It wasn’t yet dark out, giving the pair at least a few hours of ‘practice’ in the fields before they had to go in, or at least before Chase had to go in.
The air had cooled off considerably from the afternoon, the sun slinking below the horizon and painting the sky in waves of violet and red, orange and gold. The clouds had been cleared away to make way for a clear, cool night once again.
Chase inhaled deeply as he ran his hooves through the grass, it felt so soft in the evening air and he was beginning to think they should just forgo it all and lounge around in the grass instead. Wish was having none of that, giving him a swipe across the back of his head with her wing to get his attention.
“No day dreaming now,” she said with a grin, “Or I’ll get you again, you wouldn’t want that would you?”
“I’m not day dreaming, I’m admiring the sky, that’s all. The princesses outdid themselves with the sunset tonight.”
“You should see the sunrises, it’s like the sky’s on fire. But that’s not what we’re out here for. So keep your head out of the clouds.”
Wish wasted no time in pouncing on Chase yet again, or she tried, this time Chase managed to roll out of the way just in time. “You can’t get me twice with the same trick,” he said. Kicking up grass behind him Chase took off running after Wish, who took to the air in an effort to escape. As they ran, or flew in Wish’s case, Chase picked up speed and with a short leap caught Wish around the hind legs and dragging her back to earth, not that she’d been all that high off the ground in the first place.
He tilted his head back to avoid getting kicked in the face as she flung her hind legs out. He gave an ‘oof’ as one caught him in the chest and promptly backed off, only to be rewarded by Wish once again lunging at him, forelegs around his middle as she barrelled into him, pinning Chase to the ground.
He buffeted her stomach with his hind legs, unfortunately unlike last time; he didn’t have the space to kick properly so they didn’t do much. Until she started giggling and her grip loosened. With each swipe of a back hoof along her belly she giggled some more and Chase grinned.
“Oh, ticklish huh? I can work with that.”
Wish soon dissolved into a fit of laughter, letting go of Chase and stumbling off to the side to avoid his hooves. “That’s no fair, you’re not supposed to tickle me,” she gasped between giggles.
“Says who? You never said I couldn’t. And besides I wasn’t trying to in the first place, I just improvised when I realized what I was doing.” He grinned, “So it’s completely fair.” He charged after her again, sending Wish off running once more. She turned once to look back at him, only for Chase to crash into her and send them both tumbling across the grass. When they came to a stop Wish lay partially on her side, Chase standing over her trapping one wing, while the other was pinned between her and the ground.
“Looks like I win,” he panted, chest heaving.
She flashed him a devilish grin, “Oh, are you sure about that?” she asked, brushing a hoof under his chin.
His cheeks flushed, “W-well, yeah. I mean, you can’t move. I got you.”
“Maybe you do but I’m not out yet.” She drew her hoof down his chest with deliberate slowness, brushing it slowly over his chest.
Chase trembled, what in Equestria was she doing? “Hey, s-stop that,” he stammered as a shiver rippled through him, his stomach clenching.
“How about, no.” She brought another hoof up, brushing them both along his chest and stomach, Chase trembling as he tried to hold back the inevitable.
He caved, sides shaking as he collapsed in a heap of giggles as she continued tickling him, all composure lost as he lost the fight against her hooves.
“Alright, alright, I give,” he wheezed, tears beading in his eyes. “I give I give!”
“Good.”
There was a thump as her hind legs caught him in the stomach and knocked him backwards and into the grass.
“Face it, I totally owned you there,” she panted, moving to lay into the grass next to Chase, legs folded to her chest as she lay on her back. “Though I gotta say, you’re pretty good. Get a bit more training in you and maybe you’ll win, once.”
“You tickled me,” he huffed, turning his head to look at her. “What was that even about?”
Wish stuck her tongue out playfully, “Turn about is fair play,” she said in a singsong voice. “I figured it was only fair. Oh you should have seen the look on your face. You were trying so hard not to laugh, but I could tell you wanted to. Your nose gets all scrunchy and your ears turn red, you look so funny. To bad I didn’t have a camera, it was priceless.”
“Hey, you look just as dopey laughing it up,” he said, “You get all wiggly and twitchy and your eyes crinkle up.”
They lapsed into another fit laughter as they lay there, chests heaving as they fought to catch their breath, grass and leaves stuck in their manes and to their coats and tears of laughter in the corners of their eyes.
“I gotta say, that was definitely something new,” said Chase as their laughter finally subsided.
“At least you weren’t against the twins, they tend to bite,” said Wish. “Not hard,” she quickly added noticing the look on his face. “But enough that you feel it.”
“I think I’ll pass on them then, I’d rather not be, bitten.”
“Fair enough, they tend to put the ‘rough’ in roughhousing anyways, always coming back all scuffed up and covered in grass and dirt. You’re a bit, fragile at the moment for that treatment,” she said. “If your horn wasn’t cracked you’d probably be fine. Then again they are brothers so they’ve probably had a lot of practice fighting one another.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” said Chase. “Of course you do realize we’re both going to return all scuffed up and filthy right? I think I may have grass in my ear.”
Wish giggled, “Yeah, but that’s what showers are for, so just take one of those, before you turn green.”
Chase twisted his head around to try and look at himself, grass clinging to his body where he’d been tackled into the ground and while he couldn’t see it he was pretty sure his mane was littered with grass as well. “Yeah, that would be a good idea, and it might get rid of the grass smell too.”
They lapsed into silence again, staring up at the sky, watching it as it slowly grew darker, the reds and oranges becoming deep violets and indigos, the sun making way for the moon and stars. The warm air of the day gave way to the cool night air.
He rolled over onto his belly, shaking his head to try and free any debris that might have become stuck in it. “I should probably get going, lights out will probably be in a few hours and I’d like a shower first.”
“I should too, I need to get some practice in, just like you do in the mornings,” said Wish as she sat up, shaking herself off as well. “As much as I’d like to stay out all night and watch the stars.”
“Maybe sometime when we’re not training and have the free time,” said Chase with a smile.
Wish returned the smile, “Yeah, maybe.”
They trotted back in modest silence before parting ways, each one heading back to their respective areas. Chase sighed as he walked, a slightly dopey looking smile plastered across his muzzle. As strange as it was to admit it, roughhousing like that had been a great release of energy and quite fun.
The room was empty when Chase returned, his roommates having not yet come back for the night. He grabbed a towel and some soap before trotting off to the showers to clean up.
Chase tilted his head, letting the lukewarm water splash against his face and neck, soaking himself before he set about soaping up. He still had difficulties reaching to wash himself, the soap slipping and sliding out of his grip and across the tile floor. He twisted himself around to get at his tail and mane, lathering himself up as he scrubbed himself clean. Soon his light gold mane and tail were filled with soapy bubbles and he had to close his eyes to keep from getting any in his eyes. He’d made that mistake before and it had hurt a lot.
Blindly he set out rinsing the soap from his mane and coat, the water washing away with a grimy colour as it pulled away the dirt and debris. The water slicked his mane to his neck and his tail to his back. He cracked one eye open slowly, making sure not to get any remaining soap in his eyes. Satisfied he’d gotten it out of his mane he finished up scrubbing and washing till he was clean once more.
The taps squeaked as he turned them off before trotting out to grab his towel. He carefully removed the magic limited to clean and dry around his horn and mane, balancing it carefully between his hooves as he held it. He had to use the bathroom mirror to put it back on, face screwed up in concentration.
He shuddered as it slid back over his horn, once again cutting off his magic abruptly, it was a feeling he’d never get used to. He draped the towel across the back of his neck as he headed back to his room, he’d be so glad to get that awful thing off his head.
The next few days were pretty unexciting for Chase. He woke up and got breakfast, slowly finding easier ways to carry his food to a table, then he went out for morning practice before heading back to study up on shielding spells. Sometimes he took the books outside, the silence of the room was lonesome and almost distracting.
He remained headache free as the week progressed, something he was more than glad about, for once boring was good.
The next bout of ‘excitement’ he had was his trip to the doctor at the end of the week. When he’d been discharged after his fit, the doctor had asked him to come back at the end of the week so he could see how he was healing. This was something Chase was definitely excited about, if all went well he could get the limiter removed and go back to training again. The sooner that happened the better as far as he was concerned.
Chase could barely sleep the night before, the prospect of getting the magic dampener off winning out over the prospect of sleep.
With a spring in his step Chase trotted through the halls to the infirmary after the morning’s warm ups and practice. He had to force himself not to just run down the halls, giddy with excitement. He stopped at the infirmary doors to compose himself before stepping in, making his way to the receptionist.
At the sound of his approach she looked up and smiled, “Ah, the doctor’s been expecting you,” she said. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”
Leaving Chase alone in the waiting room she trotted off into the back, returning a few moments later with the doctor in tow.
“Ah Sun Chaser, you’re looking well today.”
“I feel good too,” said Chase. “And hopefully that means I’ll be able to get this off my horn.”
Dr. Warmheart smiled, “Well, follow me and we can find out if you can.”
He followed the doctor into a small, typical looking checkup room, complete with a counter and a small bed for him to sit on. As Chase made himself comfortable the doctor’s horn lit up, levitating the inhibitor off Chase’s horn, setting it aside on the counter.
“I’m just going to run a few tests like I did the first time to check your horn’s condition, to see how the crack is healing,” he explained.
“No X-rays?” asked Chase.
He shook his head, “No, if it were something like a broken leg I would take one, but for a horn injury it’s different. It’s a fairly simple procedure, all I’m going to do is scan your horn with waves of magic, the pulses of magic will bring to light any imperfections, such as a crack. All I need from you is for you to sit still while I do this. I think you can manage that.”
Chase nodded, making himself comfortable as he sat on the table, the sanitary covering crinkling underneath.
The doctor pointed his horn towards Chase, the tip inches from his own horn as waves of silvery magic rippled out, washing over Chase’s horn like waves of water. It felt like someone was ticking the inside of his horn and he had to fight the urge to try and scratch at it. After a few moments the feeling vanished and he heard the doctor start speaking.
“It seems to be healing quite well,” he said. “The crack itself is all but gone now.”
Chase lit up at that, “So, does that mean I can use magic again?”
“That’s what we need to check,” said the doctor, rooting through a drawer. He pulled out a small rubber ball and held it out to Chase. “The only way to really know is for you to actually cast a simple spell. So, try to levitate this please. If it starts to hurt then stop and don’t push yourself.”
A levitation spell, that was all he had to do? It seemed simple enough. Levitation, in its simplest form, had been the first spell he’d ever figured out how to do as a foal, much to his parent’s chagrin as they couldn’t keep anything out of his reach and spent a good part of the day running around, making sure he wasn’t getting into things he shouldn’t. Lifting a small ball was an easy task, but Chase couldn’t help but to feel nervous. What if he wasn’t healed enough yet to use his magic? What if something went wrong?
“Mr. Sun Chaser? Are you alright?” asked the doctor when he didn’t respond.
“Oh, yeah I’m fine. Just a bit nervous,” he replied. “So, just lift it up huh?”
The doctor nodded, “Whenever you’re ready.”
Seemed simple enough, all he had to do was project his will on the ball and lift it up. He took a deep breath and focused on the ball, channelling the spell through his horn and onto the ball, both wrapped in a warm red hue.
“And up!” The ball rose a few inches off the doctor’s hoof, now at eye level with Chase. Chase relaxed, a wave of relief washing over him at the sight of the floating ball. “How’s this?”
“Excellent, how do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?” he asked.
Chase shook his head, “No, I feel fine, I think I’d made myself worry this was going to be harder than I thought.” The glow vanished from the ball and it dropped back into the doctor’s outstretched hoof. “Is there anything else you want me to do?” he asked.
“Easy there,” chuckled the doctor. “Just relax and take it easy. I know you’re excited but rushing things won’t help.”
As the doctor put the ball away, Chase raised a hoof to touch his horn; there was no stabbing pain, or even a throbbing pain, just the regular bland feeling of his hoof on his horn. From base to tip he moved it, checking to see if it hurt anywhere, and nothing.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to touch anymore,” he said.
“I’m glad to hear that, sounds like it healed up quite nicely, and I was only able to find the barest traces of the crack, which is quite normal,” said the doctor with a smile. “I dare say, you should be able to return to practice as soon as tomorrow. Take today to work on simple spells to get used to using magic again. Don’t need you blasting out a strong spell right off the bat and hurting yourself.”
Chase all but galloped back to his room after the doctor gave him a clean bill of health and sent him on his way. He couldn’t immediately join practice but that was a small price to pay. It would however give him a chance to return his library books and get in some practice of his own, making sure he could at least conjure up a small, simple barrier. Chocking in the middle of practice would be embarrassing to say the least.
He dug out the books and saddlebags, tossing the lot of them on his bed. Charging his horn he lifted up the saddlebags with ease, putting them on his back and tightening up the belt around his middle so it wouldn’t fall off. It felt so good to be able to use his magic again. Once it was snug and not about to slip off he turned his attention to the library books, picking them up one by one and putting them into the pouches of his bag before snapping them shut.
He reached up once more touching his horn with a smile, no more magic limiter for him. No more stumbling around trying to balance things in his hooves and no more struggling to put his bags on or comb out his mane.
Making sure he had everything he trotted out the door and to the library to return the books.
The day seemed to just fly on by, Chase dropped the books off at the library before returning to his room to practice with his magic for a bit, levitating and carrying various objects, forming balls of light and tiny shields. When his roommates returned he more than happily announced that he could return to practice again. During dinner he sought out Wish to tell her of this new development, trying his best not to giggle like a little foal on Hearth’s Warming. The twins were only upset they’d missed the fun of seeing Chase stumble around trying to manage without magic and the playful wrestling match he and Wish had the other evening. Of course, the initial mention of a wrestling match brought some raised eyebrows and amused snickering, till Wish slapped the backs of their heads and told them to pull their minds from the gutter.
After saying his goodbyes he sought out Lance and Smart Set to tell them the good news, Smart Set to alleviate his worries of causing permanent damage to Chase and Lance because he was his friend. He didn’t know their rooms and wasn’t so sure he wanted to knock on every door to find them. In the end he only found Lance, who was in the common room playing cards, he’d have to talk to Smart Set at practice then.
“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” said Lance, looking up at Chase. “Doing better?”
“Loads, I’ll actually be able to return to practice again. I don't ever want to go through that again,” said Chase, shaking his head as he sat down. He looked at the cards for a moment then at Lance and the two others he was with. “What’cha playing?”
“Rummy, and I’m winning,” announced Lance.
“Think I could join the next round?” asked Chase. “Been a bit since I played, but it looks like fun.”
Shivering against the cool morning air, Chase trotted across the field with the rest of the unicorns, waiting for the captain to show up and begin practice. As he neared the group it became painfully obvious from the murmurs and looks he given that everypony knew what had happened and why he’d been absent. Of course, if the commotion was as loud and big as the pegasi had said it was, then that wasn’t very surprising.
“I see you’re rejoining us out on the fields trainee,” came Bronze Shield’s voice from behind Chase. The young stallion straightened up swiftly, saluting as the older officer strode into view.
“Yessir, the doctor gave me a clean bill of health and cleared me for training,” he said.
“Good, I hope you didn’t get rusty and complacent in your time off.”
“N-no sir.”
The large stallion nodded, “At ease there recruit, at ease.”
Chase relaxed, lowering his hoof from its position as Bronze Shield began to explain that days drills and exercises. It felt good to be back.