//------------------------------// // Magic Show and Tell // Story: Eclipse Born // by Seeking Dusk //------------------------------// I was breathing a bit heavily when I got back and retook my seat. Spike had been relocated behind my desk, and the small table I had shifted against the wall to make an open space between myself and the two mares. I got into note taking position. “Set to go. Teach me your secrets, great one.” Twilight chuckled again. “We’ll start with the demonstration. For Lyra’s sake; how did you describe your magic sense?” “It’s primarily interpreted as a sound, musical, but there is also a faint tactile sensation linked to it, with impressions of colour and test coming after that. The more I focus, the more defined each aspect becomes.” It was practically a recital. Twilight had me come up with a set description of my sixth sense as part of the theory. Personally, I thought it was of a sixth through ninth sense, being certain each feeling was something different, but Twilight neither confirmed nor denied it. “That sounds different from what I know,” Lyra admitted. “Caleb’s magic is similar yet distinct from unicorn, even Equestrian magic. It operates similarly in many ways, from the passive aura that all magical creatures possess, protecting them slightly from outside forces, magical and to a lesser extent physical,” Twilight explained to Lyra. “On the other hand, his natural magic aura is less stable than a unicorn’s, shifting and churning slightly even without outside influence. In that way, it’s somewhat more volatile.” “I think is a result of the lower magic levels of my world,” I added. “Different way of casting than here were magic is pretty much everywhere.” “Right now, though, we want to try and get Caleb to perform a spell,” Twilight said, nodding to acknowledge my comment. “Yeah, so how do we do that? Because I don’t really get your magic formulas and what they mean.” I tried but didn’t have the right frame of reference. They were both much cooler and much worse than chemistry and physics formulas. And I just didn’t know how to make my magic do what the formulas said it should be doing. “I have a theory of how to introduce you to what the formulas mean,” Twilight blushed slightly as she passed me a scrap of parchment. “It is one that wouldn’t work with just theory alone.” I smirked, making a noncommittal sound in the base of my throat as I studied the paper. It was a spell formula, written by hand, er, horn. It wasn’t very long, just a few symbols and only one balance. It was annotated in Twilight’s horn-writing, with English characters. “That’s the formula for the basic levitation spell,” Twilight explained, answering my question before I could voice it. “Most unicorns have never seen it, since it comes naturally to them, but I want you to take note of the sections before Lyra casts it.” “Oh, you want me to cast it so he can sense what it an active formula feels like!” Lyra realized. “That’s right,” Twilight grinned. She pointed to her saddle bags. “If you don’t mind?” Grinning, Lyra nodded, and a golden glow encased them. I focused on her, moving closer so I was sitting beside her, watching the light of her horn, carefully listening to the sounds of the spell being cast. She blushed slightly as she lifted the bag, held it for a few moments before moving it in a circle as Twilight directed, finally setting it down on the other side of the room. “So, what was that like?” Lyra asked me. “At first I thought the sound was simple, but it's… deceptively complex,” I admitted, trying to sort through what I felt. “It has a very short sequence of beats that repeat, and a few other chords underneath those that shift and change... ugh... I'm not a musician; I don't know how to describe it properly...” “Don't worry,” Twilight said thoughtful. “You said there were a few beats with some background complexities, correct?” I nodded. “The beats are likely the core of the spell formula.” She trotted over to me, a pointer in her magic, the same song, just in a different voice, on the edge of my senses as she indicating segments of the formula on the parchment. “Those would be these sections here. The other sounds you sensed were the spell variables that dictate the location, velocity, force and resistance of the spell’s effect.” “Those are somewhat outside the basic spell formula, created as the intent of the magic is put through the matrix the formula creates.” "Sure," I shrugged. "You're the expert here." She positively preened at that, but then unfortunately slipped into lecture mood again as she reviewed the theory. "There are four main factors to all spell casting. First; having magic. By that I mean being able to tap and utilize a mana source at will. Unicorns have magic at their disposal naturally, but there are ways to get around it if you try hard enough. Zecora, for example, uses her skills to take the natural magic from objects and ingredients and uses them in her zebra magic. Alchemy and potion making works the same way." "Having magic, right," I said, scribbling on a new page my note book. Twilight tended to get upset if I didn't take notes even if we already covered it, and always brought up that one time I fell asleep in her lecture on Ponyville history in the middle of the night on the train. Besides, this was interesting, considering it was leading up to practical casting. “Wait… didn’t you say only unicorns cast magic? Zecora is an earth pony,” I pointed out. “Zebra, actually,” Twilight correctly. “And she doesn’t actually cast magic spells. She is a shaman. She influences magic and guides it rather than directly casting it.” “Sounds like…” I couldn’t remember the word I was looking for so went with something else, “technicalities, but whatever. What’s next?” “Secondly, you need to have the Intent. For simple spells like levitation and light, being able to imagine the result you want is enough. The formula is so simple that it organises itself based on what the unicorn already sensed from others around her, which is why most have never seen the formula I gave you. More complicated spells start calling for spell formulas to define what the result will be. The spell formula constructs a matrix and defines the mana flow and the final propagation of the matrix's output. A spell formula can be a rhyme, each word being attributed to a concept and metaphysical shape of the final effect, a spell circle or some otherwise defined structure. I could give you a full list if you want,” Twilight looked at me hopefully, her purple eyes sparkling. "Spell... formula..." I murmured. I remembered some of this stuff from the books I had taken and managed to labour partially through. As for her eyes, I was slowly developing a resistance to the witchcraft of a mare’s stare. I snapped my fingers. Semantics! That was the word I was looking for earlier. The other three occupants of the room gave me odd looks. Spike spoke up. “What was that for?” "Nothing important,” I said quickly. The moment had passed. “And no... I'm trying to get levitation down, I can learn the rest later... Wait... can you cast without the formula?” “You can,” Twilight said slowly. “Spell formulas help to regular the power and potency of a spell, and reduce the damage it can cause if it fails or goes out of control, because it sets up a framework.” “Like an explosion in a container,” I reasoned. “Or... a river through a dam. Even if it gets out of control, the bottle, or dam, helps keep it contained. At least more than if it didn't have them.” “There’s also the fact that it’s hard to get magic to do what you want without a formula directing it,” Lyra added. “Pretty much every other time just causes you to burn mana uselessly, sometimes even damaging your horn from the feedback.” “That's right. It's were the third aspect comes in. Aside from Magic and Intent, you also need Will. Will is the belief in the ability for the spell to work, as well as the driving force you give the magic you are channeling. In general, spell can't work unless you start feeding it the magic it needs, and a spell formula can be flawed if you doubt it. Magic is a sensitive force and can be corrupted by the wrong mindset. If you don't have a prepared spell formula, will can substitute, but then you would be dealing with the raw power of the magic and spell with no protection for yourself if your focus slips.” “Wait, wait wait…” I said, holding up my pen. “That unicorn foal at Sugarcube Corner. Pumkin, I think her name is. I saw her doing all sorts of power stuff. Like flying that one time.” Crusader’s leaping at you was terrifying. A baby unicorn flying at you was horrifying. Those eyes… “Actually,” Twilight said, a hoof at her chin, “There is a theory that Will based magic is how newborn and young unicorn foals are able to produce such fantastic magic effects. With their younger minds, there is little to confound their mindset aside from the present desire, so they can cast spells that would normally be of a high level.” “I read that paper,” Lyra nodded. Twilight looked at her with surprise. “What? Did you think just because my cutie mark is a lyre I never look up magic research? I’m always looking for ways to play better. Anyway, they proposed that when a unicorn’s mind starts to develop and expand, their will isn’t strong enough to power the crudely defined intent.” “So the more you think, the harder it is to do it freestyle,” I nodded, jotting that down. It made sense. “You have to keep your focus.” "That’s right. Focus is the last factor.” Twilight looked pleased that I stumbled on it on my own. “It's both mental and physical. You have to concentrate on your magic to work a spell. How much concentration depends on the spell itself. Simple levitation hardly takes any concentration at all, while a barrier like the one my brother can cast might start failing if you don't keep some of your awareness on it. A physical focus is what you use to safely manipulate the magic energies without hurting themselves.” “So are we ready to have Devoted here give it a try?” Lyra asked. “Devoted?” Spike asked, confused. “Don’t ask,” I groaned. “But seriously. Practical time.” “That’s what we are planning to do. Unicorns focus their magic through their horns,” Twilight did a little flourish of her head to bring attention to hers, “ and Zecora manipulates external magic with her hooves, but she might be an exception. I have never really researched her magic. We know you can safely channel magic, so that's no problem. I believe you use your hands, however.” “Hands really are amazing, aren’t they?” Lyra mused, looking at mine with a strange expression. “They let you do so much, even without magic.” “They are pretty cool, aren’t they?” I said happily, dotting my last 'i' and crossing my last 't' with a flourish. I teasingly flicked her ear and she pulled her head back, startled, before joining in on the laugh Spike and I were sharing. “Pay attention,” Twilight said sternly. “We are supposed to be practicing.” “Sorry, sorry. Carry on,” I said, waving my hand at her. Twilight looked mollified and looked around the room contemplatively, then walked over to the fireplace and started rummaging in the chimney with a hoof, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, ears flicking as she searched about. “We practice with a chimney?” I asked. “How is that…” My thought cut off when she pulled a red and blue ball out from inside the chimney. “What the actual... you keep a ball in your chimney? Inside the room you gave me as an office? Isn't that... sorta unsafe?” “I don't,” Twilight said defensively, her tail flicking with nervousness. “But Pinkie does. For ball emergencies.” “Ball… emergencies…” I looked over at Lyra. She merely shrugged. “Pinkie Pie,” Lyra said. As if that answered anything. Spike was grinning for some reason. “Pray tell, do I want to know what a ball emergency is?" I said after giving my temple a good rub. When it came to the Pink Menace, it was pretty much a 50/50 shot if you wanted to know. Either you did, or you really didn’t. “Well... the last time Cerberus ran off from guarding the gates of Tartarus and I had to use a ball to lure him back to his post,” Twilight said. “...” My jaw hung open for a while. “You're going to catch flies,” Twilight commented, rapping me on the nose with her pointer. Spike’s laughter increased. She set the ball in the middle of the room and put a book beside it. She cast a glance at Lyra and my positions, then adjusted the spacing between the two objects. “The ball is easier to target, being yielding in case you put too much pressure on it, and being a sphere, making enveloping the tactile field around it a simpler task. “Lyra, I’d like you to use your levitation on the book,” Twilight instructed. “Caleb, if you would put your hand near Lyra’s horn I’d like you to try to mimic the spell as best as you can.” “I can try,” Caleb said, positioning himself as instructed by Twilight. He flexed his fingers a few times and held his hand a few inches from Lyra’s horn. “Okay. Ready. I think.” “You think?” Lyra asked, pulling back so she could look over my hand. “First time allowed to try and cast a real spell here,” I glared back at her. I wagged the index finger of the hand she was supposed to be under. “Now get back in place so we can try this.” “The theory is sound,” Twilight interjected. “Even the projected errors are mainly Caleb’s attempt to replicate the spell failing.” “You aren’t exactly inspiring confidence,” Lyra muttered with a weak grin. “Come on, Lyra,” I pleaded. “Just because Twilight is horrible at reassurance-” “Hey!” Twilight protested, frowning at me. Lyra chuckled. “You are,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “That was just horrible.” “But despite that, I really want to try and work some magic and you want to see some human magic.” I tried bribery. “I’ll buy you something if anything goes wrong.” “Fine, I’ll hold you to that,” Lyra hummed happily, getting back into position. “Ready Twilight.” “Then you can begin.” Did Twilight sound a bit… huffy? Nah… She wasn’t petty like that to hold a grudge over the comments about her poor reassurance skills. Anyway, I shifted my attention to the glow around Lyra’s horn and the simple beat I interpreted it’s spell formula as. The book rose across the room, and I distantly heard Twilight telling Lyra to keep it steady. My focus stayed on Lyra’s magic, the world around me fading out as I ignored everything else. Music was the easiest way to describe my sense, but I was starting to realize it wasn’t quite the right description either. Spell formula became patterns in the mana flow as a spell was performed. I could almost see Lyra’s magic, though visualize might be the better term. Gold magic played across my senses, ringing with Lyra’s unique signature, tangy and tingly, unlike Twilight’s warm and spicy one. I could see the patterns, the ways the mana was channeled and turned in the spell. I reached for my own magic and tried to match it, but I was still having trouble actually getting my magic to do more than just flow around. I think Twilight said something, but I wasn’t sure. I kept my focus on the spell weaving attempted. This was supposed to be the simplest of spells, I should be able to pull it off. So I dug a bit deeper, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, what was different between my magic and Lyra’s. The annoying thing about magic was that it got more and more complicated the more I focused on it. There were more… patterns and arrangements under the basic spell. I slipped back into that inner void as I tried to match my magic to her’s, yanking and tugging at my mana flows as what I interpreted as an increasingly complex pattern unfolded before me. No… don’t try to mimic it, it’s too complex for that. Take some, sample it and impress it on your magic, Memorize it then Recall it. Right. Twilight said my magic was different from a unicorns, more volatile. I was approaching thing from a unicorn’s point of view, not my own. The three times I could remember using magic were more forceful. Clamping down on Twilight’s and pressuring it back out with similar and greater force, flaring in response to Rainbow’s aura, and the faintest memory, the one I didn’t tell them; feeling that power falling from the sky and it crashed into the library, harnessing it. I had skimmed some of Twilight’s higher level magic books. I didn’t understand them, but I realized I unconsciously made a spell circle of some sort when I set up the display, and the glowing pages were components primed with my passive magic, magic that grabbed whatever it was the eclipse made and took it in. So I did that. I heard a faint cry of shock, felt it ripple through Lyra’s magic as I used the magic connection to subvert the levitation spell, and another two from further away. Twilight pushed me away from a shaken, wide-eyed Lyra, I could feel her magic pressing against my chest as I was forced several feet back. The portions of Lyra’s golden aura was dragged along, tugged away by green tendrils of my magic. I hit the ground with a thump, tripping over my feet as I was pushed away. Confused, I stared at my hand, gold an green aura’s mingling around it, feeling Lyra’s signature tingling at my fingertips. Still slightly dazed from the abrupt transition from my headspace to the real world, I couldn’t find my voice. “What did you do?” Twilight demanded, head lowered and her horn still glowing as she held a spell charged ready to be unleashed on little notice. “Lyra, are you okay?” Spike asked, no less confused than anyone else in the room. “I think so,” Lyra said, sounding a bit woozy. She even looked a bit unsteady on her hooves. “What happened?” I finally managed to ask, still focused on the glow. The green was eating away at the gold, and I felt Lyra’s signature fade away, and my own magic taking up attributes of the far more complex pattern I found under her spell. “You should be telling me!” Twilight said, her aggressive stand easing some, perhaps since I seemed as confused as they were, but her horn not dimming. She narrowed her eyes at me. “You were unresponsive for over a minute. Lyra couldn’t stop her mana flow, even after she cancelled her spell. It was like you locked it in place.” My aura had finally faded and I scratched absently and slowly at my arm, feeling a bad itch starting. “I… don’t know. I was trying to copy the spell and…” “Well, you did,” Spike said, pointing a claw to the center of the room. Beside the books were pieces of red and blue rubber. “Your magic surrounded the ball and just popped it.” “I did that?” I didn’t remember getting the spell after all that effort. The itching started spreading, crawling up my arm and into my torso and I looked down irritably and I realized I could still feel my magic flowing inside me. My vision slowly took on a green tint as magic caused my eyes to glow from within. “Is something wrong Caleb?” Twilight asked. I couldn’t quite make out the details of the magic patterns I was hearing. But they sounded like the one I found under Lyra’s spell. And it was growing stronger. I started panicking as green spots started spreading over me, the itching and crawling sensation increase in intensity. “Twilight, what’s happening?” I asked desperately. She was the teenage magic genius in the room. My magic continued to go wild, out of my control as it started cascading, building up inside me. What was normally a comforting feeling within had become a searing pressure, crawling painfully through my body. My view was slowly becoming more obscured as the green glow intensified. “He’s having a magic surge!” Twilight yelped. I saw her move to stand between Lyra, Spike and myself. In the confines of the room, there wasn’t much room for them to move around. A flash of purple was the last thing I saw before my vision completely filled with brilliant green light. My body started experiencing spasms, painfully hitting my head on the ground at one point. The brilliant glow and ironic lack of vision as a result of its brightness completely disoriented me as uncontrollable twitches continued. I felt the ground fall away. Everything burned as my magic surged, until all I could feel was that hybrid of pain and numbness that came with an injection, except it came from everywhere. It was only by the blessings of all things sweet and holy that the peak lasted only a second before everything stopped, like a thread tugged too hard. Magic fizzled around me in little eddies I felt more than saw since I could barely make out anything as my pupils tried to adjust from the light. I hit the ground with a solid thump, apparently having been suspended into the air on my magic waves. Which was actually pretty awesome. I just needed to work on the landing. Sore and numb, my body feeling like it had been auditioning for a punching bag then ladened down with bags of sand, my head was pounding and my back felt like something decided to use if for a short Riverdance. I was pretty sure I hadn’t felt that beaten up since… ever, actually. I was probably worse when I first landed in Equestria, but I was unconscious the whole time. My eyes finally recovered enough that the sploshes of bright colours resolved into pony shaped blobs and the spots resolved into the eddies and sparks of residual magic I had been feeling. Blinking slowly, I let my eyes get themselves back in gear. “Okay… I officially suck at magic,” I groaned, my throat feeling like gravel. This was the third time I did anything near a real spell, counting my crash landing, this attempt and the reaction to Rainbow. Okay, so that last one wasn’t a spell anymore than my little night light tricks were. But the other two. “Ca… Caleb?” Twilight asked tentatively. It took some effort, but I focused my attention at her. For a moment I wondered why half the room had a purple tint before realizing I was under a magic barrier. Twilight and the others were outside it, and considering the scorched nature of the flooring within it, I could see the logic of it. Magic Surges were not good for housekeeping. I didn’t get the confused looks on their faces. “Yes Twilight, I will get up in a moment… just give me… five more minutes to nap.” I really wanted to nap. Magic fatigue from the surge most likely. I shifted my arm and noticed it was still green from the magic. Oh joy. I rolled my eyes then froze in shock. “Caleb… are you okay?” Twilight asked slowly. I opened my mouth slowly, but the only sound to issue out what a high pitched whine as I tried to process the green appendage sticking out of at the top of my field of vision. That whine continued until I ran out of air, but that didn’t stop my lungs from trying to keep it up, air or no air. “Oh, ponyfeathers!” Twilight said quickly, dropping the barrier and quickly rushing over to kick me in the ribs, forcing me to abandon the panic squealing and making me cough instead. At least it got me breathing regularly. Lyra was a short distance behind her, Spike following but still holding back. “Twilight… why do I have a horn?” I asked in a high pitched squeak, fighting to get my stiff limbs moving, which only brought up another fact. “Twilight, why do I have HOOVES!” “I don’t know!” Twilight said, starting to panic as much as I was. She looked at Lyra, who looked back at Twilight, since she was the one who was supposed to have all the answers to things like this. “I don’t know!” Twilight’s panic made my panic worse and I started hyperventilating. I turned into a talking pony… I turned into a talking pony… I TURNED INTO A TALKING PONY! Naturally, my eyes rolled in my skull and I collapsed, passing out. ---------- “Power… this magic is power.” What..? “Power not like the rest. Magic alike yet different.” It was void with colours swirling all around. And someone was talking. “Learn to use it, control it, master it.” I felt the ground under my feet, and a drab featureless surface expanded outwards. A mirror stood in front of me. Shown in it I was a hash up of what I expected and why I glimpsed before I passed out. Green skin, not Lyra’s pale powdery green, mint green I think it was, but a darker green, a horn jotting from my forehead. It was a dream. Thanks to Luna, I had learned to realize when they were happening, not that it was hard in this case. I suppose this was my subconscious telling me something? Of course, that same skill let me realize turning into a talking magic pony wasn’t a dream. Oi… The mirror was strange though. An ornate frame, with dark gems set in it, reflecting nothing but that strange hybrid image, not the chaotic environment. around me. I blinked and the image changed. His skin was a darker and more drab green, his eyes a paler gold, his outfit a more formal take on what I had been wearing. “Magic Surges are the start, a taste of true skill. Learn it, not recoil from it,” It said, shifting back to a normal reflection when it was done. “Sure… mess around with the thing that turned me into a GOD FORSAKEN PONY!” I yelled at myself, my subconscious. My dreams were ripping off the Dresden Files. Lovely. The mirror flickered again and the other me returned. “Humans fear the unknown, then face it and tame it.” My subconscious looked faintly smug before it flickered back into a simple reflection. “You are an idiot. Capital I; Idiot!” I snapped at my reflection. I was arguing with myself. It was a dream, those types of things made sense there. “I admit, once I got over my hardheadedness about it, the idea of magic was awesome. But this? No way, no how, just no. Give me one good reason why I should. I dare you!” “Because it is the way home. Riding magic brought you here. Learning it might take you back.” I stared blankly at the mirror, the gestalt image a simple reflection once more. Somehow I knew it wasn’t going to come with another comment. I punched it, the reflective surface only rippling as if it were fluid. “Your dreamscape is in turmoil,” a familiar voice commented from behind me. Hoofsteps followed it, in typical dream logic and something like a cold breeze brushed across my skin/fur. Dreams. Their logic was odd. “Hey Luna,” I sighed. There wasn’t much point to ignoring her. Having acknowledged her, her reflection showed up in the mirror as well. “You should have called. I would have cleaned up some, got some treats ready.” “If you can manage flippancy, I assume you are recovering your state of mind,” the Princess of the Night, Dreamwalker and Darkstalker said, sounding relived. “I… suppose? I’m not sure, to be honest. Had a chat with the subconscious for one.” I turned and shrugged at her. Something occurred to me and my brow furrowed. “Wait… what are you doing Dreamwalking this time of the day. Or have I been out for a long time? Am I in a coma?” “No, Caleb,” Luna smiled, bopping me gently on the head with a wing. “It has been little more than an hour. Young Twilight sent a letter to my sister informing her of your accident. It seems you suffered a somewhat spectacular Magic Surge and transformed yourself into a unicorn using a powerful spell unknown to Celestia’s apprentice. “Between the shock of the revelation, the strain of the spell and the mana fatigue, you passed out, startling Twilight and Miss Lyra Heartstrings. When we found out, I came to check on your wellbeing,” Luna explained for my benefit. “I suspect some of the turmoil we see here is due to mana damage and will rectify itself shortly. My presence will help in that regard.” “Great. I managed to mess up that bad, huh? Lovely.” I sighed again and moved to rub my temples, only to hit the horn. I tentatively poked at it before groaning. Pointed up in a vague gesture, I had to ask. “Still a pony out there?” “As far as we are aware, yes,” Luna nodded. She shrugged her wings, and action that seemed rather casual for a princess of a nation. “As I said, it was quite spectacular. I suspect Twilight will be able to devise a counter spell for you.” “Thank God,” I muttered. Realizing how it sounded, I hastily tried to apologize. “Not that ponies are bad or anything but-” “There is no reason to panic,” Luna laughed. She cocked her head as she picked up one of those signs only she was aware of. “I am well aware that you aren’t a pony, and unexpected and unwanted transformations are quite unsettling. It appears you will be waking shortly. I will tell Celestia that you are fine.” I wanted to ask about her experience with unexpected transformations, but I filed it away in the ‘Later’ list. “Thanks for the visit though, Luna. I might not have reacted well to waking up… Still might not, but it should be better.” “In that regard… let me leave you with a gift.” Luna’s horn glowed softly, magic quickly running and collecting at the tip. A small white marble drifted from it and into mine. I admit I shuddered and flinched slightly at that, something Luna had the gall to chuckle at. “Ow… that sort of smarted,” I rubbed at the horn. “What was that?” “Just a bit of knowledge of how to use your temporary new form. As humorous as it would be, it will not do for you to flop about like a newborn.” I rolled my eyes at her, but smiled. “Thanks Luna. Extra sweets next time you visit.” “I shall hold you to that,” Luna said, spreading her wings and flying upwards as the dream frayed. ---------- “He’s coming around!” someone said as I stirred. I tentatively opened on eye and saw the living wood ceiling of the library and a portion of a horn. I opened the other, blinking a few times before looking around. I was still in my ‘office’, lying in the sitting couch. A mare was nearby, white coat and a pale pink mane. I knew her, having met her the day before. Nurse… Redheart. “Didn’t I tell you not to get into any more trouble?” she said with mock sternness. I carefully raised my left arm. A green foreleg ending in a dark hoof responded instead. I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering breath. Easy does it. I managed a sheepish grin at her. “To be fair, the trouble got into me, this time.” She snorted and started packing up a kit as Twilight and Lyra came into the room, one carrying books in her magic, the other a small box held in her mouth. Twilight spoke up first. “Caleb! I’m so glad you’re okay! When you fainted I had no idea what to do!” “Not so loud please,” I winced. I felt my new pony ears press against my skull. I really hoped Twilight would be able to work out a counter spell before I got a chance to become acquainted with all the nuances of pony anatomy. Speaking of which... Yep. I was naked under the covered. I suppose that made sense to them, just not so much to me. I shifted the blanket for a bit more protection. “Sorry,” Twilight said in a softer tone. Lyra dropped the box on the table. “I had Bon Bon make this up for you. It’s a recovery box. All of the best post- injury, sickness, pain, break up and or other mishap sweets in one container.” “Thanks Lyra,” I murmured, distracted by the pony ears that kept flicking around. It was annoying and distracting. I wanted to rub them or rub my temple, but considering I was waiting for someone to hurt themselves facehoooving, I didn’t want to be my own victim. “Um… dare I ask where my clothes are?” “They weren’t exactly made for a pony,” Lyra said, rolling her eyes. “They were tangling you up so we had to get them off you.” “You should be fine from this point,” Nurse Redheart said to me as she was buckling her saddlebags around her barrel. “Barring further incidents.” “So there is nothing else wrong with him?” Twilight asked. “As far as I can tell, he is a healthy unicorn,” Redheart confirmed before tipping her head in my direction. “Unfortunately, that’s the problem since he should be a healthy human. But as far as medicine is concerned, he would have been checked out already. Hardly an injury on him aside from the bruises and fatigue. It won’t hurt to keep us at the hospital appraised, though.. You do plan to get this remedied?” I nodded vigorously. “So much yes.” “Well, I expect to hear from you in the near future,” Redheart said in her cheerful bedside manner. “Have a good day.” I waited until I heard the front door open and close before I looked over at Twilight. “Please tell me you can fix me.” “I… I believe so,” Twilight said. “You hesitated there,” I pointed out. “Honestly, you created a new spell in your Surge, and I’m still trying to determine the details of it, but I can tell it is an active spell, so I only need to break it,” Twilight said, this time with more confidence. “That’s all?” Lyra said, rearing back before letting out an exasperated puff of air. “Everything will be fine. It won’t take any time at all. We’ll have you back on your own two feet by the end of the day. Nothing to worry about at all.” I stared at Lyra in abject horror as she uttered the words that were likely to be a curse. There were just some things you didn’t, ever say. Never. Before I could stop myself I swung my arm, foreleg, up and hit myself in the face. “What? What did I say?” Lyra asked, baffled as to why I was glaring at her.