Chapter 21: That
“Hey did you hear?” At the sound of Runner’s excited voice I groaned. I fingered the metallic band on my hoof. I considered just turning into a human and trying my hand at teleporting. Instead, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and turned around, giving Runner an inquisitive look.
“No, Runner, I live under a rock," I said a little sarcastically.
Runner gave me a hurt look.
“Wow, okay. What crawled under your coat today?”
I shook my head, Runner didn’t deserve that.
“Sorry, just a lot on my mind right now," I replied timidly. I trotted forward, favouring my left side. Runner glanced at the bandage on my right foreleg. He gave me a worried prod with a hoof.
“Hey, how’d you hurt yourself?”
“Magical accident.”
Runner laughed, nudging me again, this time with his shoulder.
“Yeah, Harmonica, big surprise. Are you sure you’re a unicorn? With your aptitude in magic you should be born an Earth pony.”
“Runner!” I heard Golden call out in a shocked tone. “That’s tribalist! Haven’t you learnt anything from Hearth’s Warming Eve?”
Runner rolled his eyes as Golden and Wavey cantered up to meet us.
He still apologised though.
“Sorry, I forgot that one of your parents was an Earth pony," he mumbled sheepishly.
Golden glared at Runner for a second before giving me a smile.
“Don’t listen to Runner, he’s as proficient in magical theory as you are in magical practice. You two are the opposites of the thaumic spectrum. Runner is brash, irresponsible and dumb-“
“Hey!”
“-But he’s got a good sense in athleticism and at least he won’t let you down.”
“Aww, okay that’s-“
“For the right amount of pudding.”
“Hey!”
I chuckled at the back-and-forth between my friends as they needled each other. I grinned and quickly amended that to Golden verbally demolishing Runner’s credibility in… well, everything.
“And the last time, when you crashing into that wall-“
“Okay, okay, I get it! Yeesh!” Runner spoke desperately, waving his hooves in front of Golden. “No need to reveal it to everypony.”
I cocked my head. Hmm, perhaps I would pry it out of Golden later. Not that any juicy gossip would need prying out of Golden.
“Uhm, what were you two talking about before?” Wavey asked, in her characteristically shy tone. “Runner looked pretty excited.”
Runner nodded enthusiastically, leaping in front of us and making grandiose poses.
We all sat on our flanks to view Runner’s enthusiastic ‘theatre’ performance.
“I’m sure all of you have heard of the new Prince’s latest magical trick?” he began, sweeping his gaze across us and making a sweeping gesture with his hoof. We all nodded, some with more enthusiasm than others.
“It’s so fantastic!” Golden babbled ecstatically, she was vibrating on the spot with barely repressed energy. “We might even see the Prince!”
Wavey nodded.
“I’d like to see the alien," she mumbled but her voice contained a healthy measure of anticipation.
I rolled my eyes.
“I doubt it, nopony has seen the Prince around except on rare occasions when he’s home in his house," I commented, feigning ignorance. Besides there wouldn’t be a Prince when I was here, right?
Wavey drooped at that but Golden perked up.
“Maybe he’s on dangerous missions for the Queen! He’s probably somewhere out there battling evil monsters and bringing back treasures for Equestria!”
I chuckled at that.
Or maybe he’s in school, learning magic.
Runner cleared his throat, slightly annoyed at the interruption. We all gave varying degrees of apologies as he carried on with a gregarious flourish.
“So, you may know all that about the Prince but I’ve got recent news that we will be visiting the Prince himself!”
Golden and Wavey gave cheers, while I continued to look puzzled.
I didn’t agree to this, did I?
Runner looked at me quizzically.
“Is something wrong, Harmonica?” he asked, trotting up to me. I waved away his concerns with my hoof.
“Ah it’s nothing. I’m just dubious about meeting the Prince at the visit, that’s all.”
Runner made an affirmative grunt.
“Yeah well, we’re really visiting the tree but I think we might be able to see the Prince, if we’re lucky!”
I sighed silently in relief.
Runner glanced at the sky.
“Oh, we better get moving, we don’t have much time before class starts!” he yelled as he dashed forward. Golden, Wavey and I got to our hooves and followed at a more languid pace. I could never get used to telling the time just by looking at the position of the sun. Give me a watch any day. It’s a shame it wouldn’t fit around my foreleg. Well, even if it did it would sort of give it away wouldn’t it?
Sweetberry was no longer our teacher, she only taught the introductory lessons. Instead, we had an energetic mare by the name of Purligravy Skies, who was just as fun as her name sounded. The mare had a mane and tail of four coloured streaks of grey, violet, azure and even pink, making her stand out even when she wasn't exuberantly conveying the fun of knowledge and learning to her students. Her flanks were covered with a comet cutie mark with a dazzling sparkling tail. She would joke that her contrail represented the sparkle in her students’ eyes when she imparted a particularly interesting fact or knowledge.
I liked Purligravy because she always devoted time after classes to help me with conceptual problems. To say that she was prodigy in teaching was kind of like saying that Beethoven kinda made okay music. I learnt more under her than I ever did in the last two years since coming to this school. Embarrassingly, I also learnt this week what an open-ended spell matrix could do if I didn’t control the power output appropriately.
Magical fallout was a doozy.
When we approached the class I could hear the excitement of the other students like the buzzing of bees near a hive. When all us entered we quickly took our seats just before Purligravy trotted in.
“Okay class! Hooey, do we have a treat for you today!” Purligravy exclaimed with her usual animated hoof-waving. The rest of the class knew what was coming, using information lines that were privy to foals like Runner, but they held their breaths anyway. Everypony was intent on hearing the big reveal of an official announcement.
Purligravy paused, she couldn’t resist the dramatics.
“We’re going to see the Tree of Harmony!” she cheered as the rest of the class joined in. I grimaced. I didn’t even know it had a title.
Reluctantly, I followed the rest of the class, as they headed out the door tailing as close as they could to the teacher. They all showed an eagerness that I lacked. After all, who could be proud of such a resounding failure that put Discord and I at life-threatening risk? What could be worth that kind of sacrifice? I shook my head. A pretty little ornament would never be worth that kind of risk that I put Discord in.
I concentrated, hard.
Telekinesis was possible in every part of your body you just had to concentrate enough. For unicorns it was a simple matter of propagating the magical charge for the spell matrix through their horns. For humans, as I’ve found out, our fingers were a good focal point. You could point, you could channel the energy through the tips, you could push that energy through the hands into objects that act as conduits and pretty much everything we could touch.
What gave me an advantage over the unicorn horns was the fact that I had ten fingers while unicorns only used one horn. Star Swirl was able to use his hooves in addition to his horn, which was particularly useful in emergencies. The only drawback with having so many exits for my energy was there was often leakage, which meant I was less efficient. There was also difficulty in controlling ten fingers at once. Finally, the output decreased by a factor of how ever many fingers I was using.
So really, it didn’t mean I had more power, just a bit more flexibility. In terms of aptitude and raw ability Star Swirl definitely outclassed me by far. I envied the ease for which the unicorn could manipulate the energy streams and construct the spell matrices. Sometimes, when I get time off to visit Discord while he worked as an assistant to Star Swirl, I would observe the unicorn at work. To be honest Discord and I would not differ in our roles that much, only by title. Star Swirl was an expert that rarely needed help.
He was eternally fascinated with my snap mechanism, though.
I found it out by accident, actually. One time I was pointing at a stubbornly still stone. It sat small, round and taunting on the floor. I was having trouble recalling the spell matrices required to produce levitation. I couldn’t get the image of Sweetberry lifting the stone so easily out of my head. I snapped my fingers, trying to recall the spell matrix formula. Unbeknownst to me, the stone had already lifted into the air and it floated serenely in the air above the floor.
So wrapped up I was in trying to figure out the formula that I was suddenly alerted to a sharp pain in my fingers as the accumulated mana that I had placed in my fingers had run out. I yelped in surprise and sucked on my fingers. A thump to the left of me made me jump and I had panicked until I realised it was just the rock which had thud into the wooden floor.
I tried to recreate the circumstances. I tried snapping my fingers, concentrating and then snapping my fingers and everything in between. I finally found out that I needed to channel the mana into my fingers first, then execute the spell, with the added spell matrix formed in my head as an image.
I was pleasantly surprised by the development. Recently, I had been disheartened with the lack of progress with the spells and formulas. I understood the theory but both my human side and my pony side had been lacking. Although my pony form was lacking in practicality, I finally had a way to cast spells with relative ease.
It was as easy as snapping my fingers.
I still had a long way to go, I still needed to learn all the spell matrices, but they were easier to encode in a series of images instead of formulas and equations. So far though, I couldn’t get Star Swirl to replicate the effect. He was endlessly fascinated by the act of snapping my fingers bringing forth such spells with ease. He postulated that it was similar to reciting words, or drawing diagrams on the floor, the snap gave something for the spell caster to focus on. I thought that the theory was a bit weak but I couldn’t offer a better alternative.
Unicorns had the advantage of years of tailored theories, the Reading Room had little resources on non-pony magic, I know, I looked. Even though I had difficulty reading the unwieldy language, I was slowly getting better. Some sentences I needed help with, Tempora had assigned me a scribe in the beginning years so I wouldn’t be held back in my written assignments, but I made good progress when Star Swirl requested I submit some reports on major findings I had made with non-pony magic.
Star Swirl wasn’t bad as an instructor, I found, he was just… eccentric and excitable. Oftentimes, even in mid-lecture he would dash off as he had an inspired idea. I once asked him about his developments within teleportation (even though I loathed the topic in general) and Star Swirl had explained it quite well until he set about modifying the current spell matrix mid-lecture on the anchor points within trans-spatial travel. It irked me slightly but the unicorn had a thought track like my father.
I didn’t really know what to do about my father. I knew what he done to me was wrong, but whenever I saw him I’d freeze up. I loved my Dad and I knew that he did have my interests at heart and deep down… I was afraid of losing him. I didn’t want to lose anyone else. Once was plenty enough for eternity.
“Harmonica!” Runner yelled at me impatiently. “What are you doing gawking around there? Hurry up and bring that with you, we’re going!”
I lurched into motion automatically. I hadn’t realised the book had dropped onto the ground beneath my hooves. The magic must have cut off through my horn when I drifted off there. The book was Magical Theories and Manifestations II. A cornerstone to every branch of magic. If I got bored on the trip, I would read it. I quickly slipped it into my saddlebag and skittered to catch up with the rest of the class with Runner.
——
We were all walking to the castle, near where my forest was. The class had initially complained that walking was something they weren’t used to, with the majority of the foals here were carted here by carriages and chariots on a regular basis.
I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and admire the scenery. Every now and again I liked to look around me and just appreciate what was around me. Sometimes, I would concentrate on a particular thing. Perhaps the blueness of the skies. Perhaps the scent of flowers. Perhaps the rustle, hustle and bustle of ponies passing me by and interacting around me.
This time, it was the feeling of the cool breeze that blew through my mane and tussled the strands. It was a refreshing feeling and I let myself go a bit, smiling.
“Harmonica, you listening?” Golden pouted. I snapped out of my daze.
Runner rolled his eyes.
“He’s doing that weird thing again where he ‘appreciates nature’," Runner scoffed, giving me a long-suffering look.
I grinned at him.
“Perhaps you should try it sometimes, it might make you more focused," I replied easily, trotting up to him as he opened his mouth to retort.
Wavey beat him to it, fixing him with two aquamarine eyes.
“A little introspection might not be enough to fix him," she added softly.
Golden and Runner stopped in their tracks as Wavey and I cantered past them.
“Uhu-wha-what?” Runner said incoherently.
Golden burst out laughing.
“Our little Wavey growing up and having a go at Runner!” she cheered, giving the now blushing and slightly smug Wavey a tight hug. I grinned as Runner finally broke out of his funk of disbelief and give Wavey a challenging stare.
“You know, this won’t make you neutral anymore, right?” he warned Wavey, giving her an intense stare.
Wavey was strangely unfazed.
“I was always on Harmonica’s side," she quipped, joining me.
“Traitors! The lot of you!” he shouted indignantly as we giggled.
I bounded back to Runner and threw a hoof over his shoulders.
“Nah Runner, we’re only kidding we’re all on the same side.”
Runner rolled his eyes.
“Yeah I know Harmonica, sometimes you can be so serious.”
I gave him a wry smile.
“It’s only because I worry about you," I stated, sincerely.
Runner gave me a smile.
“Sometimes it’s your intelligence.”
“Hey!”
“Or your propensity to get into dangerous situations.”
“He- oh okay I’ll give you that one.”
“But mainly it’s your intelligence.”
“Hey!”
I laughed.
“Only kidding, come on, the rest of the class has gotten ahead.”
Runner glanced at Golden and they nodded at each other.
In a burst of explosive movement they bolted, leaving Wavey and I in the dust.
“Heh, Runner will always like a good race," I commented.
Wavey nodded.
“He would never pass up an opportunity to beat somepony at a challenge," she replied astutely. She glanced around.
“We’re last in the class," she observed and I glanced back, confirming,
“Hmm you’re right. Not like it is the first time for me but oh well," I said, noticing the various stalls and stands as we found ourselves in the markets again. A wrinkled green hoof waved at me and I recognised the elderly pony.
“I’ll be right with you," I told Wavey, veering my course to meet the aged mare. “Go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”
Wavey nodded and waved a hoof at me in a small farewell. She picked up the pace to catch up with the rest of the class. Once I confirmed that Wavey was out of earshot I addressed the venerable ancient.
“Griselda," I greeted warmly as she wrapped her wrinkled hooves around me in a small hug. “It’s good to see you.”
She eyed me critically. After a pause she nodded.
“True," she croaked drily. “What brings you here, Harmony?”
I smiled at the sharp dam.
“I remember the second time I visited you and you identified me directly by my name.”
Griselda nodded slowly, her wizened frame sinking into a chair that occupied the sole space in her small awning.
“Your existence as a pony-that-was-not-a-pony was not difficult to conclude-“ she eyed me with milky-white orbs “-after a good look.”
I chuckled at that.
I know there were always parallels to blind people seeing the future and prophesies in fantasy but Griselda was just a very perceptive pony. Her eyesight barely hindered her scrutiny. Slight pauses, hesitations, our shifts in our stances and the way we choose our words all point to whether we tell lies or truth.
Griselda had played a game of twenty questions with me but it only took ten questions to arrive at the conclusion that I was the Prince of Equestria, Harmony. Half of them were not even spoken questions.
Griselda was good at what she did.
Her small stall was surreptitiously stocked with a variety of apples but hidden within the depths of her little back alcove was a myriad of herbs, potions and chemicals. She dabbled with a little spell craft, despite being an Earth pony.
Her mastery was unparalleled across the alchemical arts and I found myself both an avid learner and sometimes, a teacher of the traditional magics. Griselda seemed grateful that we could supplement each other’s knowledge on certain subjects. She didn’t think much of her queen and I didn’t either, I mean she dismissed Griselda because she lived here. With her skills and knowledge, she was easily the equal of many unicorns.
Earth ponies had the most difficulty with channelling magic. Channelling magic through the hooves was a task I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The hooves had exceptionally poor conductivity for directed mana flow. Instead, the magic tended to flow in an osmosis-like fashion. This simultaneously meant that despite what most ponies liked to believe, Earth ponies had the largest mana reserves out of all the ponies. Earth pony and Unicorn hybrids tended to give birth to stronger unicorns, although this trait wasn’t something the upper class liked to spread around. So it really stayed as rumours. The mechanics of it made sense to me. It explained Golden’s power.
Griselda gave me a look.
I shook myself out of my musings, once again.
“Griselda, you never cease to amaze me with your powers of observation but… I am concerned, is there news of anything going wrong here?”
Griselda gave me a wry smile. She nodded.
“Your eyes are as mine in the matter. Perhaps you cannot sense it but there is growing discontentment among the populace.”
I cocked my head and scuffed at the ground with my hoof idly.
“Hmm," I hummed, casting my memories back to pinpoint any sources of discontentment.
I shook my head.
“I can’t remember any instances… would you care to enlighten me?” I asked as Griselda grunted in acknowledgement.
“When you put your ear lower to the ground you may hear the voices of those who are nearer but clearer. When you lift your ear higher, you can hear further, but not clearer.”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me do it. Old habits, I guess.
“The servants, you’re saying?”
Griselda gave me a toothy grin.
“Exactly, young one.”
She paused.
“Our talk of young ones is where our conversation flows. For him though, the flow has been rough on the river of life. He is in calms now but there will be the rapids in his future and pass that…”
“Are you talking about Discord?” I hedged, warily.
Griselda expression turned grave.
“I’m afraid so, dear one.”
“Why does everypony pick on him?! He has done nothing wrong!” I yelled, stamping a hoof.
Griselda gave me such an unbreakably sad look that it froze me on the spot. I felt my anger die down a few notches,
“I’m sorry," I mumbled, sinking to my haunches. “Continue.”
Griselda reached out a hoof and pat me on the back.
“A life of good deeds can be undone by one bad. A festering impression spreads faster than a healthy one. Such is the way of those that can talk. When there are words, there is power. The power to hurt. The power to help. Ponies will believe a lie because they fear it will come true or because they simply want to. Lies are such an insidious snake, it worms into the mind of stallions and mares and renders them incapable of kind thoughts.”
I stared at her in sudden comprehension.
“Reason and logic guide my way," I commented wryly.
Griselda gave me a confused nod but she smiled anyway.
“Where did you hear that?” she asked me.
I gave her a lop-sided grin.
“Oh just a maxim I picked up from a little science-fiction I read.”
I hugged Griselda.
“Thank you for that," I said sincerely.
Griselda elected to stay silent, giving me a reassuring pat on the back before I broke off.
As I trotted out of the store, Griselda gave me one more raspy piece of advice.
“The future may not change, but the ponies do!”
I was confused but I grunted in acknowledgement before racing ahead, leaving the small, dingy store behind. I had a lot of distance to cover to reach my close friends. It would be a long journey.