//------------------------------// // 2 The Aclimation // Story: Imp-rovization // by hiko no sakana //------------------------------// Skeeve looked up at the winged and horned pony and cursed I just imitated a female and incompletely. Well let just make it blurry and hope no one looks up. He used his magic to "fly" or reverse levitate after...Hmm I never got her name "What is your name, miss?" "Twilight, Twilight Sparkle , You?" "Skeeve the...." he pause half was throw the statement. "Skeeve what?" She said with a hint of sarcasm , "the Ignorant, the Comatose, the Sleepy, the Baron of the Rock" "Just Skeeve," he said with a twinge embarrassment. So it has secrets we will see how long that last with Luna sifting around in his head tonight "So just Skeeve, where are you from?" Twilight asked in a rather intimidating manner. "Over the hill and far away, or was it the second star to the right, or was it a rabbit hole ... over the mountain ... Kansas," he said with ever increasing confusion and pleading in his voice. "If you aren't shore just don't let the zebra hear you talk about the stars," the mare said with a hint of dark humor that suggested she already knew the answer. I don't know what he is talking about but but Luna will have it soon enough. "What or where is Kansas?" "Yeh know, I don't know. My teacher was always saying stuff like that," he said be for slapping a huff/hand over his mouth for he was still humanoid he just looked like a pony to any whom did not know how to 'see'. In order to 'see' through a disguise spell or and enchantment all you have to do is let your eyes go out of focus. he had of course checked her to see what she was hiding when they first met, and found that her tiara had an enchantment on it and her horn and wings where packed full of magic. So when her horn began to visibly glow he knew something was about to happen and made a four point spire word to displace what ever was coming at him. For those not versed in magic a basic spire word a a spire made of two circles moving at ninety to each other, for a four point just add to circles. Also please note that unless he put a lot of energy in to them they would be transparent unless one 'looked' at him or it. "Teacher, any teacher that would neglect names and titles like yours has is either incompetent or out of date." Twilight replied with sarcasm. Damn. How could I have let that slip? Well I was never any good with girls. First Tananda, then Luna, than Mark, before Queen hemlock and every time I screwed up and nearly caused my own down fall, and that was in my teens and early twenties i am thirty five now and still have trouble "Yah. You could call my teacher old fashioned. Ha ha ha," he said in way that let her know he let something slip that was supposed to be secret. "So, where are we going?" he said in in a 'please change the subject'. She chuckled before saying, "Canterlot, you silly stallion." Canterlot, CANERLOT, and stallion, STALLION ... well she is a pony it makes seance, just go with the flow... "When in Rome..." he said some what forlornly. "Where is Rome?" "I don't ... dog gone it ... curse you Oz!" "Ahz?" "No, Oz." "Ohz?" "Oz." "Oz?" "No relation, it is Oz," So that is how he felt the first time I us a name he was familiar with. "Et tu Brute," Skeeve said with a note nostalgia "What?" Twi said with real curiosity remembering the line from a play that has not be preformed in neigh on two hundred years. "Oh the was a Quote from willy...uh...I mean Winnyum Shakespeare," he said then to clarify at the sight of Twilight's look of befuddlement, "From his play Julius Caesar." "Oh, you mean William Shakespeare. The convention of including such words in names never really caught on so 'Naighpoleon' was the only major figure in our history to have such a name." she said so mater-of-factually that it nearly broke Skeeve's concentration before continuing, "And how do you know his works he was imprisoned for that play, because the zebra where told that the outlandish tail came from the stars," her know it all tone never wavering as she continued, "and every thing he had written before that was burned to placate them and every thing after was attributed to princess Celestia." "My teacher was a pack rat," he said wincing at he last word before saying "Darn it," under his breath. "What do you mean a 'pack rat'?" "it is what you call sommmmmmmmmeeeeee....pony that hordes stuff." "Oh, you mean a pack dog, because they horde junk like a diamond dog hordes gems," she said with a look or glee on her face she knew it now he was not from around here, he was out of date, and he was no changeling ... thus he must be a chaos bringer. "All right. We are here," she said after nearly an hour of flight in silence after her companion clamped up after is last grammatical mistake, "Lets go through the front gate...shale we." Skeeve gulped he knew he was going somewhere important but this was ridiculous. The city that stood before him made the city in Mr. Tolkien's city ... what was the name ... Minas ... something ... Oh yah Minas Tirith ... look small. No really this city put every thing he had ever thought up to shame. he could have put what he though of as Minas Tirith, Helms Deeps and The Shire in this one city and still have enough room for Mordor's armies. that is how big this city was and the castle alone could have housed the entire army he had beaten when he was first opinionated royal magician under King Roderic the fifth twice and and if he planed his trip well enough would not have encountered any of them. His jaw hit the ground, or would have if it could reach. The only reason he had not seen it sooner was because of the blue cloud that was always just ahead of him leaving a rainbow trail, and now that it had stopped he saw it to be a Pegasus not a cloud and it annoyed him slightly to only just now have seen that. What was more was more it was only now that he had realized that there where other modes to work with and that he really blown it. From the looks those two gave each other it was obvious that they where planing something and had mostly pulled it off. Well Oz was always yelling at me to be more observant. "You just be joking," he said jestering, at the city, "That has got to be an illusion. There is no way any city that is that big without making a lot more noise or at least a lot more up." Well that was a disappointment I would have thought he would have done more upon seeing it. Both ponies thought in unison before looking at each other in disappointment. He noticed this and wondered Did I disappoint or did I exceed their expectation. *** The young man lie there for a few minutes under the ruble and books the dragon had piled on him. He examined the pile and decided he could move the stone work. He then focused on one of the pieces of stone work and said, "Stenr rïsa," hopping that it would work. The dragon looked at the being that said something almost intelligible. Something about rising stones? To both of their surprise a piece of stone work move up about an inch and over nearly a foot a being looked exhausted from the effort but still thoroughly pleased with it. after a few breaths it looked at spike and said, "Skulblaka, stenr rïsa," at that something clicked in his mind but the words just felt to right there was no way he...could...No i need to keep him here, but he told me to move the rocks. a battle raged in spikes mind over weather he should 'raze the rocks' not. After a few minute Spike felt something like a hand caress his mind and the command was reiterated straight into his mind and it proved irresistible. He moved to the pile despite his attempts to stop or slow himself. After a few moments spike found he could move as he pleased so with the next rock he moved over his prisoners head only to hear Skulblaka, stenr rïsa in his mind again this time he understood what was said "dragon, raise the stone" and upon hearing he was being referred to as simply dragon really made him angry and the surge of adrenalin let him brake the command holding him "No, I am not your puppet, I have not worked under Twilight for nearly twenty years to be your slave move your own rocks!" he had just finished speaking when he broke the piece of stone work over the being's head nearly killing him. So know I need to tie him up and gag him. I think he would make a good chandelier. It was several hours before he made any movement and when he did he went, pardon the expiration but, APE SHIT. After several minute of looking like a fish on a line he exhaled and cleared his head (which felt like someone tried to bash it into a wall). He then began to rub his fingers together thinking come on, come on, spark. Breath in, focus exhale and send it through my finger. Next flare the energy into a flame ... good now hold it in my hand and. He fell from the chandelier and hit the ground hard sending him into darkness...again.