Chapter 4--Princess Floriana
“Master Wild Flower, I’m here for my lesson. Where are you?” Floriana called out as she entered the massive garden where her magic lessons took place.
Right in front of her eyes, she witnessed her master appear as if from nowhere. “Ah, Floriana. Is it that time already?” the unicorn mare asked her alicorn pupil.
“Yes, it is. Might I ask where you came from just now?”
“I came from the petal of that flower.”
“...How?”
“That’s what I’m going to teach you today. You’ve made tremendous progress with plant control but as with any control magic, it is essential that you know the subject inside and out to get the best results. Your sister learned this with my brother Wild Beast during her animal control teachings. However, animal and plant controls differ. To gain full control of an animal, one must learn everything about that animal via mind meld. To gain full control of a plant, however, requires you to shrink down to observe everything that happens within and without the plant. You must learn the internal processes that govern the plant’s life force as well as the external environment the governs the plant’s ecosystem. When I first took you on as my pupil, I told you that once you completed your studies, I would give you a plant of your own to keep as an everlasting control. Have you decided what plant you want?”
“I would like a large oak tree.”
“Ah, a good choice. The acorns make for wonderful projectiles and its trunk is one of the sturdiest of all trees. If it’s a large oak tree you want, then that is what your lesson will be on. Follow me.” The two mares walked through the garden until they reached the center where a massive oak tree stood. “Now, in order to fully understand everything that goes on in and around this oak tree, you need to shrink down to microscopic size and observe. Would you like to start with its environment or its internal processes?”
“Let’s start with the environment.”
“Very well. Before I teach you the shrinking spell, you will need some defense spells as well. The environment around a plant can often be dangerous so it is important to protect yourself from any threats you may encounter. A simple shield will work in a pinch but it shouldn’t be relied upon. The typical environment of an oak tree will include many animals that enjoy it’s acorns. If you encounter one of these creatures, it will likely be rather upset that you disturbed it. This is easily remedied by a simple Level 1 Stunning Spell. It renders the target unconscious for one hour.” She taught her student the spell and then went on to talk about the shrinking spell. “Now, the Size Spell is a little more complicated, a Level 3 to be precise. Additionally, your magic will weaken on the same scale as your body so it may be more difficult to perform magic. You should know that this Size Spell works in both directions so you simply need to use it again to return to your normal size.” She showed the princess how to perform the spell and set her forth to do it.
Upon casting the spell, Floriana found herself on an oak leaf. She tried to ask her teacher what to do next but Wild Flower couldn’t hear her.
She then heard her teacher’s voice saying, “You will need to perform a Level 1 Volume Spell in order to communicate with me.”
She cast the spell and asked again, “What should I do next?”
“You explore. I’ll be here if you have any questions.”
So that’s what Floriana did. She started walking along the leaf and quickly encountered a caterpillar. “I found a caterpillar, what do I do?”
“If it’s aggressive, you need to stun it and go around. If it’s apathetic, just walk around it.”
“It seems rather apathetic but it’s blocking the path.”
“Fly over it then, you do still have wings.”
“Oh yeah.” She flew over the caterpillar and continued her exploration. She came across various creatures and terrains until she finally decided that she knew everything there was to know about the outside of the oak tree. She returned to her normal size and turned off the Volume Spell to move on to the next part of the lesson. “I’m done exploring the outside.”
“Good, now try moving some parts of the tree. At this point, you should have control of half of the branches and all the leaves and acorns on those branches. If you recall, before today, you were only able to move the parts of a plant in simple ways but now, you should have full control over the parts. Try writing your name with the branches.”
Floriana twisted and contorted the branches that she had control of to spell out her signature, complete with a heart over the ‘i’ and a border around it.
“Very good! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were showing off. Now for Phase 2. You will need the shrinking spell again but since you will be inside the tree, you’re going to need some way of breathing. Any ideas?”
“I’m thinking, a Level 4 Air Bubble Spell?”
“Precisely. Additionally, the immune system of the tree will likely reject you. How do you think you can make it see you as not a threat?”
“Hmm, typically I would use a Level 2 Pheromone Spell but it’s an immune system, not an animal. So, I would have to disguise myself as part of the tree. But how do I do that?”
“A Molecular Make-Up Spell. It’s a Level 7 spell but from what I understand, alicorns have more innate magical energy than regular ponies.”
“That’s true, but a Level 7 plus a Level 4 plus a Level 3? That’s equivalent to a Level 14!”
“I’m glad you can do basic arithmetic but I assure you, it shouldn’t be a problem. Alicorns have enough magical energy to perform up to a Level 30 spell--not that any exist. That’s thrice as much as the normal pony’s Level 10.”
“Wait, I just thought of something. If a normal pony can only perform up to a Level 10, how does a normal pony reach full control?”
“In parts. As you already know, it takes exactly one hour to regain the strength to perform one level of magic. Typically, a normal pony would cast the Size Spell and the Air Bubble Spell and fight through the immune system until his or her magic replenished itself enough to cast the Molecular Make-Up Spell. A second option would be to transfer magic from another pony. But that can be risky because it leaves the other pony in a weakened state.”
“I didn’t know you could transfer magic. How does that work?”
“It’s a spell that not many ponies know because of it’s danger. It’s a Level X spell which means the level depends on how much magic you transfer. What makes it so dangerous is that it’s difficult to regulate exactly how much magic is transferred so the caster often transfers too much, leaving him or herself vulnerable. I can’t teach you because I don’t know it myself. However, I strongly disadvise actively seeking a teacher unless you can find one who has mastered the regulation of the transfer.”
“Understood. Can we get back to the lesson now?”
“Of course. I’ll show you the Molecular Make-Up Spell and then you can go inside the tree.”
He showed her the spell and she cast all three of the necessary spells as well as the Volume Spell to communicate. “Ok, I’m in.”
“Good now just like before, you need to explore the tree and learn about the purpose of everything in it.”
Floriana explored the internal workings of the tree and learned all about constituent elements, pigments, plant hormones, photomorphogenesis, photoperiodism, and of course photosynthesis among other things. When she was done, she cancelled all the spells and returned to her normal size. “All done.”
“Amazing, inside and outside in only 9 hours! That’s a new beginner’s record.”
“But I’m sure that record doesn’t take alicorns into account due to the rarity of our race.”
“True but it’s still amazing. At any rate, you should now have full control of the tree. This includes the ability to uproot it but remember that it receives its nutrients from the soil so be sure to replant it at least thrice a day and water it at least once a day. Now then, why don’t you try it out?”
Floriana cast the Level 3 Control Spell on the tree and turned it into a very ornate throne for herself.
“Not bad,” her teacher praised. “Don’t forget that with full control you can also make it move from its current spot, change its size, and control its growth rate. Try something else.”
Floriana thought for a moment before working her magic to turn the tree into a small self-propelling cart complete with oak flowers for decoration. “What do you think?”
“Clever.” A few miles away, Clover felt a slight tingle, as though his title as the Cleverest Pony was in jeopardy.
“Careful with that word, you might set off Clover’s Clever Detector. He gets weird when other people are called clever.” Clover then relaxed and went to the pantry because he realized that the tingle was simply hunger.
“Well, in any case, you’ve completed all of the lessons I have for you. I congratulate you for graduating my class. As a reward, you get to keep this oak tree as promised.”
“Thank you, Wild Flower. I can’t wait to show my family at the family dinner this Saturday.”
“Well, Floriana, I’m afraid this is the last time I get to see you as a student. I am now proud to call you my equal and my peer. Feel free to stop by any time you like.”
“Until then.” Floriana waved good-bye as she left in her tree-cart.