-magic that prevented his magic from feeling the appendage, had not in fact been removed.

As he did, he felt a pony – a Pegasus – coming up the road and away from town. This was, of course, natural – it was a road, after all. Not quite in proper view yet, Ace could only use his magic to sense that the Pegasus was carrying a load of birdseed on her back as she walked.

The Pegasus was having a difficult time carrying the heavy load, but appeared to be familiar with the weight as she ignored the strain, slowly making her way towards him.

Not very long after the yellow Pegasus had come into view, she had looked up at Ace and waved somewhat bashfully before lowering her head once more in the effort of carrying the large load.

When she came twenty some steps closer, however, she looked up again and her face became painted in a look of shock as she dropped the birdseed to run over to the tree.

Arching an eyebrow at her hurried approach, Ace took the birdseed in his magic before it could hit the ground and brought it alongside him as he raised a hoof to his muzzle and gazed into the calm-blue colored eyes of the pale yellow Pegasus, though her expression was anything but calm.

Coming only a short distance away now, the mare looked over Twilight who laid upon the ground intently before returning her gaze to Ace. “Excuse me… But is Twilight okay?” the Pegasus asked in a voice that was as much whisper as it was whimper.

Nodding to the Pegasus who was clearly outside her comfort zone as he laid the birdseed on the ground softly, “She’s just tired after one of our lessons.”

Dipping into one of his usual bows before continuing, Ace introduced himself, “Ace Deus Fenrir, magically gifted Unicorn and Twilight Sparkle’s new tutor, though you may call me Ace if you wish.” Ace first pronounced his name as ‘Ah-Chay,’ which was the proper pronunciation, but the name was unusual enough in Equestria, so he had long ago adopted the normal ace pronunciation to make it easier to address him.

The yellow Pegasus hunkered back and retreated into a small half-standing ball as she introduced herself in return, whimpering an inaudible “F-Fluttershy,” that would have been impossible to hear without his magic.

Ace put on a knowing smile as he nodded his head at the introduction, knowing that a hoofshake would only make the clearly shy pony more uncomfortable.

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fluttershy. If I recall, Twilight and I were on our way to visit your cottage after our lesson had concluded. Would you be so kind as to wait here until she awakes from her nap? In return, I will gladly take that birdseed to your home with us.”

Ace spoke with as soft of a voice as he could manage, making sure not to let the polite smile fade from his features and not forcing the shy pony to make eye contact as he spoke to her.

After a moment, the Pegasus responded in a voice that was somewhat louder than before, though Ace believed most ponies would still be unable to hear it with their ears alone. “T-that would be v-very kind of you, M-mister Ace, the bag is quite heavy, and I could r-really use the rest.”

To say she sat next to Ace would be a loose use of the word, as she sat at least three meters away. Silence ensued for several minutes as the two ponies sat while Twilight slept.

Not wanting to make Twilight’s friend uncomfortable, Ace didn’t try to force conversation, instead sitting patiently next to Twilight as she slept, and monitoring Fluttershy lightly with his magic, not wanting to look directly at her should she become worried.

Through his magic, he could feel that she had calmed quite a bit and based upon her vitals, that she had likely fallen asleep.

Protecting the two ponies, Ace sat between them with the bag of birdseed laying at his side. Ponies passed infrequently, but Ace made it a point to smile and nod or wave as they went past, not wanting to be anti-social.

Much to his surprise, the unmoving and thought-to-be-asleep Fluttershy spoke – otherwise inaudibly - after quite some time, “If it’s not too much trouble, how did you meet Twilight? I-if you don’t mind talking to me, I mean…”

Surprised that the pony could be so still without being asleep, Ace was imperceptibly startled for a moment before he nodded and smiled, looking over at the shy, but very polite friend of Twilight.

“Of course, Fluttershy, it would be a pleasure. I had some trouble with an experiment –“ Ace lifted his covered-up, afflicted hoof, but was unsure whether or not the somewhat far-away pony could see it properly “- and I came to see her for help after hearing her mentor, Princess Celestia, speak so highly of her. Twilight was unable to help me directly - not for a lack of trying of course, - but she did send me to see Rarity, who was able to help quite a bit.

"In return for the debt of gratitude I owe Twilight after I paid Rarity, she has asked me to become her tutor.” Ace made sure to keep his voice quiet, not only for Twilight, but for Fluttershy as well.

Despite his efforts, speaking just loud enough so that the distant Pegasus could hear him was enough for Twilight to stir as well. As she awoke, Fluttershy spoke too quietly for her to hear without her magic, “Does that mean you’re going to be staying here in Ponyville? I-I’m sorry, I just don’t think I’ve seen you in town before, a-and everypony comes to Pinkie Pie’s parties…”

Fluttershy was beginning to speak more clearly, though still much too quietly to be practical for conversation.

Not wishing to be rude, Ace replied to Fluttershy while offering a hoof to help Twilight to her hooves. “Of course, I will be staying in town while I teach Twilight what I can about magic. You’re right, as well, that I do not frequent the town, nor have I been to many of Pinkie’s parties, though I did attend one once before and enjoyed myself thoroughly.”

Twilight, being brought to her hooves by Ace as he spoke, looked inquisitively at him before voicing the question she clearly displayed on her face, “Who are you talking to?”

Now standing with her own strength, her mane glowing lightly as Ace straightened it in his magic for her, she looked around, first seeing the birdseed but soon noticing her friend. “Fluttershy? When did you get here?” Twilight started to walk towards the Pegasus, who met her half way.

Ace, stifling a small laugh as he spoke, “Glad to see you’re awake, Twilight. Your snoring was so loud, you scared away all of the animals. Fluttershy had to come and make sure a dragon hadn’t come to eat her friends.” Ace couldn’t keep a straight face, his goofy smile marring his features.

Twilight blushed and looked to Fluttershy as if asking if it was true, but the shy pony could only manage a small smile before Twilight turned her head to look back at Ace, the blush in her cheeks starting to be overtaken with hopeful disbelief.

“Was not!” was all she could manage before Ace started to laugh, revealing the truth behind his evil plot, earning him a look from Twilight before she turned back to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy, looking as though she wanted to laugh too, but not wanting to embarrass her friend, just explained what had happened instead. “I was on my way back home from the market with a bag of birdseed, when I saw you lying on the side of the road with a stranger.

"I wasn’t sure what had happened, and I wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt, so I came over as fast as I could until Ace had told me you were just tired after a lesson. He told me how you were coming to see me, and offered to carry the heavy birdseed if I could wait until you were ready to come to my cottage, so I waited here.”

Twilight nodded at the explanation, looking to Ace who also nodded that it was true. “Well I’m awake and ready to leave, if you’re both still waiting on me.” Ace took the birdseed in his magic and set it on his back, turning and preparing to leave.

Ace looked over and saw the two hurrying to catch up to him, given the distance that had separated the trio, making their way to his side as he made it onto the road. “Isn’t that heavy? Wouldn’t it be easier to carry it in your magic?” Twilight asked when they started to head up the road away from town.

Ace nodded his head, but continued to carry the heavy load on his back. “My magic is strong, and it would indeed be easy to carry such a load in my magic, and would be of no consequence to do so.

"However, I am instead taking the opportunity to strengthen my body and muscles instead, since my magic would not get stronger by doing something that is easy to me. It is important to be strong in body, mind and magic, my student.”

Fluttershy, walking on the side of Twilight opposite of Ace, looked troubled as she spoke in a whisper. “I’m sorry, i-if I had known that you were going to c-carry it, I would have done it myself.”

Ace just smiled and laughed a bit as he clarified. “Consider it doing me a favor, Fluttershy. I have been a bit behind in maintaining my body, and this was a good way to remind me; thank you.”

Fluttershy seemed to be starting to relax a bit more, both with Twilight by her side, as well as because she was starting to understand Ace was a good pony. “So Twilight tells me you tend to the animals around Ponyville. That must be quite the undertaking for just one Pegasus, I’m quite impressed.”

Fluttershy seemed to perk up a bit at the mention of her furry friends, losing the stutter as she was immersed in the thoughts of the animals. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Most of the animals around here are quite well-behaved. My job mostly calls me to make medicine for the poor little critters when they aren’t feeling well. Other than that, I make the food when the animals can’t find their own.”

Fluttershy was now off the ground, fluttering slightly as she spoke about animals.

Ace nodded with a smile as he watched Fluttershy act much more naturally. “You know, I’ve had quite a few animal friends over the years. One of my favorite animals are Dragons, but my absolute favorite is the resplendent Phoenix. It has been my great fortune to play host to one of each of these in my home. The dragon grew mature and needed to be free so that he could be happy, and the phoenix I gave to somepony who would take good care of her as a gift.”

Fluttershy looked impressed as she leaned on every word Ace said about his experience with such fascinating creatures. “You actually had a dragon and a phoenix? They are both quite rare. I know that dragons eat gems, but what does a phoenix eat? I know Princess Celestia has one, but I’ve never seen her eat.”

Ace nodded at the simple question. “It’s true that some dragons, such as Twilight’s assistant Spike, are crystallivores, but most species are carnivorous, as are phoenixes.

"The dragon that I kept was a Magivore, however, which means that he ate magic. He was a rarer-than-most species called a Void Dragon, the name coming from their solid black scales as well as the method they use to eat, which is a black vortex that forms around their mouth that sucks in magic.

"For the most part, Void Dragons are quite kind to ponies, but they have been known to be aggressive towards Unicorns with high amounts of magic when they are hungry, but the worst they do is drain the magic from the Unicorn, leaving them unable to use magic for a time. When they are fed regularly, they make for great friends.”

Fluttershy was at first startled when she heard that most dragons and phoenixes ate meat, but was excited to hear about a new species of beast she hadn’t heard of before. “If a Void Dragon needs to eat magic to live, what do they eat in the wild? Dragons usually wander around, and rarely come to pony towns or cities.”

Ace smiled as he clearly reminisced about happy memories of his pets. “Void Dragons become symbiotic, relying on other dragons to live. They join a group of dragons – often called a flight or a wing, - and they provide protection to the dragons from magic in exchange for their dragon fire.

"You see, Void Dragons aren’t very strong physically, but they are nimble, even agile, and can absorb any form of magic, even the stare of a cockatrice or the ever-burning flame of a phoenix’s breath. Lacking these predatory creatures, however, the Void Dragon will exchange protection for the magic of a dragon’s flame.

“While we’re on the subject, I might also add that a Void Dragon can often learn to use the magic they absorb, which has some pretty interesting effects when their daily diet consists of magical energy from a Unicorn.

"Because the magic from the Unicorn does not innately have purpose until one is given, the Void Dragon who eats it may actually learn to use magic the way a Unicorn does. Once a Void Dragon learns to do this, they can turn any magic into magical energy and learn to cast spells even in the wilds. Void Dragons are truly an awe-inspiring species to behold.”

Fluttershy had nearly flown into a pony that passed the group on the road as both she and Twilight were intrigued in the short story about such a mystical creature.

“Where in Equestria did you find such a rare specimen, Ace?" Twilight couldn’t help but ask. "I’ve never even heard of the Void Dragon before,” 

Smiling at a pony couple who were enjoying each other’s company as they passed, Ace answered the question when he looked back to the road. “The same way I get many strange things: A pony needed a spell, and had wanted to trade. 

"That pony was Draconis Ivory, a white-coated, red-maned business pony who worked with dragons for a living. Supposedly, he had found the egg as part of a mating clutch that he frequented each year after the dragon’s mating and hatchling season had passed. He found the egg and a few others who were left as empty shells, and used a spell to attempt to breathe life back into them, as was his talent.

“He ran a dragon aviary where he cared for the precious creatures, and the aviary is normally enchanted with a special spell that keeps the dragons from breaching it with dragon fire. Well, the little Void Dragon hatched, and was eating at the shield.

"Fortunately, Draconis Ivory noticed the rare find and had traded me the little guy for a spell to replace the shield. I gratefully accepted the trade, but not before the poor darling had suffered a rough-but-playful wound over his left eye that stuck with him for the rest of his life.

“In addition to the scar, his left eye also had sustained shaped physical heterochromatic trauma. The normally black eyes of the Void Dragon was scarred red in the shape of a pointed fang in the one eye. In light of this, as well as the fact that most Void Dragons never develop teeth, I named the cute guy Fang.

"I fed him some of my magic twice a day, and as the years passed, I taught him how to control magical energy, and eventually, he grew much too large to fit in my home. With no regrets over the time we spent together, I took him to a resting site for dragons during the mating season, so that all the dragons would be gone to their mating clutch, and I spent the last of my time with him there.”

A tear was forming in Ace’s eye over the happy memories that spread his muzzle in a smile. “I stayed with him until the dragons had all landed, and I made sure that they would accept him. Negotiations were not going well, and the dragons began to circle around him.

"When they did, I prepared a powerful meteor spell that could have possibly brought the whole mountain to rubble, myself included. When the meteor formed in the sky above and began its descent, all of the dragons panicked, except for Fang.

"With one last look of thanks, he looked at me for a moment before flying to meet the deadly inferno above the mountain. For minutes, each second ticking away slowly, he held fast with the black vortex forming around his toothless maw as the huge, flaming rock started to shrink down into nothing as it hurtled towards him.

"Halfway through the show, I was already at the bottom of the mountain, waving my goodbye to his back.

“After a few years, I went back to check up on him - without being noticed, of course. When I saw him, he was with a beautiful mate, and was preparing to leave for the mating clutch the next month.

"Despite my best efforts and cloaking spells, however, he still looked at me and waved. I had trained him so well, that he would have known I were there no matter what I had done; I’m certain of it.”

Fluttershy and Twilight smiled softly at the happy tale, which punctually ended just as they were arriving at a cottage that looked more like a small tree, or overgrown bush with a door and windows than a home. All around, there were countless birdhouses, and further away from the house were a number of animals such as squirrels and rabbits.

Not wanting to be intrusive, Ace and Twilight let Fluttershy go ahead first, as she crossed the small bridge over the quiet stream that ran below, walking up to the house as the door opened and a little white rabbit stood which his front paws crossed over his chest as he stood tapping one foot rapidly and glared at Fluttershy.

Ace and Twilight crossed the bridge as Fluttershy started to talk to the furry, and apparently unhappy-about-something critter. “Oh, I’m so sorry Angel Bunny, I’ll get you something to eat as soon as we put the birdseed away, okay?” The fluffy bunny chased after Fluttershy as she went inside, still wearing the look of displeasure.

Twilight, followed by Ace, walked into the small-but-comfortable home as Fluttershy proceeded back into the kitchen, just to come back out with a salad comprised of lettuce, tomatoes, croutons and two halves of a carrot.

Fluttershy pointed to a near-empty bag of birdseed against the wall as she brought the bowl of leafy greens to the impatiently waiting Angel Bunny as Ace used his magic to place the birdseed next to the existing bag.

“I’m so sorry Angel, I didn’t forget to feed you, but I ran into Twilight and her friend along the way home and I had to stop and talk to them for a little bit.” Angel seemed to just wave it off as he ate his food gluttonously, making no effort to mask the crunching noise that accompanied the crisp vegetables.

Fluttershy looked at the clock, a sort of worried look on her face as she spoke. “Um… it’s lunch time, and I need to feed my hungry critters before I make something to eat, but… you’re welcome to stay if you want. I’d be happy to make you something if you want to wait, but I need to make sure the animals are fed first, if that’s o-okay.”

The nervousness returning was a clear flag that Fluttershy was uncomfortable having lunch guests, so Ace shook his head at the offer. “Thanks for offering, we do appreciate it, but would you like some help feeding the animals? I’m sure with two Unicorns, we could easily get it done in no time.” 

Fluttershy held up her hooves and shook her head softly. “Oh no, no, no! I couldn’t ask you to do that. The animals are easily frightened by ponies they don’t know, and they don’t very much like magic. Thank you for your concern, but feeding the animals is my job, I couldn’t ask you to do it for me.”

With a look to Twilight before saying his goodbyes to make sure she didn’t have anything to say to the yellow Pegasus, she and Ace said their goodbyes and left so briefly after having just arrived.

Once they were a ways away, the cottage fading from view behind them, Ace was the first to start conversation this time. “She seems really nice, but she’s debilitatingly shy. I can see how she fits her name well. She certainly does care for the animals a lot, though.”

Twilight nodded with a smile at the praise her friend was getting. “Yes, Fluttershy is very polite, and she’s really shy when she first meets somepony. Once she gets to know you though, she opens up a lot more. Now that you’ve met Fluttershy, you just need to see Rainbow Dash and you’ll have met all of my best friends!”

Twilight smiled earnestly at the idea, and Ace smiled too, until their conversation was interrupted by somepony’s stomach growling.

Both of their smiles faded for a moment before they came back bigger than before. “I think my stomach wants to make some friends as well. What do you say I get us something to eat? My treat. But, uh, I don’t know any place around here other than Sugarcube Corner, and Pinkie would consider it a sneak attack if I showed up there while she’s planning, so you pick a place.”

Twilight seemed to ponder for a moment, but the only place she could think of was, “Horte Cuisine’s Ponyville Café. Spike and I eat there sometimes, and they serve a really good daffodil and daisy sandwich. It’s been a while since we’ve ate there, so I’m not quite sure what else is on the menu.”

Ace looked as though he were pondering what sort of foods he wanted to eat. “I’m sure they will have something. I don’t eat out often, but worst case scenario, I’ll just order some daffodil and daisy sandwiches as well.”

The lunch plan settled, Ace shifted gears to something more to his interests, “So, how’s your magic feeling? You were quite exhausted after that last lesson, even with the enchanted Spell-Strength sapphire I loaned you.”

Twilight’s horn lit up in her normal gentle purple glow, tinted almost imperceptibly a lighter shade of blue by the magic of the sapphire that had kicked in due to her weakened state. The necklace glowed with the same aura as Twilight lifted it up to her face to look at it. Twilight didn’t show any physical signs of being worn out, but Ace could tell that she wouldn’t be back to full strength until sometime tonight.

“I feel fine normally, but using any magic is pretty tiring. I had no idea that using the extrasensory magic would be so draining… The necklace really helped, but you use extrasensory spells all the time and I’ve never even seen you need to concentrate to use it.”

Ace nodded with a sigh, having had the feeling that he would have to tell her another of his secrets at some point, anyways. “Well, if it wasn’t for the extrasensory magic draining my magical energy, along with a number of other small spells, I would actually suffer from ‘Magic Overflow.’

"You see, after years and years of magical stamina training, my body is actually capable of storing a massive amount of magic energy at once. So much so, that I can almost cast level 10 spells without using pre-magic, if I were to cut off the flow to all of my passive spells. That might sound amazing, but it’s dangerous.

“When magic forms together with a purpose, we call it a spell. However, whenever a large amount of magical energy forms together without a purpose, it begins to condense. This condensing is what allows a Unicorn to keep the magical energy within themselves: it’s just a skill that we passively know, though there were a small number of recorded cases where handicapped Unicorns were born without this control - they exuded their magic, and distorted any spell that was cast near them, but that’s another lecture.

“As for me, since I have so much energy condensing into such a small area, it actually becomes sort of like a bomb. Once the energy accumulates, the condensed form collapses on itself, and bursts outwards. It hurts me like being chewed up and spit out by a carnivorous dragon, but to any non-magical creature around me it’s just a massive flash of light. To magic and magical creatures, it drains all their magical power. If I were to ‘detonate’ it’d be about the size of Ponyville.

“The lesson in this that I want to be sure you know, is that a Unicorn’s magic is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Also like a muscle, if it becomes too powerful without something to control it, it can actually tear itself and hurt like dragon teeth.”

Looking to Twilight to be sure she understood, she nodded. “I’ve spent a lot of time training my magic, and I did go to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I do know something so basic as how a Unicorn’s magic can be improved through practice, but nowhere have I ever been told that too much magic could cause such a thing to happen.”

Ace shook his head at the response, “Given an infinite amount of time, my student, anything is bad. If we ate our favorite food every day, then it would eventually become our least favorite. If a pony drinks too much water, they suffer hydration poisoning and get sick. When a Unicorn commands too much magic, they become a ticking time bomb. That’s just the way the world works, I’m afraid.”

Twilight contemplated the lesson for a moment, likely being sure she would memorize it. Waiting until she looked as though she was finished cataloguing the lesson in the archives that were her mind, Ace had a question for his student.

“I know that you like to study, train your magical skill, and further educate yourself in any other such ways, but do you have any other sort of hobbies? I saw a number of fictional stories, but I cannot be sure if you enjoy them or not, as it is a library, after all.”

Twilight looked to contemplate the question before lighting up in her response. “I suppose I didn’t use to, but now I enjoy nothing more than spending time with my friends here in Ponyville. Whenever one of us needs help with something, we’re always quick to give each other a helping hoof. Often times we get together just to talk and eat lunch, usually at a picnic or in Sugarcube Corner.

"There’s nothing that my friends and I can’t do if it means helping everypony in the end.” Ace gazed upon his student with a look of adoration at the bond Twilight and her friends had together. “What about you? It sounds like you have any number of hobbies.”

Ace laughed lightly as he answered, “Well though it is a secret, by now you’ve realized I am quite old, and as such I have had a longer time to develop those hobbies. Trying new things is an adventure anypony can go on, and many things I have tried.

"I suppose to list my hobbies, I would of course start with Magic. I enjoy researching, performing, creating new spells, enchanting and divining and even collecting artifacts. The most recent Artifact I’ve laid claim to is the Amulet of the Alicorn; Daring Do traded it for a few spells shortly before I came to request your aid.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped at the mention of such a powerful artifact, one that she had thought her friend Zecora had been taking care of. “Really? The Alicorn Amulet? Someone recently challenged me with the amulet and lost, and I had thought my friend was keeping it safe.”

Ace looked at Twilight, impressed with the feat. “Truly? You beat a Unicorn who was under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet? That is truly an accomplishment worthy of praise – Good show! As for how Daring Do managed to get the Amulet, I am sorry, but I do not question my clients, I only make sure their goods are what they say they are. I used an appraisal spell on the Amulet to verify the artifact, but I didn’t think to use an origins spell, and it is much too late now.”

Twilight blushed a bit at the praise, but lost it again when she had heard he had not known where the artifact had come from. “I suppose as long as the artifact is in safe hooves, it doesn’t much matter who keeps hold of it… Although, in hindsight, perhaps we should have taken the amulet to Princess Celestia for safekeeping.”

Ace laughed a bit, wondering why that wasn’t already the case. “Yes, I suppose the Amulet of the Alicorn would be well guarded in the palace, and I’m quite sure that neither Princess Luna nor Celestia would have need to use the Amulet. However, keeping all of the artifacts in Equestria in Canterlot would be a scary thought.”

As they spoke, they came into the marketplace of Ponyville, the stalls still abuzz with activity and the nearby stores tending to their customers. From here, Twilight pointed out the café and the two headed for it, though Ace snuck a peek or two around at the stalls.

The pair sat at a table, a purple mushroom with purple spots with piles of hay for seating and an edible centerpiece of flowers resting in a vase. Shortly after being seated, the solitary, well-dressed waiter that was minding the outer tables came and asked if they were ready to order.

“I’ll have a daffodil and daisy sandwich, with a glass of orange juice, please.” The earth pony waiter turned his head to Ace, his quill and notepad in hoof as he waited expectantly.

“Beg your pardon, it’s my first time here. Would you happen to have Leechvine and lettuce soup?” The waiter raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Whole wheat spinach lasagna?” Again the waiter shook his head.

“Fontal polenta with mushroom sauté?” The waiter shook his head, clearly losing patience and wanting to attend to other tables. “Four-alarm chili?” Another no. “Do you have any chili?”

The waiter stared with an angry look as he shook his head one final time. With a sigh, Ace resigned to his fallback plan. “I’ll have five daffodil and daisy sandwiches, then. Apple juice, if you have it, water if you don’t.”

Ace shook his head with a sigh as he situated himself better onto the pile of hay. Looking back up, he saw the contagiously large awkward smile on Twilight’s face. Unable to keep from laughing lightly, Ace had trouble speaking.

“I don’t think he liked me very much. Think he’ll spit in my food?” Twilight couldn’t keep from laughing earnestly at the question. “Yeah, I think so, too. Think I’ll cast a cleansing spell on my sandwiches…”