I opened my eyes to behold the peaceful morning. It was a strange to not wake up to the sounds of nature. Instead the sun shone brightly, complementing the silent morning. I lay on my makeshift bed as I contemplated what occurred yesterday. Here I am in another universe, teaching an ancient magic to another human. If that wasn’t strange enough, last night I had coffee with the Princess of the Night within my mind.
It’s funny how life can change so drastically. I used to worry about finals and what my senior project would be for college. Next, I had to worry about when my next meal would be and what would try to kill me today.
I wonder if my father would be proud of how I handled the situation…
I pushed away the sadness before it even had a chance to set in. I didn’t have time to be sentimental, I had work to do. If Wade was to become a competent mage within a week, than I would need every second of every day to train him.
I got up from my bed, making sure to take Luna’s medal with me. Stuffing it within my robe, I made my way towards Wade’s room. I knocked on the door and waited for a response. Receiving none, I entered, finding Wade still asleep within his bed. So, he's a late sleeper? That's going to change while I'm around.
I walked to his side and began to shake his shoulder, trying to wake him up. He mumbled incoherently and pushed my hand away. Trying again, I was met with the same results. I didn’t have time for this. I left his room and searched for what I would need to get him up.
Several minutes later I returned with a small bucket of ice cold water.
Would using this method be considered cruel? Perhaps, but it would certainly get the point across to him that I’m serious.
I walked up beside him and tipped the bucket, letting the ice water pour onto his face. I was awarded the hilarious scene of Wade sputtering as he shot up and looked ready to punch me. He might have succeeded too if his feet didn’t get tangled in the blanket, causing him to face-plant the floor in front of me.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN," Wade moaned, trying to separate his face from the floorboards.
I tossed aside the small bucket, a smile playing across my features. "You really are a heavy sleeper, you know that? Been trying to shake you awake for a few minutes before I had to use the water. Come on, get dressed and lets head to the kitchen. I need coffee before I can even begin to teach you anything."
Wade looked up at me with a pained expression.
"Maflaghfaaa," he moaned, making his way to his feet. "Heavy sleepy?" he asked slowly. "Told that before, yes," and with that he let out a body wracking yawn, straightening with a momentous stretch.
I left the room as Wade got changed, listening to him stumbling around behind the door. Once he emerged we made our way to the dining area. It took us six minutes to reach it this time. I’m not sure whether that's a record or not for Wade.
Spike and Twilight were already up, having a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. Fortunately for me, there was already a pot of coffee on, it's scent hanging rich in the air.
I made a beeline for the black liquid, grabbing a nearby cup and pouring himself a mug of the heavenly drink. So I may have a small problem, but can you honestly blame me? I sighed in content as I nursed the mug. Now that I actually had the fuel that kept me going, I can plan for the rest of the day. After less than a day of meditating, Wade had grasped the concept of searching for his magic. Remarkable really, and it allowed us to move onto using magic sooner.
"Twilight," I began, "do you have any sound proof and sturdy rooms? And when I say sturdy, I mean sturdy enough to contain a small explosion if need be."
"Before you go off training, you received a letter," Twilight said, shoveling a spoonful of eggs into her mouth. She levitated over a scroll which I gently removed from the air and opened, beginning to read it aloud.
To Arch Magus Robin, and Acolyte Wade; you are humbly invited to stay in Canterlot at the request of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Boarding will be provided for you, as well as seclusion for the duration of your stay, as per your request. It has come to our attention you require a magic training hall, so we have isolated a wing of the castle for that specific purpose. You will also have access to any materials you require in your studies, as well as the privacy afforded them.
Feel free to bring Princess Twilight or anypony else who desires to accompany you, accommodation will be provided for all that come with.
We anticipate your arrival, and Welcome to Equestria!"
Twilight didn't seem all that surprised by the contents of the letter. She simply took another bite of toast.
"You know, it's not very nice to read someone else's mail..." Wade chastised.
"It wasn't marked as 'to you', and it's my primary letter delivery, so am I just supposed to assume nothing being sent to me is actually for me, and just meant for somepony else I should randomly give it to?" she rattled off guiltily.
Fair enough. Of course, I have a feeling she would look at it even if it was addressed to me or Wade. It’s clear enough she’s not a fan of me. Still, the contents of the letter was enough to forgive the insult.
I was practically grinning from ear to ear by the time I was done looking over the scroll. "It would seem that Luna was able to come through for me. This is a great opportunity and it would be rude to refuse such an invitation. Still, as I informed Luna, I have no intention of going until I am able to hide my appearance from the populace."
I turned towards Twilight, rolling up the scroll and placing it on the table. "Twilight, do you have the prototype for the transformation spell complete? If you do, and you can promise it won't act up, we could leave for Canterlot immediately."
I’d be taking a risk with a mere prototype, but the reward was so much greater than the risk.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I finished it. Here," she lit up her horn, levitating a small keychain. It was a short chain, connected to what looked like an inch by inch stainless steel book. It was plain, featureless, and had what looked like a hinge running along the spine. Did the spell activate when the small book was opened? Or was the pony type labeled within the book? "Also, you left your book out, so I decided to take a look at it. Interesting study, I wasn't able to decipher any of it but I did find some parallels with the sanscript and Swaeighly..."
I looked up from the keychain to see Twilight levitating my translation book to me. I furrowed my brow in annoyance and snatched it from the air, giving Twilight a suspicious look. "I see… Twilight, do refrain from delving too deep into this magic. I don't think you'd appreciate it as much considering our little debate yesterday regarding the functions of magic."
I held the translation book under my arm, keeping it close to me. I didn't need this getting out and being published for all to see. Magic this powerful shouldn’t be introduced at all, let alone be integrated slowly. There would be less of a shift in balance that way.
My frown slowly melted away as I turned my gaze back to the keychain. With this, Wade and I would be able to make our way to Canterlot. "Wade, get your things together. For the duration of my stay we will be residing in Canterlot. There's a reason I asked Luna for a sturdy room. I expect a few explosions from you while we train. Not to mention you might destroy a wall or two if you suddenly lost concentration. This training hall will be perfect for privacy and protection."
"What? Sure, gimme a minute to throw everything in my backpack," he responded, grabbing a piece of toast and slathering it with butter. He backpedaled down the hallway, calling out as he made his way back to his room, "Make sure the charm works! Not to say it won't, but better safe than sorry, right?"
I turned towards Twilight as I fondled the keychain between my fingers. It was smooth, and of beautiful craftsmanship. I wonder how Twilight got the shape of it?
"So, Twilight, all I need to do is pour my magic into the charm and I'll transform into a pony, correct?"
"Actually," she started, putting down her spoon and walking to me, "I managed to simplify the process a bit. All you need to do is open it, and the gem inside the charm will start the spell. I've put enough magic in the prototype for two charges. I'm sure a master magic user such as yourself will be able to recharge it? Anyway, as I stated last night, I only had time to put one transformation in. Its a unicorn like you asked," Twilight visibly suppressed a giggle, worrying me, "Medium body type, so as to better blend in with the populace of Equestria. I'm sure it'll fit you perfectly~"
I eyed Twilight for a moment, noticing her suppressed giggles. I may be socially awkward, but these ponies were just too easy to read, even for me. Still, I needed to blend in. Sure, I can handle any conflict that comes my way, but I'd much rather avoid it. Deciding to place my trust in Twilight, I flipped open the little book.
My vision was blinded with a bright flash of light. I could feel my body changing, but it in no way hurt. When it was finally over I opened my eyes and found myself staring, at eye level, into Twilight's amused face. I lifted a hoof, noticing a fine layer of light purple fur. "Seems li-"
I stopped talking immediately, noticing, or rather hearing, something wrong.
No... she didn't. She wouldn't…
I ran over to the nearest mirror, stumbling a few times as I got used to walking on four legs. What I saw in the reflection took my breath away, and not in a good way.
Staring back at me was a pony with a light pink mane and teal colored eyes. A pinkish horn jutting from my forehead confirmed I had become a unicorn. My tail was the same color as my mane, light pink. I was stark naked save for my robe which had remarkably transformed with me. Feeling my new wither, I confirmed that the Levin blade was also wrapped around my waist, still in its sheath. I was worried the transformation spell wouldn't work with my cloths. I may have lost my undershirt and boots, but at least I still had my robe…
What I did next would embarrass me for ages to come. I lowered my head between my forelegs, looking for-yep, it's gone. Twilight Sparkle turned me into a fucking God-damned mare.
... They'll never find her body.
Twilight had noticeably clammed up after the transformation. I turned to give her a piece of my mind for this humiliation, when I caught sight of her gaze. She was blushing, her eyes wide and her maw open, jaw attempting to reach the floor. Seeing my eye twitching with barely concealed rage, she snapped her mouth closed and let out an earth shattering cough.
"AHEM, well, I can see some unconscious details made it through while I was designing that… never mind, don't mind me. Just take a few laps around the room, get accustomed to your new legs." She waved me away, gesturing for me to walk. "The spell should have some minor instincts regarding movement, but they might conflict with your own, deeper set instincts when it comes to muscle movement. You also might experience phantom limb syndrome, from the body musculature being so different from your original form. For now, can you still use your magic?" she asked.
I glared at her for a few moments, letting her squirm under my gaze. After I had tortured her enough, I sighed in defeat. I would simply have to accept this form until we made it to Canterlot. But I swear, if any stallions make a move on me I would introduce to them the lifestyle of a quadriplegic.
I focused my magic through my horn and cast a levitation spell. The scroll from before lifted off the table, did a few spins, and landed once more. "Yes, I can, and don't worry much about me getting around. I should be able to adapt to this form soon enough. Besides, it's only temporary while we make our way to Canterlot."
"That's good," she assured me, jotting down something on a piece of paper. She then levitated an odd configuration of cloth and string over to me. "It seems I outdid myself with the little details. I rather like how the coat turned out, but I wasn't sure how I could insert overwear into the spell. You can just use this pair for now, it's brand new, never been used. It's unisex, so you don't need to feel weird about that. I'll figure out a way to implement them into all the future designs. Somehow. Speaking of, I'm pretty sure I could throw a gryphon and a breezie form in along with the pony forms, if you'd like."
I took the cloth in my magic and levitated it onto my back, barely giving it a second glance. I suppose I could just change in the open, but old habits die hard. "A gryphon would be nice, but I'll skip the breezie. Now, if you can point me in the direction of the nearest restroom, I can get changed."
"There's one right around the corner, you passed it on your way here," she supplied, waving a hoof back behind me. "Too bad about the breezie, but if there's any other species you want me to take a crack at just say so, okay?"
I nodded in acknowledgement and made my way to the bathroom. This female body was odd to say the least. I could feel muscles I wouldn't normally notice. I wonder how-
No, bad mind! I’m not curious enough to know that! Fucking Sparkle!
I eventually found my way to the bathroom, closing the door behind me as I levitated the clothing off my back. Now that I got a closer look at it, I saw it was fitted for... mares. She planned for this, that bitch!
The clothing reminded me of a bikini, going up over the hind legs. It was clearly an undergarment suited for ponies and the intention was to hide the genitals. I guess a tail can only cover so much.
Well, this is going to be weird. Just... don't think about it too much.
I hastily donned the underwear, making sure it didn't interfere with my scabbard. I needed to be able to draw my blade at a moments notice. I don't care if I blend into the background, I am not going to be unarmed!
I watched as the purplish fabric seemed to blend with my own fur color. I raised an eyebrow as the undergarment slowly disappeared, seeming to dissolve upon my body. I could still feel it… and yet it wasn't there.
Really? Magic underwear? The innovation of this world compared to mine is second to none. Then again, the ponies from my Equestria might have something like this. I’m not exactly a fashion guy, so I wouldn’t know.
Happy (not really) with the setup I exited the bathroom and made my way to my room. I actually found it almost immediately. Interesting, perhaps the castle hallways adapt according to the travelers wishes? I believe I remember Wade making a joke about 'revolving staircases' or something.
I opened the door and Levitated the bag of books onto my back. Finished retrieving my meager belongings I closed the door and moved on to Wade's room. I knocked on the door, opening it once I got admission from Wade himself.
He was staring at me and I could see a combination of amusement and confusion dancing across his eyes. I would not, as his teacher, allow him to think this would make me weaker in any way.
I gave him a hard glare. "Yes, it's me, Robin. And before you say anything, keep in mind I can wake you up tomorrow by summoning a blizzard in your room."
"Believe me, I know what you're feeling," he started, "most of my morphs are female. The male morphs that I have, I could count on one hand, for Christ sakes. You just need to keep in mind that they're ponies. Its not like they're real girls." He immediately backtracked, " I mean, of course they're real girls, but it's not like they're human girls. So its nothing to feel embarrassed about, okay?" He supplied.
I merely grunted in annoyance. The thing back there certainly felt real enough. "Whatever, all I know is that if a stallion makes a move on me, he's going to live the rest of his life a quadriplegic. Now, did you finish packing your things?"
He lifted up his backpack, and waved it in my direction. "Yeah, I got everything I own. first and foremost though," He gestured to a shelf filled with an assortment of items, " Do you have any of these tokens? One thing I've learned is that I can transfer these quite easily, the multiverse just shoves another one in my face once I give them away."
I turned my head to where he was pointing. I frowned as I looked over the large number of tokens. So far I had only received one, that being Gilgamesh’s. "I'm afraid I don't recognize any of them. You don't need to worry though about supplying me with them. They will most likely find their way to me in due time. And should they not, then we were never meant to meet."
I backed out of Wade's room and gestured with my hoof. "Come on, the sooner we get to Canterlot the sooner I can return to normal. I feel exposed as a pony."
Wade nodded, activating a quick morph to change into Pinkie Pie. Catching my eye, he whirled a coat around his shoulders. "They tend to view flat hair Pinkie Pie as something akin to a giant dragon. 'Dangerous, do not engage'. Thought it might make our journey a little more enjoyable, cut down on people trying to talk to us, ya know?” Wade said as he let out a short laugh while he tried to get his bulky legs through the backpack’s armholes. "Come on you stupid tree trunks," Wade grumbled as he finally managed to get the backpack on, "Okay, good to go. So when the heck did you get chummy with the princesses? You just got here yesterday..." he asked, leading the way to the front door.
I chuckled as I followed him close behind. "I actually talked to her last night while I was dreaming. She tried to get into my dream, but my mental barriers prevented her from entering. After letting her in, we had a nice conversation and a cup of coffee. I was the one who asked her for the training hall, and I'm happy to know Luna pulled through for me. She even delegated me to some unknown rank. I believe you've been given the same title, correct?"
"Yeah," I grumbled. "apparently its a long dead title that only the princesses still recognize, so don't even bother trying to use it in normal day to day activities." he let out a low huff, " Damn man, what kind of crazy magnetism do you have? I've been here for a whole month, and not a single peep from Luna, you're here one day and she's banging down your dreamhole? I don't know whether to feel in awe of you, or feel pissed that she's ignoring me..."
I tilted my head, hurrying forward until I was by his side. I looked at him curiously, remembering what Luna had told me last night. “Wade, I talked to the princess about that. She’s been trying to contact you since the first night she learned of your existence. She told me that you don’t dream at all.”
He gave a start, peering back at me, "Well that’s wrong. Everyone dreams, even if I can't remember mine. I saw this special on discovery channel a few years ago, if you don't dream you die or something..." he pressed a leg to his windpipe, doing an awkward three legged hobble as we continued, "Nope, I got a pulse, which means I'm not dead, which means I have to dream, according to TV. Remember, if fox news reports on it, it must be truuuuuueeeeee" He returned his leg to its normal locomotion, ceasing the strange hobble. I merely rolled my eyes at the response.
We made our way to the front door, where Twilight stood waiting for us. "Are you ready to go? I've checked the times, there's a direct line to Canterlot in only half an hour, plenty of time for us to get there." She walked over to a bag resting on the floor which Spike was sitting on top of.
"Did you hear Rarity's coming with us? This is gonna be awesome!" he stated excitedly, before he withered under my glare.
I wasn’t so much angry at Spike than I was at the information he gave. I wasn’t going to Canterlot to have a vacation.
"What is this, a field trip?" Wade grumbled at Twilight, "How many other people did you invite with us? You didn't even know he was going till less than an hour ago!"
Strangely enough, a bat descended from the ceiling, resting itself upon Wade’s head. It looked down into his eyes, giving what I could only describe as ‘puppy dog’ eyes. Rather unnerving seeing that coming from a bat. Especially considering the fact that they should be blind.
"Are you sure you wanna come Ferdy? This isn't a trip for fun for me, I'll probably be working my butt off the entire time. Is there even any food readily available for you there?" Wade asked the bat.
the small creature bobbed its head in an agreeable motion, bouncing up and down on his hair.
"Well if you're sure about that. Robin, this is Ferdinando, my pet bat. Ferdy, this is Robin, he's a human like me, and doesn't ordinarily look like this," he said, waving a hoof at myself.
"Hey Twilight," He ventured, "Just how many others are coming along? Just to give us a heads up."
"Nopony else, I swear, just Spike and Rarity."
I gave Ferdinando a nod before sighing in agitation. “I can understand why Spike would be coming with us, but honestly, why is Rarity joining us? It’s not that I don’t like her, it’s just that we’re going to Canterlot for reasons which wouldn’t require her presence. Besides, does she even know about the existence of Wade and I?
"Wade, yes. All the girls know about him. As for why Rarity's coming, I met her this morning before you got up, she wants to meet you to see your clothes..." she took a long hard look at me, "Although my alterations aren't much to look at. She'll probably want to see your original clothes once we get there, that okay? Oh yeah, you asked me why she was- well it turns out she was going to Canterlot today anyway. It seems she has to go to the main Equestrian postal branch to receive an order, it's apparently illegal to transport some of the materials she ordered without a royal accompaniment, which she technically counts as, being the bearer of the element of Generosity. Technically... sorta?" Twilight mused, scrunching up her face.
"I mean, I'm a full fledged princess, so I'm kinda above her, but she has more titles than me… so that would… sorry, it doesn't matter. She's basically going to pick up a package, does that answer your question, Robin?"
I simply grunted in acknowledgement. “Fine, let’s just be on our way then. Are we meeting her at the train station?”
"Yeah," Twilight responded, raising her bags in a lavender glow, "We should actually get going. There's little chance of being late, but why chance being only ten minutes early when you could be twenty minutes early?" she asked earnestly.
"... I can think of nothing I would rather do than sit in a train car for twenty minutes, waiting for it to leave," Wade stated dryly, putting a pause between each of the words to hammer in how much he had no desire to sit for any longer more in a closed box than he had to. I couldn't agree more with him
"You don't have to complain, I'm the one who's going to be paying your tickets, you know," she replied testily.
"And for that I thank you. Now are we going to get going, or are we just gonna keep talking about how we're gonna go?"
I gave a nod, straightening out my cloak with a light purple hoof. The only thing that carried over was the robe, so I was still somewhat exposed to the elements.
We shuffled out the door, Ferdinando transferring to my hair as we went out. I gave a huff at the bat, hoping he would leave, but did little more than that. We made our way through Ponyville, heading straight for the train platform. We got our tickets, turned to find our car and-
Oh no…
"Hey I heard you were leaving so soon and I thought to myself ‘Hey Pinky, you know what would make a good surprise for that guy Twilight told you about earlier?' and then I was just like ‘Oh my gosh Pinkie, I have the perfect idea!' and then I was like 'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' but that was pretty silly cause there's only one of me and of course I know what I'm thinking, I think it would be pretty lonely if you couldn't hear yourself think but anyway it turns out I was thinking I'd make you a welcome to Ponyville cake!" and with that earth shattering bout against the laws of physics, Pinkie Pie took in a deep breath of air and shoved a box into my arms, forcing me to stand with only three limbs. "Well I'd love to stay and chat but I have to get back to work, come back soon and don't be a stranger!" and with that she was gone.
I didn't even have time to respond before she vanished. I eyed the pink box with apprehension. If there’s a seed cake in here I’m going to be a lot of things. I sighed and levitated it beside me as I walked onto the train, grumbling to myself about Pinkie’s choice in sweets.
I waited for Twilight to board, not knowing where exactly to go. As it would turn out, it wasn’t that far away. Most likely Twilight had privileges, allowing her to always secure a high-end room even at the last second. Upon entering the room, I quickly noticed that we weren’t the first to make it.
"Darlings, you made it!" exclaimed Rarity. Half of the car was virtually inaccessible as bags were littered across the room. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume she was moving.
"Gee Rarity, are you sure you packed enough?" Wade asked sarcastically.
"Honestly no, I had to pack light given the short warning, they only contacted me this morning saying they're holding my supplies in Canterlot till further notice, and I need them as soon as possible for my designs!" she said with a dramatic flair. "And this must be the enigmatic Robin! A pleasure to meet you dear, might I just say that I adore your manteau~!"
I rolled my eyes and walked into the car, avoiding the bags as I made my way to an open seat. "And this must be the noble Rarity! Please, the pleasure is all mine, and thank you. I've had this Robe for quite some time now. It's heavily enchanted, will never rip, burn, dissolve, anything. Imbued it with a bit of my own life force. of course, I can't protect it against any smells. Now that I think about it, I haven't technically washed this thing in over 1500 years. I'll have to deal with that when I return home."
"Well it certainly managed to hold up, but Twilight, I thought you said Robin was a male?" Rarity asked Twilight.
"He is. This is just the effects of the prototype charm," Wade looked around the car worriedly. Checking for unwanted attention perhaps? "I decided to start off with something simple, something I knew how to replicate."
"Really dear, couldn't have spent the extra effort to save him his dignity? Just looking at him it's easy to tell he's uncomfortable."
Uncomfortable is an understatement. I’m downright disturbed due to the new feelings I’m experiencing.
"The female form is one I've lived with for all of my life," Twilight countered, "so I know exactly how its supposed to feel, leaving no room for mistakes."
Rarity gave her a pointed look, to which she quickly balked at.
"And I prefer to work with female forms."
"We know you do, darling."
I chuckled as I listened to the banter between the two mares. So Twilight is homosexual? I’m not sure how I should feel about that, all things considering. "It'll only be from here to the castle, so I won't have to suffer for long. Still, at least someone understands my discomfort." I exclaimed, directing that last bit towards Twilight.
Twilight blushed, trying to avoid my gaze. "As you said, it's only temporary, so you shouldn't have anything to gripe over. I'll try to have your male form ready by tomorrow, but you have to tell me if anything feels off, okay? I've never been a stallion so I could possibly get some nerve endings wrong. Just be sure to tell me."
"You should sit down and get comfortable," Rarity waved to the pony accessible benches, "While the ride may only be a couple hours, I would be remiss to not take a seat when presented one. It'll take the weight off of your hips too," she directed at me, " which in turn will take your mind off your hips. a win win, don't you think?"
I deadpanned at Rarity, not looking amused. "That's not even a little funny." I looked over at Wade, watching him trip over the bags. "How can you act so casual when not in the body you were born in? It feels natural, but that only makes it stranger. it's like wearing a second skin..."
He shrugged, an odd movement that, for a pony, moved their entire body due to their weight being on their front legs, "My form is my form. Regardless of how it looks or feels, I can always return to my true form whenever I want, so I don't really feel any pressure in that regard. It's never a question as to which feels natural, because it's so completely different from my own. It's like this, I can take several forms that can fly, but I myself WILL NEVER FLY. I'm afraid of heights, regardless if I have wings or not. That's in my mind, that's who I am. My changing body doesn't change any of my internalization."
"I'm guessing due to how you're taking this you aren't into guys, right? So for you, no matter what form your outer aesthetic takes, it will never change who you are, and you'll go on being completely straight regardless. In the end, it never changes who you are inside, it just changes what others are allowed to see you as." he shot me a conspiratorial grin, "And who cares if someone see's something that isn't you? If they don't take time to get to know the real you, then their opinion doesn't matter."
"A drab way to view the world," Rarity commented.
"But true," Spike retorted. At the white unicorns confused gaze, he elaborated, "All anypony in Ponyville sees me as is a little baby, nothing more than a foal." Spike puffed his chest out, and sat on a bench opposite myself. "I'm only four years younger than Twilight, while I may be a baby dragon, I'm by no means as young as everypony views me as. It's honestly a bit frustrating when I try to talk to an adult, and all they reply with are baby coo's," he finished with a huff.
I leaned back in my seat as I gazed up at the ceiling. What Wade said was right, I suppose. Was I thinking too straightforward? I’m not sure I’ll ever be comfortable as a female, but it isn’t my real body, so why should I care? So long as I stay true to my personality, who I am, I’ll remain the same individual I was when born. "I never really thought of it that way. Yes, it may not be the real me, but it's not the outside that counts. Also, nobody actually knows me in this Equestria, so should something happen, it won't affect me. Even if I did use this form in my universe, so long as no one recognizes me, I can save face."
I turned towards him, my eyebrow raised in question. "However, it's none of your business what my sexual orientation is. Besides, from your implications, you've already labeled yourself as bisexual. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just don't expect me to go announcing my tastes."
I internally smirked as I watched a blush form across his face. "I'm not bi. I am one hundred percent only interested in human females. And even though I'm comfortable as a female, it doesn't mean anything besides that," he responded with a huff, mirroring Spikes outburst.
I chuckled and tried to calm him. "Calm down, I'm only teasing you. Still, I do appreciate the talk. I feel much more comfortable in this form than I did before. Still, stallions better stay away from me."
"A bit of a tip," he extended, "If someone starts hitting on you simply for your looks, just pretending you didn't hear or see them works wonders towards their inevitable retreat."
"It may be effective, but it is rather rude, why not simply let them know you have no interest?" Rarity interjected.
"Because acknowledging their existence makes them want to talk to you more," he rebutted. "I'd rather just ignore them till they leave."
"Still rude," Rarity chastised.
"So is assuming I'll be interested in them simply because they tried to compliment me based on solely physical qualities. If someone is interested in me, I'd rather they be interested in me, and vice versa. Not that I'd accept that kind of attention here, though."
Wade sat himself on the bench beside Spike, and began to twist his neck. At my quizzical look he decided to explain himself.
"One thing I'm still not used to, I used to love cracking my neck and knuckles. Every since I started morphing, my body has healed to the point where there's no fluid or whatever between the joints, meaning there's nothing to make it so they can 'crack'. Even my tattoos and scars are gone."
I couldn’t help but be impressed by how deep his power ran. "That's quite a gift. I think it makes up for the lack of being able to crack your fingers." I turned towards Rarity, far from having forgotten the previous conversation, "And no, I will ignore any stallion that comes my way. If they continue to push it, I'll just set them on fire," I said with an even tone. She seemed a bit disturbed by it.
"Just a little bit of fire," Wade reassured Twilight, who was looking at me in concern, "Like a light glaze, so that all their hair burns off and they look hideous. I'm joking, no seriously Twilight he'll probably just scare them off with a fireball launched at their feet. And no, I'm not correcting myself there."
I’d be tempted to correct him, but I don’t feel like getting hassled by everyone. I would very much, very willingly, harm an individual should they push me too far.
Twilight continued to give Wade an odd look.
"So Twilight, what exactly are you going to be doing while I'm training with Robin?"
"Well, to start I'll be trying to perfect the charm for Robin, I did promise it to him after all. After that, I might sit in with you, to see if there's any teachings I can implement within my own studies. Or I could have Robin try out the forms, to see if I need to change anything."
I hummed to myself as I thought aloud, “You are certainly welcome to watch us, but I still must ask that you remain quiet for the duration of the teachings. You should also be careful about where you sit yourself. As I’ve mentioned before, my magic is rather volatile and explosions are not uncommon depending on the spell used. Elfire and Arcfire, by default use, causes a massive pillar of fire to erupt from the ground followed by a small explosion.”
In fact, the only tree I can think of that doesn’t have any explosions is Wind. Not destroying the room might be close to impossible. “Tell me about this training hall we’ll be using. Considering it’s used for magical purposes I can suspect that it’s rather enforced with magical barriers, but I still worry. I don’t want to cause any massive damage to the structure, and should a spell pierce the wall itself, it could harm someone standing on the other side.”
Twilight scrunched her face up in thought. "I'll be honest, I don't know what rooms are being afforded us. Regardless of the room, I should be able to set up a cycle in magic sigil. That way any stray magic you use will get caught in the spell, shielding the room. The stronger the magic, the stronger the shield protecting it, clever, right?"
I nodded, that seemed well enough to contain spells casted by Wade. "That sounds good to me. I don't really feel like getting yelled at for knocking down a few walls."
Rarity let out a low harumph, "You should get out while you're in Canterlot, it's not every day can enjoy the highlights of a city like Canterlot. You shouldn't simply shut yourself away for the entire time," she suggested.
I rolled my eyes. "I've been shut away for longer than I can remember. Besides, I doubt Canterlot has anything to offer that I would enjoy. The city seems extremely sophisticated, too much so for my tastes."
"Oh but darling," Rarity crooned, "In a city as large as Canterlot, you're bound to find something to meet your tastes~!"
"You have to go to Donut Joe’s one day," Spike squawked childishly, his giddiness showing through with his words, "he makes the best donuts ever!"
"Act like a child, you'll be treated like one," Wade teased.
"Donuts aren't childish!" he retorted, "They're delicious!"
I couldn’t help but chuckle. "I'll consider it, but for now I want to assess the situation with the training room. I need to make sure it's up to standards, I need to organize my supplies, I need some blank books; I'll be too busy to explore Canterlot. At least, for the first couple of days."
"Well a simple consideration is all one can ask for, is it not?" Rarity proposed. "I know of this wonderful cafe that sells a salad that will make your taste buds sing~!"
I gave a soft smile and leaned my head back against the seat. I was worried Rarity’s personality would conflict with my own, but I find her more amusing than irritating. "I'll consider it. I'm not too comfortable around large crowds though. I'd prefer to remain hidden in the back."
"Thank goodness," Wade breathed out a sigh of relief. "Its not that I'm against fasting, it's just that I get really irritable when I get super hungry." he patted Pinkie Pies stomach, comparing her curves to his own. "Not that I couldn't stand to lose a few pounds," he acknowledged.
I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, watching the landscape roll by. Already I was beginning to feel antsy, and being enclosed in such a small space wasn’t helping. "How long until we reach Canterlot station? I'm already feeling cramped in here."
"At the current speed," Twilight started, getting a far off look in her eyes, "We left the platform at 9:15 on the dot, so we should arrive at 11:45 by the latest. That's given wind resistance, and minor fluctuations in speed as well. And since it's now 10:28 right now, that's another hour and twenty three minutes at the most."
"Nowhere near as bad as it could be, all things considered," Wade stated.
I sighed and levitated the tome Flux out of the bag. If we were going to be here for so long, may as well get in some training while we can. It had a rather sinister symbol on the front, looking like the empty void I’ve come to know so much. I hovered the tome in the middle of the room, letting Wade take a good look at it.
“This, Wade, is the first tome you’ll be using when delving into Dark magic. It’s known as Flux, and is the first tome you need to master in order to progress further into the field. Flux is slow, weak and not very efficient in a fight against stronger opponents. However, it’s a great tome to teach you how to channel your magic through a book and to control Dark magics.”
I can’t even remember the last time I used this spell. It truly does pale in comparison to its superior cousins.
"Cool. So whats it do?" he asked. "Specifically, I mean. Flux is a cool title, but it doesn't exactly tell me anything descriptively. Does it mess with fluctuations or something?"
I smiled and brought the book back towards myself. I opened the book and read over a few lines. It took slightly longer than usual, most likely due to the lack of use. Once I felt the connection established, I summoned forth my magic through my horn. The appendage became a dark purple color, the miasma glowing with an evil light. From the space in front of me, a black ball began to form, growing larger by the second. Once I was finished, a black ball of darkness was floating lazily in the middle of the room.
"This is what Flux can do. It takes dark energy and condenses it into a sphere of destruction. it's highly volatile and can explode at the slightest touch, expelling the Dark magic viciously in the process."
I eyed the floating ball of death before opening the window, and chucking the thing off the train. We all heard a muffled wuff go off before petering out. "It was a version that I significantly reduced the power output of, but there’s no need to needlessly risk ourselves when an open window lies right at our fingertips."
"I would imagine," Wade muttered. "So walk me through the full process. I saw you flipping through it before you started, was there a spell or something you had to activate in the book to start the actual attack spell?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Actually, the book itself can be considered the spell. By reading the words, you bind the Ancient Language to yourself, allowing you to cast the spell. You don't actually use any of your own magic, but borrow the magic from the tome. Every time the spell is used, a portion of the magic is used up. Also, once you read the book, you don't need to look at it again to cast it. I could use Flux indefinitely now until the magic within the tome is gone. Once you read another book, however, you can't cast the previous spell. each text is different and only one spell can be used at a time. That is the limitation of this magic."
"Awww," he let out a low sigh. "Oh well, that's still more impressive than anything I can do right now. You were saying something about writing my own books before? Do I have to do that for each and every new book that I use up, or is there some way to recharge them besides that?"
I chuckled and switched out the tome for another dark one, the symbol of an eye within a circle on the cover. "You only need to create the book once. After that, you can just recharge the tomes when needed. And don't get so down about a simple limitation. This magic, when mastered, can easily be one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal, not to mention possibly the most diverse. Take this tome here for example; It's only a level above Flux, but has enormous potential to be one of the most dangerous spells in my arsenal."
He looked at the tome, his confusion and disbelief clear upon his face. "So it just makes a bigger ball? What it called, Flux-ra? Is the biggest ball called Flux-aga?" he joked.
Is he honestly basing a spell and it’s power based on the book? I glared at him for a moment before responding, my anger coming out more than intended, "The tome is called Nosferatu. With this tome you can steal and absorb the life essence of any living being. I can drain anyone until they are a mere husk of their former self, dead without any visible wounds. Not only that, but I can redirect the flow of magic into the dead to create 'zombies', made for combat. This spell is versatile and powerful. You can essentially kill anything that isn't a true immortal."
Twilight seemed to bristle at my words, but I opted to ignore her. I wonder what was going through her head. Rarity had taken on a greenish tinge in her cheeks, and it looked like she was trying not to throw up. Spike on the other hand, had a wide look of wonder on his face as he contemplated my words. I expected the opposite reaction from him to be honest. then again, he isn’t exactly a child.
"What happens if they start doing the same effect? Does it just become a tug of war until one side falls asleep and dies?" Wade asked.
I pondered the scenario for a few moments before shrugging. "Tell you the truth, I'm not sure. I'm the only known user of this magic, so I've yet to meet another mage capable of such feats. I would suspect, however, that it depends on the user, the amount of magic in the tome, and the skill of the mage."
"So basically, there'll never just be a stalemate where energy will be going back and forth? I guess that's good," he scratched his neck before continuing, "Okay, so what are all of the dark spells? Are there few enough to list off easily, or is it just an entire library's worth?"
"There are quite a few, but some of the more powerful ones are Luna, which negates all resistance against the enemy. Yotsmungand summons the souls of the dead to torment the victim of your choosing. And Waste, which creates a heavy fog of dark magic, perfect for either making an escape or suffocating your opponent."
"Wait, like a smoke bomb?" he asked, his posture straightening. "Is it completely black? Can anything cut through it?"
Once more I shrugged. I wasn’t used to not having an answer to a question. "It's like normal smoke, but with Dark based properties attached to it. It will harm any who come into contact with it, even the user. It can be dispersed with either holy light or a large gust of wind.”
Twilight scoffed, a short laugh that filled the small cab.
"A spell that harms the user doesn't seem very useful in the long run."
I would have expected those words to come out of Twilight's mouth. Instead, it was Spike who posed the dilemma.
"If you want to argue semantics Spike, all magic is technically harmful to the user. In the essence that every spell uses up magic, and the energy of the user becomes depleted with every spell. Even you yourself can't breath fire indefinitely. Of course we never really notice any of this, and just replenish our energy through food and sleep."
"As interesting as that rehash is, it's also distracting," Wade griped. "So Robin, darkness and spells are all good, but so Twilight can stop trying to one-up you for the rest of the ride, how about we talk about something else?"
I shrugged and thought about what else we could discuss. The more I thought, the more I realized that my past isn’t really suitable for a casual conversation. "Fine with me, but I don't know what we can talk about. Is there anything else you want to know about me? Anything in particular I should know about this world?"
"Oh!" Wade exclaimed, readjusting his sitting position. "First and foremost, the thing you need to understand most about this variant of Equestria is the changelings. Unlike most other versions, changelings have become well known, and even accepted by many. It won't be odd to see changelings just wandering around, so don't attack any that you see like an idiot. Apparently they've doing quite well in the entertainment business, helps quite a bit when your models and actors can literally look like anyone, at any time. There’s even an organization called the Center for Changeling Relations situated in Canterlot. that's where I 'work', technically," he stressed the word 'work', raising his hooves to give a set of clunky air quotes.
I would get back at him for that one. If I saw Changelings mingling with the ponies, what in the world would have me to attack them? If they’ve been integrated into pony society, than I hardly have a problem with them.
"And while my mind is on the subject," Wade started again, turning to Twilight and Rarity, "Is there a reason why no one else has wandered in here? Seems kind of odd for a public transport, to not see any of the other 'public'. Or is this just an unpopular time slot?"
"That would be my doing," Twilight assured us, "I had the Conductor close off this car so we could travel in peace. Official Princess business, I paid for the private car so it's all taken care of," Twilight said. "Actually..."Twilight mused, tapping a hoof to her chin, "now that I think about it, you could both be human for the rest of the ride, it's not like anypony is going to interrupt us. Not with a royal claim right outside the door."
I was ready to jump from my seat and strangle the purple Alicorn. With little effort I canceled the transformation spell. "Ah, that's much better. And it seems my cloths have transferred over successfully." I readjusted myself on the seat, straightening my cloak so I didn't sit on it.
"Quite a marvelous design, sir Robin," Rarity crooned, leaning forward to get a better look. Spike looked a bit miffed that Rarity was giving all of her attention to me, but he didn't say anything or raise a fuss. "I especially admire the design, the way the colors intermingle, creating a subtle sense of harmony... Sir Robin, would you mind too horribly if I borrowed this design, to see if I could make a line based off it?"
I had to keep myself from laughing as she described my piece as 'harmonic'. If only she knew the truth. Besides that, I felt uncomfortable allowing her create designs based off my robe. I would practically be giving away the clothing that makes me who I am. "Well... this is my signature clothing. This set is part of my character and defines me in some way." Then again, this isn’t my own universe… "I suppose it's alright. Just promise me you'll do the design justice. And don't copy the eye pattern."
Rarity was nonplussed by my request, grinning as she gave me an accepting nod. "Not that I mean to insult you, but that won't be an issue. The more I look at it, the more I feel it wouldn't work in a lineup. It seems to work with you… but it accents itself with you, I feel it would clash terrible with an average pony. Yes, it wouldn't work at all. Maybe if I substituted a ponies cutiemark in place of... no no, that would never do. It would have to line the sleeve, and there's no guarantee a random cutie mark wouldn't completely ruin the design."
Her eyes alighted on the Levin Blade, and a grin crept its way across her face. "Now that would be a wonderful design substitute~! Just imagine, instead of those creepy eyes, a majestic and powerful bolt of yellow racing its way down your arm! Doesn't it just sound divine?"
I blinked in surprise, glancing down at my sword. I couldn’t help but chuckle due to the situation. "That sounds perfect Rarity. I'm sure whatever you create will be but another masterpiece to add to your collection."
Rarity glowed from the praise, shooting me a grin. "The boots… do you ever switch them out for another design? I can't very well have only one pair of boots, although I guess I could just make four and try to make it so the design doesn’t stagnate... Maybe if I make the back boots longer, and just have-"
She continued on like this, her voice dipping down to a whisper as she mused to herself. Her hooves traced invisible lines in front of her, I could only assume she was making some sort of blueprint in her mind.
"She'll, be at that for a while," Twilight interjected, drawing our attention. "Don't try to interrupt her either, not unless you want to lose a hoof. So Robin, I've been meaning to ask, your garb. Does it contain any magics?"
I looked at Rarity in amusement, watching her hooves flail in front of her as she created unseen designs. I turned my head to Twilight, answering her question, "Yes, it does. I imposed my own life force into the robe. This makes it incredibly resistant to the elements and prevents it from decaying naturally." I suddenly remembered the first time I started practicing Fire magic. "It even has some good resistance against any and all magic. I should know since... well... I set myself on fire when I was originally learning my magic."
Twilight nodded, "Ah yes, the primary incendiary event. There's far and few unicorns that manage to skip it. I've heard horror stories of entire buildings burning down, I myself set my room on fire. Torched almost my entire stuffed animal collection, only Mrs Smarty Pants managed to survive unscathed. Caused my family a fair amount of grief, you should have seen my brother running around like it was his head on fire!" Twilight laughed to herself, a short tinkling bell of a laugh.
"I remember that," Spike stated, "Your mom thought it was something you were going to be doing in your sleep, she made me promise to stay awake for an hour after you fell asleep. So I could get help if you did it, you know," he ended with a blush.
"So that's why you were so tired the week after, I thought you just weren't getting enough sleep, so you just weren't getting any?"
"I tried… but I was still young, I barely managed to stay up long at all. It was the nightmares, I kept on waking up with horrible dreams of you burning in your sleep, and then I would wake up and you'd be fine. I'd have trouble falling back asleep, and that would just repeat."
"Oh Spike, you should have said something, I never knew!"
"Ehn, doesn't matter, it was a long time ago, I'm past that now."
Well, that’s one way to destroy a touching moment.
"So anyway, to get back on target," Twilight said with a short cough, "I imagine that your clothes aren't the only thing you've made resistant to decaying? I know I sure went wild with that application after I figured it out... thank goodness too, or else my entire collection of books might have been lost!"
"Actually, my magic in general has the odd side effect to preserve almost any inanimate object I push my magic into. I actually filled my home with magic and it survived for 1500 years with no maintenance, pristine condition as well. Kinda forgot to do the same for the furniture as well though. Had to get Trixie to go shopping for more." I scratched my chin in thought, "That's just my base magic though. I can achieve many feats by using my tomes creatively. For instance, using my tome Arcwind, I'm able to control the flow of the air around me. I can even enhance my own speed using Wind magic. I'd say, while running, my top speed would be about... 60 mph."
Twilight twitched at the mention of Trixie's name, but didn't comment. At the mention of my top speed, however, she did a double take.
"Gosh, that's quick," exclaimed Spike. "Isn't the world record 'plain' sprint forty two miles per hour?"
"Forty eight, actually. And that's unassisted locomotion. For a biped, I think that would be about… twenty seven, maybe thirty three? I wouldn't know for sure without testing you normally. But that isn't the point, is it? The fact that you can increase your physical movement so drastically is quite impressive. Have you thought about using a specialized magic to give your body greater endurance in addition to your wind magic? It might make it so you could go even faster..."
"I've given it some thought, but threw it out almost immediately. I can't use unicorn magic very well and I don't have access to any other type of magic besides my own. On top of that, I can't use two variations of my own magic at the same time. If I could, I would've done more testing long ago. Still, I'm satisfied with what I can accomplish. I can control the elements to some degree and depending on the tome used, larger bodies. I can think of one tome in particular I may be able to use to move the sun itself."
"A bit of warning," Twilight pushed, "If you do have that much power, and I'm still not convinced that the magic gauge wasn't just malfunctioning, then I suggest you test it out before you absolutely need to use it. I'm saying that from experience, they're more difficult to control than a couple of foals. All kicking and squirming, refusing to do exactly as you want them to. I managed to get the hang of it, though!" she bragged with a smile.
Is she honestly trying to stay on top of me? She’s powerful, I’ll admit, but she still doesn’t hold a candle to me in terms of magical might. I admit she has more diversity with magic, but that’s all.
"Well thank goodness I'll never have to deal with that," Wade said, doing a slow morph back to human. Ferdinando squawked indignantly, an odd noise to be had from a bat. He transferred himself from his rapidly shortening locks of hair to his emerging shirt collar. "If I ever have to, I'll just call you or Twilight," he joked, his voice an odd mix of Pinkie Pie and his own before the morph finished its course.
I rolled my eyes, did Wade truly have no trust in himself? "If you can master the magic, you should be capable of extraordinary feats on your own. As I've mentioned before, the magic I have to offer is extremely powerful when mastered."
I'm starting to feel like a broken record.
Twilight’s words came back to me and I felt my anger spike. I glared at her from across the car. "And I don't exactly appreciate the fact that you constantly mock me and my power. I'll happily tell you straightforward how strong I am." I leaned back, the corner of my lip raising into a small smirk, "I'm stronger than Celestia. I could easily take either of the princesses in a fight and they would stand little chance against me unless they went all out from the start. It's quite sad really, being the ruler of a country and unable to solve problems on your own. Especially if you're thought to be so strong."
"Maybe your version of them are incompetent. Maybe that's why you're so confident. But I know mine, all too well. I would put my bits on them no matter what," she stated confidently. "But I will admit I have been mocking you. That's been rather rude of me, and I apologize for that. Not very befitting the title of 'Princess of Friendship', am I?" she let out a short laugh.
"I am truly sorry for my behavior, I'm not quite sure as to why I'm acting like this in the first place. Oh, you must think me as just a total pain, can you ever forgive me?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose as I tried to calm myself. As much as I hated to admit it, Twilight did bring up a decent point. This wasn’t my universe, these weren’t the princesses I knew. Luna seemed a bit more competent with her abilities so it’s more than likely Celestia is as well. Would I ever accept the fact that either one of them is stronger than me? Never, but I should be on my guard. "It's fine, Twilight. Just be sure not to judge a book by its cover next time."
"But it's a cover’s job to properly convey the content of a book, if I can't trust a cover to do its job then… oh, the saying, sorry. Yeah… I guess I do need to work on that..."
"Ya think?" Spike let out in a dry tone.
"Oh hush."