Chapter 4
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Later that Afternoon
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When I woke up, it was again to the sound of the door opening. I opened my eyes and turned my head. I was surprised. Luna was walking over to me.
“Hi.” I said. “What’re you doing here?”
“I… I came to see how you were.” she said.
“You were just here earlier though.” I said. “Why come back so soon?”
“Oh, well…”
I smiled. “I don’t care why. I’m just glad you’re here.”
“Oh… okay.”
“How are you feeling?” I said after a short pause.
“I am alright. And you?”
“Okay. My legs are still a little sore, but it’s not so bad.”
“Good.”
After a second, she said. “Could… could you… no. You wouldn't want to.”
“What?” I asked, curiosity aroused. “What is it?”
“Well, could you… help me with… with my focus?”
“What do you mean?”
“I… I have a hard time focusing my magic.”
“But you didn’t have any trouble with-” I hesitated, then coughed. “-with your memory spell.”
“Well, I was in your dreaming mind. Magic works differently there, easier for me. But here it is… unstable.”
“Oh, okay. Sure I’ll help you.”
“Really?” she looked surprised. “Thanks!”
I paused, then, “Um… could you… could you help me down?”
“What? Oh, of course!”
She stood next to the bed and let me wrap a foreleg around her shoulders. I managed to step down from the bed without major injury.
“Now,” I said, “what exactly seems to be wrong?”
“Well,” she said, “whenever I try to focus on a major piece of magic, I keep losing control.”
“Hmm.” I thought about it for a minute. “Could you get me a pencil... and something to write on?”
“Of course.” She got up and walked out of the room.
She returned shortly, carrying the requested items, as well as a small black book. She set them down in front of me then sat down next to me. I opened the book, which turned out to be on magical theory. Helpful. After searching for a minute, I found a good spell to use. I picked up the pencil with my magic. I was still thrilled about that simple piece of magic. I used the pencil to write out the magical formula.
“This is the formula for a simple color change, right?” I said.
“Yes?”
“Well, do you know which part is the amount of energy in the spell?”
“Here.” she pointed a piece of the formula out with a hoof.
“Right. So, do you see how it affects this part?” I pointed to another piece of the formula with the pencil. “It maintains the energy levels, but it also helps determine the stability of this spell.”
“Okay.”
“Well,” I continued, “If we take this part…” I pointed, “…and rewrite it as part of this section…” I pointed at another section, “…you make the spell more stable. See?”
“Yes!” she shouted. “That's what happened!”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh...” She looked a little embarrassed. “I accidentally, um... turned the third floor of the castle… purple.”
I started laughing. She paused, then joined me. We laughed our heads off for a minute, then stopped, gasping for breath.
“Well.” I said, trying to regain my composure. “Want…want to try again?”
“O-okay.” she said, also struggling to keep a straight face.
She got up and turned towards the bed. She looked directly at the covers, and her horn started to glow. After a second there was a flash, and the covers turned from white to a bright green. Luna cried out happily. She turned around and hugged me.
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” she shouted.
“Y-you’re welcome.” I gasped.
Just then, there was a loud blast, a minor explosion, and a bright light shone through the room. I felt myself get thrown backwards, Luna landing on top of me. When I opened my eyes, Luna was on top of me, her lips against mine. After a second, her eyes flew open, and she quickly pushed herself off of me.
“Sorry!” she said. “I-I…”
“It’s…it’s okay.” I said. “But what was that?”
We looked over at the bed, where the covers had returned to their original white.
“Oops,” I said. “I think we forgot to reset the spell structure to match the energy stabilization.”
“Oh.” she said, “maybe.”
I looked at her as she studied the piece of paper. She didn’t seem too upset about her failure. If anything, she seemed more enthusiastic. I watched her, inexplicably enthralled by her. Her mane was a deep, rich blue, and it sparkled like stars in the night sky. Her blue eyes were soft and kind. She looked over at me.
“Are… are you alright?” she said, a look of concern on her face.
“What?” I looked away from her, cheeks burning slightly. “Oh, I’m… I’m fine.”
“Well then, can we try again?”
“S-sure.” I smiled. “Let’s just fix this spell first, yes?”
“Right.” she said, also smiling.
We wrote down the necessary modification, then Luna then made another attempt. This time, she changed them to a deep orange color. Thanks our modifications, the spell did not again fail with explosive force.
“That’s better.” I said.
“Very.” she said, reversing the spell (No explosions followed).
“Well, need help on anything else?”
“You would do that for me?”
“Sure. Why not?”
For the next couple of hours, we went over some of the spells that had been giving her trouble. They were all relatively simple, something I guessed most unicorns could have done, but I enjoyed helping her. I could tell that she must have just recently started using her magic. She was surprised by many things that were new to me as well. As we worked, we drifted closer together, both physically and as friends. By the end of it, we were side by side, nearly touching.
When it was time for her to leave, she hugged me said, “Thanks for helping me Polaris.”
“You’re welcome.” I said, hugging her back. “Maybe we can do this again some other time?”
“Yes. That would be nice.”
She walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her. After a minute, I realized something. I was stuck on the ground, unable to walk by myself. And nopony else was in the room.
“Darn it!” I said. “Now what do I do?”
Naturally, this is the point at which Blue decided to show up. He was surprised to see me on the ground, but after I explained what had happened, he understood. He helped me back into bed, and ordered me to sleep. He then left. I was tired from my magical exertion, but I was glad I had been able to help Luna.
I laid there, trying to sleep. I was having a problem. Luna kept entering into my thoughts. The gentleness in her eyes. The rich color of her mane. I ordered myself to stop it, but that did no good. I pulled the magic book, which Luna had left behind, over to me. I read through it, absorbing the information it contained. Eventually, I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
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In the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters
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Luna was telling Celestia what she’d been doing. Celestia listened attentively to her younger sister as she described the events of the day. She was intrigued by the caring in Luna’s voice as she talked about Polaris. Luna explained how he’d helped her with her… explosive problem.
“…and that is where I was today.” Luna finished, a dreamy smile on her face.
“Thank you for sharing that with me, Luna.” said Celestia.
She recognized the symptoms. She decided not to say anything. They sat there in silence for a while, then an idea came to Celestia.
“Sister,” she said, “How about you go back tomorrow? I have another council session to attend to, and I think you would be happier if you spent time with your new… friend than sitting still and being quiet for hours.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Luna. “Can I?”
“Certainly.”
“Thank you!” Luna said, and she hugged her sister. She let off a large yawn, and covered her mouth.
“Oh… excuse me. I think I shall go raise the moon, and then sleep until morning.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea.” said Celestia.
Luna exited the room, passing a royal guard who was entering.
“Your highness.” he said, nodding to Luna. She nodded back. He then proceeded to Celestia.
“Your highness,” he said again, bowing, “the pegasi have made a report. The storm will reach us within the next four days.”
“Thank you. Please begin preparing the city for the storm.”
“Yes, your highness.” The guard bowed again, then exited the room.
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The next morning, at the Everfree Hospital
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When I woke, the sun was just rising. The warm rays were making their gradual way down the wall opposite the windows. I watched for a long time, content to remain in one spot for now. I thought about yesterday, about Luna. About her eyes, her star-spangled mane, her smile. I smiled dreamily. Then I stopped. Why do I think about her this way? I was scared of what the answer might be, what it would mean. After a while, Blue came in.
“How're you?” he asked.
“I’m… I’m okay.”
“Good. Then we can work on your leg strength some more.”
I nodded, and let him help me out of bed. My legs were still weak, but they did not shake as much as yesterday. We started walking around the room, me leaning on his shoulder. I wasn’t really paying attention. My thoughts were of Luna. Eventually I realized that we had stopped moving, and Blue was trying to talk to me.
“Polaris?” he said, sounding panicked. “Polaris?!”
“Y-yes?” I said.
“What is wrong with you?! I have been trying to get your attention for several minutes now!”
“You… you have?”
“YES!” He looked upset. “Why didn't you answer me?”
“I was thinking about something else.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“Well, try to think about what we are doing here. You were walking weirdly, and I was trying to help you.”
“Oh.”
“Now, let me adjust your posture.”
He instructed me on how to stand properly, since I had apparently been slouching significantly. Once he had me straightened up, we resumed walking. I paid attention this time, assigning each leg a number. Two, three, one, four, two, three, one, four. I kept the pattern up until I could do it myself. That’s when I noticed that Blue wasn’t standing next to me anymore. I’d been walking by myself for several steps. I looked back at him.
“When did you stop?” I asked.
“Only a few feet back.” he said. ”What is up with you today?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm.”
He came over and walked around me with his horn glowing, inspecting me. After a minute, he stopped and said, “There is nothing physically wrong with you. Well, other than your leg and ribs.”
“Okay.”
“So,” he continued, “there must be another explanation.”
I was feeling nervous, scared that he might figure out what I was too afraid to admit.
“Maybe…” I held my breath, bracing myself.
“…you are hungry.”
I let out my breath in relief. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Well, I think you are well enough to walk to the cafeteria.”
“If you say so Blue.”
We left the room and started walking down the hallway. My legs started to hurt a bit, but I just ignored it. I was sure that was just my lack of experience. As we walked, I told him about Luna’s visit the previous day. He seemed overly interested in the details.
“So she kissed you?” he asked.
“It was an accident.” I protested. “She didn’t mean to.”
“Yes, but did you enjoy it?”
“Ah…um…”
Blue burst out laughing. I gave him a death glare, which just made him laugh harder. He kept shooting me looks out of the corner of his eye, and my expression just kept making him burst out laughing. While he eventually stopped, he kept having to fight back fits of giggles.
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After we’d eaten, we decided to go to the garden. I walked around, enjoying the beautiful day. It was nicer now that I could walk around and smell the flowers. I loved all the new sensations I was feeling. The wind in my coat and mane. The feeling of the ground under my hooves.
I decided to sit down on a bench and rest. I closed my eyes and turned my head into the wind. The shorter fur on my muzzle tickled in the breeze, flowing gently up my nose. After several minutes, I heard the sound of hooves approaching. I opened my eyes and looked around. Luna was walking towards me.
“H-Hi Luna.” I said. “W-What’re you doing here?”
“C-Can I join you? My sister is in a council meeting that will last for hours.”
“S-Sure.” I said. “I don’t mind.”
“Thanks.”
She sat next to me, smiling slightly. I realized that I had a goofy grin on my face. I quickly replaced it with a calmer expression.
“It’s so strange, being here.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It’s all so different. So… new. I can’t remember anything, but I know that I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I don’t know how. I just… know.”
She looked as confused as I felt. I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t understand how I knew these things. I cast around for something to say or do. I looked over at the fountain. I had an idea. I quickly put a spell together in my head. I gathered myself, then lit up my horn.
The water sparkled, and started to move higher. It flowed away from the fountain, and floated around us in graceful arcs. Luna gaped up in amazement. I directed the water to change shape, and it responded. It flexed and shifted, flowing in intricate patterns. It refracted the bright sunlight, sending shimmering colors fluttering over us.
“Are…are you doing this?” she asked, awestruck.
“Yes.”
“It's amazing!”
I manipulated the water back into the fountain, gently letting it down so as to not cause it to splash everywhere. I looked over at Luna, smiling. I had a slight headache, but it had been worth it.
“That was fantastic.” said Luna. “How'd you do that?”
“Well, I used a basic levitation spell. I just modified it to be more specific.”
“But, that must be really complicated.”
“I suppose. But it was beautiful, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes it was. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I answered, also smiling.
Blue walked over to us. “Which one of you did that?” he asked.
“Me.” I said.
“You? How?”
“Just a modified levitation spell.”
“Really? That's it?”
“Yes?”
“Hmm.”
I tried to get off the bench, but instead, I fell to the ground.
“What is it?” asked Blue.
“Dizzy.” I said.
“You're probably just a little tired from that spell.”
“Yeah.”
Once I’d rested a bit, they helped me back to my room. After I was back in my bed, Luna bade me farewell, and left. Blue grinned at me, an eyebrow cocked. I glared at him, which just made him laugh.
“Now,” Blue said, “sleep, so you can get better.”
“Fine.”
I laid back, and closed my eyes. Once I heard the door close, I turned on my side. My head still hurt a little. I closed my eyes again, and let myself drift off.
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In the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters
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Luna was telling Celestia about her day. She sounded excited about what Polaris had done with the water, and concerned when she talked about the aftermath. Celestia smiled. It was obvious to her what was going on, but she didn’t say anything.
“…so, we took him up to his bed, and I left.” Luna finished.
“Thank you,” said Celestia. “He should be better within the next few days.”
“I know.”
Luna and Celestia sat in a companionable silence, occasionally exchanging small scraps of conversation.
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Later that day, at the Everfree Hospital
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When I woke up, my dizziness had subsided. After a while, I reached over and picked up the book Blue had brought, and started to read it again. After a while, Blue came in.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Better.”
“Good.” He paused. “Hungry?”
“Very.”
He smiled. “Thought so.”
He helped me down, and we started walking towards the cafeteria. On our way there, we saw a familiar mare.
“May Breeze?” I called.
“Hmm?” The mare looked over, then smiled. “Oh, hi Polaris.”
“Hi. Where're you going?”
“I was going to get something to eat in the cafeteria.”
“Can we join you?”
“Sure.”
She walked with us. We exchanged small talk as we went. I asked her more about her profession. She explained happily about all the different cloud types she had to deal with. I finally found out how pegasi could touch clouds. Apparently, it’s not just unicorns who have magic. Pegasi have some sort of low-level magic, which explains how they can fly.
After we’d reached the cafeteria, gotten our food, and found a table, we started to eat. While we were there, we talked about unimportant things, which was relaxing. I was glad for their company. It kept my mind off of unpleasant things. When we’d finished there, we decided to go outside.
In the garden, we walked around, enjoying ourselves. I stumbled occasionally, still a little clumsy on my hooves, but otherwise, it was great. After a while, we sat down on one of the benches and relaxed in the afternoon sunlight. Then, they walked me back to my room. Luna was waiting there. She went inside with me.
“Feeling better?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. Um… I brought you a new book.”
She pointed at a book that lay on my nightstand. The title was:
The History of Practical Magic
“T-Thanks.”
“You are welcome.”
We looked at each other for a moment, then she looked away.
“Want to look at it with me?” I asked, not wanting her to leave.
“Sure!” We sat down on the bed, and opened the book.
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Later, when we were about six chapters in, I heard a faint odd whooshing/wheezing sound. It sounded like it was getting closer.
“Can you hear that?” I asked Luna.
“What?” she asked, puzzled.
“That sound.”
Before she could speak, something big and blue fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground with a tremendous CRASH! Luna and I stared at it, dumbstruck. A door opened on the side, and a brown stallion walked out.
“Well, this certainly isn’t Canterlot castle!” he said.
“Who are you?” I asked. “And what is that?”
“Oh, hello!” he said. He wheeled around to face us, giant grin on his face. “I’m the Doctor.”