Chapter 38
After breakfast and another sleepless night, I made my way over to Fluttershy’s cottage. I had never been there before and had to get directions. Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find. Plus, the singing helped.
She was fluttering, for want of a better word, from bird house to rabbit burrow, leaving corn, vegetables and seed balls. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. Besides, I didn’t want to interrupt that amazing singing of hers. Unfortunately, there was a certain ursine that didn’t share my sentiment.
I heard a loud growl and turned to see from whence it came. A large bear was standing behind me and baring his teeth. For some reason, I wasn’t scared of it.
“We gonna do this or what? Bring it on!”
The bear was already preparing his charge when Fluttershy was suddenly between us, forelegs and wings spread wide. “Stop right there! Chris is a guest and he’s here for my help. Now, go get your breakfast, Harry.” The bear lumbered off, never breaking eye contact with me. Fluttershy turned on me, “What were you thinking? Challenging a full grown grizzly bear is just… silly. Oh, no offense.”
“None taken. You’re right of course, but I just… I don’t know. It was like something inside told me that not only could I take him, but that I should. Like I had to assert my dominance or something. Either way, I’m lucky you stepped in.”
“Well, just please don’t try it again. I would hate it if one of you got hurt.”
“Alright, Fluttershy. I promise not to start any fights with bears.” I chuckled a little at the sheer absurdity of that statement.
Fluttershy giggled too. “Good. Now, shall we get started?”
For the next few hours, Fluttershy painstakingly taught me how to flap my wings. She first had to teach me to differentiate between my normal back muscles and my new flight muscles. Then, she had to help me learn to control them. By the end of our lessons, I was exhausted. Not getting any sleep the night before didn’t help either.
“I think we made a lot of good progress today.”
“I would have to agree with you, Shy.” I flapped my wings a couple times as evidence of the fact. “Now, I only hope my lessons with Twilight can go half as smoothly.”
Fluttershy giggled again. I was starting to thoroughly enjoy the sound. “Knowing her, she probably has every lesson planned out for the next month. You’d better hurry and get back to the library.”
“Alright. Same time tomorrow?”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
Fluttershy then turned to head back inside her house. I watched her go. *Fwomph* “What the hay is going on with these damn things?”
There was suddenly a raspy laugh that was completely unmistakable coming from a little ways above me. I could only wonder what Rainbow Dash found so amusing.
*****
“You shoulda seen it, Twilight,” Rainbow was rolling on the floor of the library, laughing her tail off. “The second Fluttershy turned around, major wing bo-”
“Rainbow!”
“What?”
“Remember who’s listening.” Twilight nodded toward a small, purple dragon re-shelving books.
“Fine, a featherection then, whatever. Point is, somepony’s got a crush.”
I raised my hand. “Excuse me but, what’s she talking about and why is it funny?”
Twilight sighed deeply. “A featherection or a,” she looked around conspiratorially and whispered with a blush, “wing boner, is an involuntary reaction among pegasi and, apparently, alicorns where the wings become rigid when a pegasus, male or female, finds someone attractive. It come from an ancient instinct for attracting mates.”
“Well put, Twilight. Although, I too fail to see why it’s funny.”
“Princess Celestia?! I-I-I-”
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash, you may go.” I knew Rainbow was fast, but dang. “Now that we’re alone, there is something we need to discus, as a family.”
“Mom, you know I’m always happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”
Celestia kissed my forehead and smiled at me. “Like I said, there’s some things we need to discus and I didn’t want to wait or do it via letter.” A chair and two large cushions were summoned into the room vie Celestia’s magic. “Now please, take a seat.”
The conversation that followed was not an easy one, though Celestia and Twilight tried their best. Apparently, the data Twilight had collected had alarmed Celestia enough that she couldn’t wait for me to return to Canterlot in order to go over it with me. After I heard what she had to say, I couldn’t really blame her.
It would seem that not only could I use magic now, I was absorbing it straight out of the atmosphere. Aside from that, I was drawing it in so fast, that Twilight was able to measure a difference in levels after only an hour.
According to her observations and calculations, this had the potential to be very dangerous. If I couldn’t learn how to use and expel magic, I would be getting headaches by the end of the week. By the end of the month, I would be suffering from vertigo. In three months, I wouldn’t even be able to walk and only barely talk. After that… nopony wanted to say.
Even more odd than that, magic was literally keeping me alive. I would still need to eat, drink and sleep, but it wasn’t as important as before. What it really meant was this; without magic, I would die. Even worse, if I were to have my magic taken away from me, I would not last long.
And, as if to top things off, “immortal? How could I be immortal all of the sudden?”
“Well, not exactly immortal, but close. But I think it’s because Luna and Celestia used their lifeforce to give you new life. By my estimation, you could live for one, maybe two thousand years.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Celestia wrapped a wing around me and drew me in close.
“But I don’t understand. Most ponies would kill for a long life like that.”
“You will understand, Spike.” Twilight scooped Spike up in a similar fashion to Celestia. “You will.”
That night, after a very nice dinner, I got a good night’s rest. Celestia had used a spell that allowed me to sleep without dreaming. It didn’t hurt that she was right beside me the whole time. Nothing makes a stallion feel more secure than sleeping next to his mommy.
*****
“…and then Rainbow galloped out of there like a bat out of Tartarus.” Fluttershy giggled. I had been telling her about the events of the previous night, but I had decided to omit the near immortality thing. “Still, it was pretty embarrassing having her laugh at me all through Ponyville about something I had no control over.”
“I know how that feels. Before I came to Ponyville, I was laughed at a lot because I wasn’t a strong flyer. If it weren’t for Rainbow, I don’t think that would have ever stopped. Still, it was very rude of her to laugh at you like that.”
“Yeah, but she wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t so comfortable around me. So I guess it’s okay,” I shrugged. “Oh well. Ready to get back to our lessons, Teacher?”
She giggled again. “Yes, I think I am.”
Today, we worked on flapping. Fluttershy explained not only how to flap, but how to tilt my wings while flapping. Apparently, that’s how a pegasus controls their flight path. This was an extremely important lesson, since ponies can’t turn with their tails like birds can. Of course, all this talk about tails made me look at the aforementioned appendage. I never noticed before just how long hers was.
After a few hours of visual aids and practice, Fluttershy had decided it was time to get me off the ground. A few clouds were procured for cushioning in case I fail. A good safety measure I thought. I certainly made good use of it.
The first few attempts saw me falling from the sky. And by ‘sky’, I mean treetops. Every time I fell, Fluttershy was right there to make sure I was okay. I couldn’t help but enjoy the attention.
Sadly, our lessons had to come to an end. “You did very well today.”
“What are you talking about? I spent most of the time on my butt.”
She giggled. “Maybe, but you also managed to get yourself into the air under your own power. You should be proud of being able to do that in only two days.”
“I guess. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, just don’t try to fly on your own just yet.” I nodded and waved as I turned away to go to Twilight’s house.
*****
“That’s it. Focus on bringing the magic out. I can feel it just under the skin. Just imagine the book floating off the table.”
I could feel it too. The power was welling up inside me, begging to be let out. I wanted so badly to let it. I was starting to feel like a balloon that wouldn’t pop.
“Ugh… it’s… no good,” I sighed. “I just can’t seem to get the magic out.”
“Hmm… probably because you don’t have a horn. We need to get you something to use as a focal point.” We were interrupted by a knock at the door. “It’s open!”
“Sorry to barge in on yo-”
“CHRIS!” A tiny unicorn cannoned into my chest, knocking me to the floor. I was too busy laughing to be bothered by the pain.
“FLUFFY!” I wrapped my arms around her and stood up, tickling her belly as I did.
“Not that it isn’t nice to see you, Dust Bunny, but what are you doing out here in Ponyville?” Twilight asked as she stepped up next to me.
“Oh, Chris gave me the week off while he was here for training. Also, his Aunt had something commissioned for him through Iron. Said he’d need it as soon as possible.”
A small bock levitated out of Bunny’s saddlebag and into my hands. I opened it to find a ring made of what looked like pure silver. “It’s beautiful, but what’re these tiny scratches all over it?”
I lowered it so Twilight could see it better. “Those aren’t scratches, it’s writing. From the looks of it, it’s ancient Equestrian. Predating the Royal Sisters. Why would Chris need something like this?”
“Don’t know. I was only told he needed it.”
I placed the filly on her mother’s back and slid the ring on. As soon as I did, I could feel something change. I don’t know why, but something told me to try magic again. I raised my hand with the ring on it and concentrated on the book again. It didn’t exactly fly off the table, but it did shake quite a bit.
“Huh, a ring that acts a surrogate horn. Exactly what I needed. But isn’t that a little convenient?”
“Maybe, but who cares? It works.”
“I’m not trying to negate your husband’s hoofwork, I’m just making an observation is all.”
“Whatever the case may be, it’s the answer to your problem.” Twilight pulled my hand closer so she could study the ring closer.
“What problem is that?” Bunny asked, her concern growing and becoming evident.
“Well, it’s a family issue, so I’ll tell you. It would seem that I’m a glutton for magic. If I don’t use it fast enough, I start to suffer some ill effects.”
“Ill effects? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means this slight headache I’ve had all day is just the beginning. Luckily, I have one of the best magic users in history right here to help me learn.”
“I don’t know about all that, but I am here to help,” the modest alicorn said. “Now, you two are welcome to watch, but Chris and I need to be able to concentrate.”
“Aww… but I wanted to fly~” Cotton Tail whined.
“Not quite there yet, Fluffy Butt. I only just got off the ground today.”
“Aww…” both Cotton and Bunny were obviously disappointed.
“Can we please get back to the lessons?”
“Sorry, Twilight, teach away.”
That’s exactly what she did. Patiently, Twilight walked me through levitation magic. She told me it was the best way to start learning since that’s how almost every unicorn foal learned. After a while, I was starting to hate the word ‘focus’.
After a couple hours, I was not only lifting a book, but three books at the same time. Even better, I learned enough control to lift a filly. Little Cotton Tail giggled her tail off as she floated around from one pony to another. Bunny was nervous about it at first, but was soon laughing along with her daughter. Best of all, the more I did it, the better I felt.
“Alright, enough showing off. We need to get you two a place to sleep.”
“I call Chris’s bed!” Cotton Tail called out.
“As much as I appreciate that, Fluffy Butt, I think it would be best if you and your mom took my bed and I shared Twilight’s. That is, if it’s okay with her.”
“I suppose it’s fine, but why don’t you want to share with Cotton?”
I knelt down next to Twilight and whispered into her ear, “because if I were to hit her in my sleep like I did Pinkie, I’d never be able to forgive myself.”
“And you’re fine with hitting me?” she asked with a smirk.
“Obviously not, but neither Fluffy nor Bunny can perform a dreamless spell let alone a paralysis spell.”
“Paralysis spell? You can’t be serious. That’s a high level spell, so is the dreamless spell. Mixing them could be dangerous.”
“Last resort only. With any luck, the dreamless spell will be enough.”
“Alright, but we need to do something about those dreams. The dreamless spell should not be used more than a few times a month.”
“I understand. Maybe once I can control my magic better, I can allow Aunt Luna into my dreams and she can help. For now though, this will have to do.”
*****
“You’re doing much better today,” Fluttershy told me as we hovered high above her cottage. “Why don’t we try some simple maneuvers?”
“Sounds good. Lead the way.”
Using the lessons Fluttershy gave me the past few days, we both slowly progressed forward. We made a few turns and dips. I was nervous about being this high up without a safety net of some sort, but Fluttershy was by my side the whole time. Somehow, having this delicate and weak pegasus watching over me made me feel safer.
“Very good, Chris. With practice, you should be able to fly from here to Canterlot and back without any trouble at all.”
“I tell you what, seeing the countryside from up here is something else. I mean, just look at it. I can see all of Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, and, if I squint, I think I can see Manehattan.”
“Really?” Fluttershy floated up next to me and mimicked my actions. “Can you really see Manehattan from here?”
“Yeah, it’s right there.” I pointed at the distant cityscape on the horizon. “Can’t you see it?”
“No. Maybe it’s because you’re an alico-”
Thanks to our already close proximity, her long snout, and the fact that we turned to look at each other at the same time, our lips met in the middle. It was a moment that I’ll remember all my life. Especially with how cute she looked with her face glowing so brightly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, about that,” I told her as we separated. “Are you alright?” The only response I got was wide cyan eyes and a loud whimper. “Fluttershy?”
“Look out below!”
I looked up just in time to see a gray meteorite barreling towards me and slammed into my chest. On instinct, I wrapped my arms around the object and rolled onto my back to shield what I could now tell was a pony. Unfortunately, I was unable to correct my fall. Luckily, I spotted a rainbow streak passing us.
And that was how I learned that clouds are a lot stronger than they look.