Silver staggered back into his room on an evening about a week later. Night was gone, likely doing her guardpony duty, but Fast awoke at his entry and looked to him. She frowned with concern and approached as he wobbled dangerously. "What happened?"
Silver smiled, "Nothing bad. Luna."
Fast tilted her head, "What... were you two doing that has you looking that roughed up?"
Silver shook his head, "Dunno. I, you know, finished, but it felt like I was being sucked inside out, but in all the best ways. I was terrified, but I didn't want it to end either. It felt important, like... I had to do all I could. So I dug deep and let my magic run wild, and it just kept... coming out."
Fast squinted at Silver a bit, "I'm glad you didn't kill yourself, the way you describe that." She lifted him up in her magic and brought him to the bed. "Was it like that with Night Watch?"
Silver blinked, "No? I mean... it was good, but not... that."
Fast rolled a hoof, "I'm guessing it isn't that way every time, or you would really be dead."
Silver curled on the bed. It was so soft. He felt the urge to just pass out. "I think I did it."
"Well you certainly did something!" agreed Fast.
Silver shuffled over and kissed Fast on the snout, "I mean with Luna. Time will tell."
Sleep descended on him for a time, but he was roused from his dreamless rest by knocking on the door. Fast was already headed for it. She pulled it open to reveal Professor Thetics. Silver was fully awake, his pulse hastening.
Fast frowned, but, Celestia bless her, she forced a smile, "What a pleasant surprise." Her eyes darted and she gave off all the tells of lying, "The savior of my dear husband."
Callis smiled brightly at Fast, radiating his own insincerity, "A pleasure, I'm sure. I came to speak to him."
Silver pushed himself upright despite the fatigue, "I'm right here."
Callis approached with a smile, with Fast scowling at his back dangerously. "My boy! The deans of the college were so impressed with your little speech. They thought you deserved a second chance."
Silver blinked, "What's the catch?" he said without thinking. He couldn't fathom why the school would dare invite him back.
Callis reared up, putting his forehooves on the bed and smiling at Silver, "They want a chance to examine you. You've broken almost every rule we have for development in unicorns. You're too young to be making spells, and yet, there you were, submitting one for your test. Your raw power is average at best, but you have precision, and a fearlessness that is aching to be tapped."
Silver rolled an ear back, "That sounds like I'd be more of a test subject than a student..."
Callis shook his head, "Perhaps a little, but you could go to the classes I know you want to go to. One does not cheat to be where they don't want to be."
Silver flushed, "I didn't ask her to!" Oh god, why did he say that? Silver cursed his pony body and its habits even as Callis grinned with triumph.
"Consider it water under the bridge," said Callis soothingly.
Silver shrank back from Callis, "They never looked at my spell. I heard they burned it."
Callis lifted his shoulders, "A regrettable mistake, but one of the students, one Lyra Heartstrings, still had a copy. It has been entered into the library, with credit, of course. Quite the interesting choice for a spell." He raised a brow at Silver, "Are you stallion-ruled?"
Fast seemed to bristle at the word, "Take that back!"
Silver glanced at her, then to Callis, "What is that?"
Callis sat on the floor, taking his hooves off the bed, "A pony, a stallion specifically, who is ruled by the urges of his male anatomy."
Silver considered it with his muggy mind. He did have a foal on the way, quite possibly two. He had two wives, and one consort, and felt no shame trying to find time to appreciate all three every day that he could. Maybe? "What if I am a little?"
Callis gestured at Silver, "I'm not judging." His voice implied he was judging with every syllable. "You are young, you may yet grow out of it. Still, it's an interesting development. I am told you made that little... fire spell. The surge."
Fast suddenly slipped between Callis and the bed, "Enough! He's exhausted and you're not welcome here. Stop pressuring him like he's still a student."
Callis held up his hooves, "Peace. I'm not attacking him. If he wants me to go, I'll go. We're just talking."
Silver nodded slowly, "Leave him. He hasn't done anything too bad." He gave a quirk of a smile, "Besides call me a slut."
Fast perked an ear, "A what? That a human word?"
"Stallion-ruled? Is there a female version?" asked Silver.
Fast wrinkled her nose, "I'm not here to expand your dirty language, unless it involves us alone."
Silver flopped onto his side, "So why you? I mean, you could have sent a neutral teacher, or even Lyra."
Callis snorted loudly, "They felt I knew you. You gave such a convincing speech they were convinced you would be more likely to agree if I approached you. Lyra is not a professor. She is a student. She has not yet graduated. Her teaching of the introductory class does not make her a professor. Did you get her to cheat for you as well?"
Silver frowned at that, "She was honest and forthright. She did not cheat or help me cheat. Why, you have the spell, don't you?"
Callis waved a hoof, "You could have gotten it from somewhere. Tell me, how did you make it?"
Silver suddenly grinned as a devious thought came to mind. It was devious enough to even fill him with a second wind, sitting up and looking down at Callis, "Why don't I show you. I can make a spell right now."
Callis blinked, "What, how? I don't have months to wait."
Silver waved a hoof, "Give me permission and sit still and I will show you a new spell." He pointed back at his cutie mark, "That's my specialty after all. I will make you the envy of all stallions."
Callis looked skeptical, "I have little problem in that regard... But I do wish to see what you can do, if anything. Very well, display your new spell. Just don't waste my time. If you can't do it, admit it."
Silver started pulling out his notes and Luna's book of entirely inappropriate spells. Oh what to do, what to do! He could mix and match spells in so many deliciously awful ways, not to hurt Callis, physically, but to make life awkward and embarrassing for a time. It hit him and he grinned, "I have it!" Why not combine the two spells he knew well and had the primitives worked out. He began to scribble quickly, comparing it to the other two spells, then adjusting it, going back and forth with his notes to make sure he had just the right number of each symbol, in the right order, to command the universe the way he wanted to. To Callis' credit, he sat there quite patiently for half an hour before Silver put his quill down, "Got it."
Callis blinked at Silver, "Already? Hmmph, just stringing two spells together is not sufficient. It must produce a unique effect."
Silver nodded, "Of course. This is entirely unique, so far I know." His horn began to glow silver as he focused on his own heart crystal. He could feel the warm presence of Twilight's magic helping his own magic, then he reached out to Callis' pyramid, giving himself access to Callis' body. "I'm ready to begin."
Callis nodded, "Proceed."
So trusting... Silver wondered if it was a good or bad mark for Callis. He began to play the letters methodically from the notes and he could feel magic being drawn from him. Silver was already glad he hooked to his own crystal beforehand, as his reserves were quite low and he felt fatigue building quickly. The bed suddenly shook as Fast sat beside him. Her horn leaned over and she tapped his with hers. He felt her magic begin to flow. He could feel her reserves made available and relief was quick. He drew greedily from this new source as he formed the spell, funneling its power into Callis, who had begun to squirm in place, but remained still overall.
It took a minute of work, but Silver finished with a smile, letting his horn cool down. "Done."
Callis looked himself over before he closed his eyes. Silver could see his horn glowing, but to no effect. "You've... enchanted me. In a very unclean fashion."
Silver shook his head, "What else did you expect from a stallion-ruled spellcrafter? It should wear off in a day or two, and is harmless."
Callis rose to his hooves, "But what is it? I recognize a fragment of it, but it isn't that."
Silver decided to toss subtlety out the window, "You remember that fireball, right?"
Callis nodded stiffly, "How could I not?"
Silver gestured down between Callis' hindlegs, "You have a portion of that power in your jewels. If you give it a way out, you'll explode. Now don't look at me like that. I don't mean a fiery explosion. I mean whatever comes out will be hot. You could probably start a brush fire if you lifted a leg against a tree."
Callis darkened and sputtered, "How crude!"
Silver shook his head, "Just don't lay with a mare. It would be very cruel."
Callis slapped the bed with a forehoof, "This is assault!"
Silver tilted his head, "How so? You asked for it, and you consented to it, and nopony has been injured." He pushed ahead the scrap of paper with the spell. "Here, if you need to check it."
Callis snatched the paper with his magic, "Undo it, now."
Silver flopped to the bed, "We warned you I was tired, and I meant it. I'm dead serious when I say I don't trust myself to do a bit more magic. It will fade on its own. You can feel the warmth, so you should know when it's gone."
Fast suddenly flopped onto Silver, laughing hysterically. Her laughter did little to calm Callis. He turned and fled the room. Fast was still laughing merrily, "You're going to teach me that, right? You have to!"
Silver felt his grip on the world weakening, "He took the spell," he murmured as he passed out.
Fast picked Silver up in her magic and soon they were both under the covers. She curled around him, affectionately and protectively. "You are more insane than you could ever know," she said to the sleeping Silver, before she joined him in a nap.