High up in the sky Stormy lay half asleep atop one hastily patched together monstrosity of cloud. Truly, it was the ugliest, most ramshackle thing that a pegasus had ever created; at least, she certainly thought so.
Stormy knew she wasn’t a weather pony and possessed very little skill or practice at it, but she imagined most foals would probably laugh at just how bad the cloud looked. Point in fact, it barely even supported her weight. Still, it wasn’t her fault that the clouds in Merlos’ stupid world didn’t work right, and anyway, it did get the job done.
The job being a nice, safe place above ground where she could mope undisturbed.
In the distance, the sun had finally risen over the horizon. It was even starting to get hot out.
Come to think of it, the sun here looks kind of weird. After making her cloud, Stormy had spent the morning since the events in the tower watching the sunrise. Can’t put my hoof on why, though… Different or no, she was at least glad the sun was doing its job well enough, unlike the cloud.
It was somewhere around mid-morning and the sun’s rays warmed her back, while the high altitude breeze kept it pleasant. The combination calmed her much in the way it often would when lounging on lazy summer afternoons back in Equestria.
Equestria seemed so far away now. So very very far away.
Stormy rolled over—wings splayed out lazily—and gazed upside-down at the couple hundred meter drop towards the ground.
The lands surrounding Merlos’ derelict property were mostly rocky hills, but not far off down the mountainous area were telltale signs of farmland and homes; she assumed these belonged to more mans.
The hot sun overhead was unlike what Stormy was used to, even going so far as to create visible heat waves hovering over the ground, shimmering as distant water would on the horizon. She wasn’t an earth pony farmer nor even a weather pony in charge of an orchard, but even she could tell the heat was beating the farmlands to a near dead crop. Well, it’s not a desolate place, but it could really use some watering. Whoever’s in charge of the weather here sucks at their job.
Other than the more brown than green vegetation of the area, the only other noteworthy thing to see from her perch were six specks suddenly moving about the stables inside the courtyard. It seemed some people had just exited from the tower.
“Huh, who are they?” After rolling back over, Stormy squinted and leaned out nearly all the way over the edge of her cloud in an effort to get a better look. “Oh, hey, it’s those guys! The short-mans! Uh, shoot, what were their names again?”
Before they could finish, her thoughts were cut off.
Stormy blinked from a sudden change in support beneath her, then gasped as she was pitched out into the air without warning.
“Ah! What the hay?” The distance she fell before her wings caught her was short, and circling back up to her traitorous cloud creation revealed that a sizeable tuft of the shoddy thing had given way under her weight.
“Pft, great,” Stormy mumbled, and watched as water began to drizzle out in a haze from the now compromised cloud’s port side.
She sighed, a hoof on either hip, then glanced down towards her rescuers from the night prior, as well as the scorching rays that they toiled away in.
“Oh, idea!”
With a grin, Stormy swooped around in the air to her cloud, hugged it, then began to push it downward toward the earth. About halfway down she did her best to quiet her wing-beats, somewhat approaching with silence and stealth.
And this oughta do it… Stormy squinted one eye, ensuring the mist exuding from her cloud was right over the heads of the two strangers from the previous night. The other four specks turned out to be more of the strange looking, beast-like ponies they owned.
“What the— Is tha’ rain? Ges, get a load of this. It’s—” The broad shouldered stranger looked upward, astonished.
The more lean of the two interrupted. “What in the name o’ the fathers?” He squinted upward, a hand raised against the sun’s rays, until finally he spotted a silhouette just above the miniature cloud’s edge. A grin split his features. “Oh, it’s you. Hello there! Knott, it’s the strange beastie I calmed down last night.”
Stormy smirked, and proceeded to swoop down, but left the cloud in its position over the two—it wasn’t big enough to rain very hard, after all.
“Hi! I wasn’t able to say anything last night because Merlos’ dumb spell had run out, so I couldn’t understand your language… but I wanted to thank you guys for saving us."
The two short-mans chuckled. The larger of the two even went so far as to slap his knee in delight.
“Oh t’was our pleasure! We dwarves aren’t really known to come runnin’ to the aid o’ others I s’pose, but I personally like to dispel that unfortunate bit o’ reputation as best I can.” The larger of the pair chuckled at that. “Now ah have to ask, is this bi’ o’ respite from the sun your doin’? It’s sure as thunder appreciated.” For emphasis, his hands raked through his hair, spreading the cooling water.
“Yup! That was all me.” Stormy nodded, giving a grinning beam to the friendly… dwarf, as he’d referred to himself.
She continued. “I’m not great at weather stuff, but I can manage the basics. This is the least I can do for what you guys did for me and Merlos last night… Oh, and I’m Stormy Weather! What are your names?” She offered a hoof to the dwarves.
“Ges!” The leaner of the two dwarves said, shaking her hoof.
“Uhhh, guess?” Stormy blinked in confusion at the odd request. “Well, okay. Is your name Sunny Daze? Copper Top? Clear Skies? How many guesses do I get?”
He shook his head. “No, just Ges.”
Stormy raised an eyebrow. But I did? “Uhm, is it Snow Ball? Flash Sentry? Pop Rocks?”
The dwarf sighed—for some reason—and leaned in closer to Stormy, pronouncing his words slowly this time. “No, just Ges.”
Stormy’s wings flapped as a sign of confusion. “But I am!” She turned to the other dwarf, hoping to move on and avoid offending them. “...Okay, who are you?”
"Oh, are we doing the thing? Hah, well he’s not Yu. That's me." From around the corner of the stable, a third dwarf walked outside, followed closely by a fourth and a fifth. “I’m Yu.”
“Now don't you start, I'll get to you in a minute after I guess his name.” Stormy ignored the laughing newcomer and focused on the original dwarves. “Now who are you?”
“I’m not Yu. I’m Knott.” The burliest dwarf thumped a fist to his thick chest proudly.
Stormy deadpanned. “Uhhh…” She stared at him, at a loss for words now. “You’re not… what?”
The dwarf smirked. “No, just Knott.”
“But not what!” Stormy said again, this time more desperately. One of the dwarves scowled at her, while a couple of the others snickered. “What’s so funny?”
“No, I’m Watt.” From behind this dwarf approached two more from the tower, both of whom were looking rather interested in what was going on. That brought the dwarf count up to seven.
The third dwarf chuckled, and clapped one of the others on the shoulder. "You know, Watt, yeh 're actually pretty funny."
The other dwarf laughed back harder. “Oh? But I thought tha’ I was just Watt!”
Stormy stared at the scene of madness as the two dwarves doubled over laughing together.
“Aah!” She held one hoof to either side of her head, before taking a deep breath and calming down. “Okay, wait, stop. Let’s start again. Firstly, you.” She pointed a hoof at a random dwarf. “Name.”
The dwarf nodded politely, holding one hand up to his front. “Yu,” he acknowledged simply.
“Me? Oh, I’m Stormy.” She looked around at the other dwarves, who already began to chuckle again.
“No, I meant that I’m Yu.” The dwarf shook his head.
“What?” Stormy could feel a headache coming on.
“No, I’m Watt,” the other dwarf interjected once again.
Stormy scratched her head with a hoof. “Uh, well you’re a dwarf.” That couldn’t be what he’d meant, she decided. “But… I don’t understand! Who are you!?”
“Yu,” dwarf number three repeated, still grinning.
“Oh Celestia, not this again.” Stormy groaned quietly. “I’m Stormy Weather,” she announced plainly. “That’s my name. Uggh, I think Merlos’ dumb spell is broken…” She tried speaking slowly. “I. Just. Want. Your. Name.”
“But I am tellin’ yah, I’m Watt,” the prior dwarf insisted once again.
“I don't know. I still have to guess!” Stormy couldn’t believe what was happening.
“That's me, Ges.” The calm dwarf from the night before again entered the fray, still chuckling.
Stormy raised an eyebrow, then pointed a hoof at him. “You?” she said.
“No, that's me,” another of the dwarves said for maybe the fifth time.
Stormy instead pointed her hoof at him. “You?” she repeated.
“Yes.” The dwarf grinned widely, then accepted her hovering hoof and shook it daintily in return. “Now yer gettin’ it! I’m Yuno in full. It’s nice to meet you.”
Stormy gaped. “But I don't know you!”
He shrugged. “Well we did just meet, but I'm not so bad.”
“You're not-so-bad? Let me guess, ‘once you know me’.” Stormy mockingly shook her head, just about getting completely fed up with being on the outside of whatever joke was going on.
“That's us!” A dwarf said from behind her.
“Who is?” Stormy growled. Whatever it was, it was painfully obvious the seven figures surrounding her were all in on something.
“Ges and Yuno. That’s us, but we’re all from Clan Hu.” The two dwarves clapped hands on either’s shoulder and laughed.
“I haven’t guessed so I don't know!” Stormy insisted. “Just tell me!”
The burly dwarf from the earlier pair raised his hand and chimed in. “Okay, it’s simple, Stormy. I’m Knott, and over there is Telmi, and this is Yuno.”
Stormy looked at him with complete confusion on her face. “What?”
One of the dwarves from earlier spoke again. “No that's ME. I’m Watt.”
“Uggh!” Stormy gave up with the ones she’d already spoken to and turned to one of the two dwarves that had not yet spoken. “Okay, what's YOUR name?” She could feel sweat dripping down her back now from shear stress alone.
“Ceymi.”
Stormy squinted at him with menace in her eyes. “Yeah, I see you. But what's your name?”
The dwarf from just a moment before stepped back up, still grinning. “No, Watt's MY name!”
Stormy whirled around and shouted, pointing an accusing hoof at the last speaker. She whined in return, “I don’t know it yet! Why can't you guys just tell me your names!?”
“Oh, that's my name again,” one of the dwarves chortled back.
Stormy turned around, both flustered and more confused than before. “What is?”
The Dwarf pointed at one of his Brothers. “No, that's him over. Watt.” He then pointed to himself. “And I’m Telmi.”
She turned to look at the Dwarf the last pointed at. “Okay, you’re who?”
“That’s all of us,” the leaner Dwarf said once again.
“Ugh, I give up.” Stormy turned to the last dwarf there that had yet to speak. “Whatever your name is, tell your friends they're nuts.”
“Tomara,” he replied in a matter of fact tone.
Throwing her hooves into the air, Stormy hovered back a bit. “Fine, I don't care when!”
“We’re all Hu,” one of the original dwarves of the set piped. He shrugged and laughed along with his brethren. “Alright, this is getting old now I think.”
“But isn’t Quick our grandfathe’?” one dwarf laughed.
A loud whinnying cry of anguish echoed over the property.
Stormy fell to her knees and pleaded with them, hooves raised. “Guys, I just want you to tell me what your names are!”
The dwarves, as if some unspoken order had been given, all proceeded to end their laughter and line up in a row.
“I’m Ges Hu!” the first announced.
“Knott Hu,” bellowed the second.
“Yuno Hu,” chortled the third.
“Watt Hu,” introduced the fourth.
“Telmi Hu,” the fifth piped in.
“Ceymi Hu,” intoned the sixth.
“Tomara Hu,” the final dwarf replied. “We’re all brothers, you see. And we’ve got this joke well rehearsed.”
Stormy sat down with a thump. “Oh. I get it now.” A crazed grin cracked her lost expression. “It was a joke, but it was all true?”
“Our parents have a sense of humor that resonated poorly in our keep.” Ceymi nodded sagely as he spoke, evidently in full agreement. “Still, Yuno and Watt there seem to get a real kick out of it even now.”
The two dwarves in the middle grinned, arms wrapped over the other’s shoulder. “Aye!” they said together.
Stormy nodded, giving a sheepish laugh. “I did kinda walk into that one.”
“Alright, what’s all this?” An older sounding voice pierced the air, announcing the arrival of a familiar face.
Gavlan looked up over the top of what looked to be cellar stairs. “Are you lads all lollygaggin’? ‘urry up now! Daylight’s a wastin’!”
Stormy looked up from the elder dwarf at the sky, which judging by the sun’s position barely put the time past morning. “Are you guys going somewhere?”
Knott nodded to Stormy hurriedly, before springing back towards the crates he had been carrying earlier. “We’re packin’ for a trip.”
“Somewhere’s our cousin, actually.” Watt’s laughter was cut short as Gavlan swatted him over the head, then pushed him towards the stables.
“That’s enough out o’ you, lud. Get those ponies loaded so we can move out! I swear, ah’ve always got to make sure you louts all know yer arse from yer left boot! Hah.” Gavlan turned his scowl away from his nephews, and gave Stormy a bright beaming smile. “Mornin’, lass. ‘ow are yeh?”
“Great, Gavlan. Hi again!” Stormy perked up at the mention of a pony and hovered into the stall. “Did they say ponies?” Once there, the beasts within stared at her blankly.
Stormy shrugged and gave talking to them a shot. “Hi there!” she greeted, “Nice day today?”
The other pony nickered at her and she nodded. “Uh-huh… Gotchya.”
Gavlan, following, trundled up beside her. “You understood it?”
Stormy crossed her forelegs. “Nope!” She chuckled, then whispered to Gavlan. “But on the off chance he understood me, I didn’t want to be rude.”
Gavlan oh’ed, then laughed in understanding. “I see then.”
Stormy and Gavlan watched the animals being hitched up to wagons or saddled hurriedly by the other dwarves, who were all suddenly working double-time now that their uncle and boss was present.
Now that all the craziness of the earlier introductions had past, Stormy finally had a moment to think to herself, and being surrounded by her saviors from the night before got her thinking about her host.
Stormy hovered a moment and quietly addressed Gavlan. “Hey… I was just wondering, why is Merlos so angry all the time?”
Gavlan harrumphed at that, but also smiled a little.
Knott spoke up while walking by with a barrel atop either of his shoulders. “The spellslinger? He’s a bit on the salty side, aye, but don’t let his temper get to you! Hah, just keep being friendly and he’ll warm up eventually.” The barrels clunked loudly into the back of the wagon they loaded.
The ponies from up front got a little antsy at this. Stormy noticed, and hovered up to the front immediately. “Hey, it’s alright.” She spoke soothingly to them a moment before returning. She knew what it was like to be spooked by strange loud noises, after all.
Gavlan looked at Stormy with a quirked brow. “Thank yeh, guess I got a bit complacent with havin’ Ges around. These lil’ fellas do tend to spook easy.”
“Well, we have that in common then.” Stormy gave Gavlan a smile, though it was more to herself than anyone. “Anyway, I just feel like I’m causing Merlos trouble. He, uh, spent a lot of money on me, then set me free, so that might explain it. Are you sure it’s not because he thinks it’s my fault? I mean, I said I’d help pay him back!”
She scratched a hoof behind her ear as she said it all out loud. “I dunno, and then there was the skeleton thing… which was kind of my fault because I was wandering around without permission. Maybe I should make that up to him somehow.”
Gavlan guffawed. “Sounds like yer both a little to blame. What lay in a wizard’s tower is his own business, after all, Stormy. Don’t blame yerself for that.” He raked a hand thoughtfully through his beard. “And it don’t seem like Merlos to misplace blame either. Just hang in there, I say.”
Stormy nodded, hopping up and circling into the air. "Yeah, that's it, I'm gonna talk to him right now and make up with him! We'll forgive each other, and everything will be fine!” She felt a lot better saying her plan outloud, like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. “Oh, there he is."
The presence of a tall man in a brown robe leaving the nearby tower was hard to miss, especially given how loud he quickly became.
"There you are!” Merlos shouted, and spotted Stormy in the same moment as he approached her quickly. “Get over here this instant! I've been looking for you all morning, you... you winged accident waiting to happen!"
Stormy closed her muzzle, the optimism she'd felt just moments ago vanishing like water under the hot sun. "Hey! That was super rude, dude."
Merlos blustered. “Rude like waking a man up in the middle of the night, only to get him attacked by the slavering undead? Bah! You were here one night and nearly got me killed!”
A couple of the dwarves chuckled whilst walking past, one saying, “Oi, that’d be a new record. Good job, Stormy.”
Distracted, Stormy turned to them nervously to try and deflect the joking praise, only for a dark shadow to fall over her a moment later.
While this went on, Merlos came to a stop just before Stormy, and beside the cart.
The ponies there whickered in slight distress at the commotion. Obviously less comfortable around with Merlos drawing near.
Merlos went on. “Now, I’d very much like to begin what we’d agreed upon concerning your world and its magic. After that, maybe I can actually teach you enough about this material plane and its dangers to keep you from getting us killed.”
Stormy frowned at the cart animals, then back to Merlos. “Could you not be so loud? You’re spooking the ponies… And that skeleton thing wasn’t just my fault, you know. I mean, they were in a room in your home after all. And… and that means we share the blame.”
Merlos raised his voice, more hotheaded now than before. “Let Gavlan worry about the other ponies, I’m talking about you!” He began to pace before Stormy, while she noticed Gavlan roll his eyes from behind Merlos. “You shouldn’t have been wandering around at night like that after being warned. Now come hither and share what you’ve promised with me so we can be done with this subject and move on!”
Stormy narrowed her eyes, her foalish pride goading her that it's better to get even than to get mad at this wizard. She zipped up to Merlos’ face. “You want to learn about some of my world’s magic?” she asked rhetorically. “Then I’ll show you some pegasus magic.”
Merlos, refusing to let go of whatever had him in such a mood, fought to get a word in. “Now— Wait, you listen— Hey!”
With a few hard flaps of her wings, Stormy rocketed up next to her cloud. She placed her hooves on it and moved it just over the wizard, compensating for the mild breeze, and she whirled around to buck the cloud with both her hind legs.
“Okay, here it comes!” Stormy then set her mischief into motion. The cloud of course burst open, releasing its full watery payload with the use of her pegasus magic and drenched the wizard underneath.
Merlos blinked upward, only to yelp in terror and surprise as a crack of thunder rang out overhead, which was then followed by a literal five second long torrential downpour upon his head.
“Ha!” Stormy laughed. “Nailed it!” She admired the job she’d done, even if breaking a cloud was a lot easier than putting one together.
Stormy peered down at Merlos, whose had been anger concealed rather well by the raucous laughter of the eight dwarves around the stable. Even the ponies’ whinny seem to sound like laughing at his expense.
“Magic indeed,” Merlos drawled. “Fine, have it your way, then!” He stomped back to his home with water dripping off his cloak. Leaving a shimmering wet trail back to his doorway, which slammed angrily.
Stormy fluttered down to the ground, rolling her eyes. “Oh well, guess that makes us even. I think? Whatever, that was his fault.”
She sat there and grumped a bit more, watching as the dwarves got back to work. With them busy, Merlos angry at her still, and not much else to distract her, she needed something to do.
With a huff, she flew up to a window of the tower, letting herself in to search for where she remembered seeing a lot of books on Merlos’ tour: The library.
Watching the pegasus go, Yuno stopped beside his uncle long enough to chuckle, then say, “I guess you could say, she rained on his parade—”
Gavlan swiftly struck his nephew with a well placed swat to the back of the head.
The walls and halls of the tower were cold in the early mornings, stark stone untouched by sunlight offering little in the way of warmth even in the middle of summer. The coolness would last well until noon, but for a wizard with climate changing magic, that to was easily dealt with.
Merlos groaned and cracked his back for the third time that morning, having awoken at a particularly odd angle after enduring a restless last few hours of sleep. All the same, he’d finished his normal morning routine, until noticing that a certain someone—or perhaps more accurately somepony—seemed missing.
“Wait, it’s too quiet.” Merlos stood there in the hall, steaming mug of tea in hand, and looking about for something he couldn’t recall. “Ohhh, now I remember. That little trans-planar curiosity…” He stood there a moment longer, before shouting, “Where in the blazes is she!? Stormy!”
What started for Merlos as a nervous scouring of his tower—for an admittedly unknown magical creature—ended with trouncing outside after getting hastily changed, only to find his guest joking it up with his tenants, who certainly looked to be busy in their own right.
Intent on setting the trouble-making youngster he now had staying with him straight, Merlos had calmly approached the scene and requested Stormy accompany him back inside where he could keep an eye on her. However, she had not played along, and things turned sour quickly.
After a few hours of introspection—and a fresh change of underclothes and his robe—Merlos was again intent on finding Stormy.
While on the way back outside, the rather anti-climactic sound of a page turning caught Merlos’ attention.
“Hm?” Upon peering into his library, he ascertained the source of the sound. He found Stormy laying on a rug while looking through one of his many books.
“Ah, there you are,” he said, his voice scaring his guest up from her stooped reading position. “What do you think you are doing?”
“I uh uh, well, I uh—” Stormy gulped nervously and pointed at the symbols in the book, last night’s events and his temper well remembered. “I was reading this, uhm, stuff about magic, I guess. There… isn’t a whole lot else to do around here, and I was curious.”
Frowning, Merlos stared in disbelief, then laughed as he moved to replace the volume back on the shelf. “My translation spell doesn’t translate written words.”
“Oh, you’re not upset about something for once? That’s surprising.” Stormy looked at the pages again and then back to the wizard. “Well... I really can still read it, though this is written badly. What is it, something about casting spells?”
Merlos stiffened up at this and marched over indignantly. “Upset at— Stop making things up, and that’s one of my university books on magic, I’ll have you know. Its instruction on the arts are praised throughout the arcane community!”
Stormy rolled her eyes and responded, “Yeah so?”
Merlos balled his fists. “So? So even if you could read it, that spell structure is cutting edge in this realm!” He swiftly bent and snatched up his book, harrumphing.
Stormy looked between the wizard and the book. “It just looks like really old and crude Equestrian to me.”
Merlos scoffed at suggested the notion. “I highly doubt that. Not that it needs repeating, but you can't even speak in my language.”
Stormy put on a smug look. “That may be, Oldy-McOlderson, however, I’ve noticed a lot of things here in this world are a lot like my own… And where we come from, we write in a similar language to that sloppy gibberish in there. Seriously, a foal could write better.”
Merlos frowned and gestured to the book. “I find that hard to believe. This script has been considered the language of the universe for centuries by those who first discovered magic.”
Stormy smirked. “Well, wouldn’t that explain why this might be familiar to me?” At the first sign of Merlos’ skepticism increasing, she continued rather than await an answer. “Hear me out, in school I learned that unicorns, who by the way use a lot of magic, have pretty much always refined parts of our language. Since then this stuff has probably just become something everypony uses on a regular basis in Equestria.”
Merlos stared at Stormy flatly for a long moment. “You’re saying your race uses written arcane design for simple writing?”
Stormy snickered and nodded her head. “Yup! Though a lot simpler and easier to read. But ‘cause we use it so much, and you humans don’t seem to as much, that makes sense. Right?”
“Interesting.” Without hesitation, Merlos fetched Stormy a little piece of chalk and pointed at a blackboard. “Let’s prove it.”
“Uuuh… okay.” Stormy shrugged and nipped the dusty writing utensil, making a face but holding her comments before hovering over to the blackboard.
Merlos began quickly. “Verdimartas theory of thaumaturgy, if you will.”
Stormy stared at him blankly, “Who?” she asked with the nasty white chalk in her lips.
“Verdimartas, every basic magic student knows of him! He’s famous for simplifying our entire system based in Thaumaturgy!” After a moment, he added, “The fundamentals of magic!”
Stormy spat the chalk out and wiped her lips. “That’s unicorn stuff! And I’m not a unicorn or even from this world, geez!”
Merlos studied the pegasus, whom now hovered with her forelegs crossed. “Fine. Then how about a little something about what you do know?”
Stormy sighed and collected the chalk from the ground. After a few minutes of her writing sigils and rune-like words across the board, Merlos was left no choice but to stare at the blackboard in awe.
“This…” He scrutinized every symbol on the chalkboard, from how it was drawn to how it appeared compared to his own designs. While Stormy’s mouth-writing had a loopy and feminine appearance, it was still recognizable at a glance. He knew this basic spell-structure well, as it was similar to one he had worked on before.
“This is a theory on flight magic,” he finally stated.
Stormy’s proud look grew while the aged human looked up and down at the basic theory for flight magic that got taught at her school. “See, I told you I could read and write that stuff.” She spoke with the chalk-piece held at the corner of her mouth, where its foul taste and texture disturbed her the least.
Merlos harrumphed. “I suppose you weren’t lying, unless you learned this quickly from one of my books… But I suppose that’s more far-fetched a thought than your race adapting some qualities of magical script into your written language. What I find odder is that the script is so similar in both our worlds...”
Stormy rolled her eyes. “Are you always this big a skeptic?”
“I’m a man of the sciences, Stormy. Magic is simply chief among them. It wouldn’t do to simply accept things before studying everything in full detail.” Merlos nodded sharply, then jabbed a finger at the blackboard. “Furthermore, while this equation is impressive, it would never work, and seems bloated with unnecessary elements and steps.”
Stormy’s proud look shattered, replaced quickly by one of consternation. “What!? Aw, come on. I had to learn that in the second grade! That’s literally the ground work behind how inn- innadedly… inattley…”
“Innately?” Merlos offered, suppressing a rueful chuckle.
Stormy snorted. “Yeah, that. It’s how pegasus innately use magic to help us fly.”
Merlos harrumphed. “It doesn’t matter, it’s still wrong.” He turned to scowl at the offensive, overly girly spell-script on his chalk, and began erasing it. But he stopped at the last moment, squinting a bit longer at the pattern it held.
“No… surely it could never work like that... Could it? Although… Yes, I see the pattern now. That— this is incredible! It is a theory on flight magic, yet it’s actually quite refined, elegant, like poetry.” Merlos paused to look starkly at his little winged tenant. “I can’t believe a race of beings actually teach this to their young. Would this really work? I wonder—”
“Ah huh.” Rather than graciously accept the comments, Stormy mumbled her own sour note over the writing utensil she’d been given. “How do you write with these? They’re ‘errible! It’s like some ‘orrible dusty-icky-crumbly thing.”
Merlos smiled a bit. “Well, we don’t hold them in our mouths...”
Stormy stared at Merlos with the now soggy stick of foul chalk in her mouth, before spitting it out and hurriedly wiping her muzzle off. “Ugh, I can still taste it.”
Merlos waited patiently for Stormy to finish wiping away the chalk dust. He could see white stains around where it dyed into her fur a bit, and decided to find a better means for her to write with later.
“So there is one thing that has got me thinking.” Stormy began looking at the book and then back to the disgruntled wizard. “Why don’t you need a horn? I thought only Unicorns could cast spells. So how come you and other humans can do it?”
Merlos scowled from the very notion. “Don’t be absurd, you don’t need a silly horn to use magic. Or anything, really. Magical aptitude comes from within, from the mind. The more talented you are the less tools you rely on! Be it a wand, staff… or, uh, horn.” Merlos harrumphed loudly, then put on a haughty grin. “Any halfwit with a brain can cast magic, though in your case I’m beginning to suspect that may be impossible.”
Stormy pondered his words a moment before giving a, “Hey!” She scowled, puffing out her cheeks in offense. “I’m just asking some simple questions, you don’t have to be such a jerk about it!”
“Jerk or not, for someone schooled in such advanced learning on written arcana, it would be easy to speculate that you should know a spell or two to show for such a thing. Even a slow adept can light a candle in the first month without worrying about setting his hair on fire.” As he bragged, Merlos threw up an exaggerated air quote for emphasis.
“Is that why you have none on top of your head?” quipped Stormy. Her grin replaced the one she wiped off the human’s face.
Merlos spoke back in a matter-of-fact tone. “You really don’t have many wizards in your world do you? Most people run when someone insults a wizard by accident.”
Stormy shrugged. “Just in comic books, actually, and usually the wizards are goofy comic relief characters.”
Merlos frowned a bit at that, but merely stared at her while she pondered a little more.
“There is Twilight Sparkle...” Stormy began to say.
“And was she a wizard of comic relief?” Merlos was dry with the retort.
“No, she was an Element of Harmony, and a princess of Friendship. But she is a really really powerful alicorn.”
“A Princess of what?” Merlos reciprocated.
“Er, Friendship,” Stormy replied. “Why, what’s wrong?”
Merlos shook his head. “Nothing, I guess. Well, how powerful is she then?” He managed to keep from smirking or laughing at the pony’s earnest testimony.
Stormy looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “Well, she saved the world many times, beat a spirit of chaos and other powerful beings to submission, and she’s supposed to be a huge nerd.” She shrugged. “I’ll tell you all about the princesses, eventually, but there’s a lot to it. I’m more interested in this magic right now.”
Stormy pointed a hoof at Merlos’ forehead. “If it’s true I don’t need a horn, like you, then how come I can’t cast spells like a unicorn? Or… anypony from where I’m from. Earth ponies and Pegasi just sorta do it.”
“Spell-like abilities aren’t uncommon.” Merlos hummed. “Though it’s unusual that creatures with such would know the magic theory beneath them like yourself, living alongside your spellcasting unicorn brethren may explain that. But why can’t any of you cast spells? Now that’s a good question.”
Stormy watched the human grin a bit to himself, like he was having the time of his life puzzling things out. She didn’t feel the same way, what with her curiosity still eating at her.
Stormy pawed the ground a bit as she spoke up again. “Well, thinking on it, I’ve only seen unicorns, uh, and you I guess, use magic like spells, but never earth ponies or pegasus ponies.”
Merlos nodded along while she spoke, looking more attentive than, well, he ever had.
Stormy brightened at that. It was in that moment that a random idea occurred to her, as well. “Hey, but, what if our worlds are different? Like, you said that no one raises your sun, right? So, what do you think about maybe only unicorns casting spells being true?”
A smirk broke Merlos normally stony expression. “Interesting. Yes, it’s possible you would need a… horn or other conduit to use higher forms of magic. Well, unless your people have some racial deficiency I’m not aware of that prevents ‘ponies’ from using it.”
Stormy stuck her tongue out at him at the last remark, but laughed it off, grinning from certain implications. “Well, barring that, if whatever magic you have here is different or whatever, then that means… I could actually learn to use magic?”
Merlos blinked at her. “I suppose… that might be true.” Somehow, despite the honesty in his reply, he felt as if saying such had been a mistake.
Stormy gained a glimmer in her eye. “Cool.”
Seeking a way to change the subject and distract the suddenly giggling pegasus, Merlos thought hard. “Yes, well, Stormy, I am curious about just what you were doing outside earlier? Before I, ahem, had tried to gain your attention.”
Stormy cast a glance to the window, while he followed her gaze. “Nothing much, I guess.” After a moment, she added, “I did talk to those guys from last night though. They were going somewhere.” The Dwarves had long departed on their journey, and were no longer visible from the tower window’s impressive view on the world.
After a significant pause, Merlos raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Stormy ruffled her wings. “Well, after you went inside, the Dwarves asked me to let you know you should lighten up. And Gavlan said to wish you a good day.”
Merlos tried not to let any sourness onto his face. He refused to let her earlier childish prank ruin his day.
Stormy cleared her throat, then asked, “Aaanyway, where are they even going? I forgot to ask them.”
“Gavlan is heading out with his nephews to assist the local law enforcement, actually. They tend to do so from time to time.” He stroked his beard as he thought on that, and something else returned to mind shortly after. “Actually that reminds me, Gavlan asked me to give him assistance with escorting their stores of ale downriver. I think I’m accompanying Knott, Ges, and whoever’s on the barge. We’ll be gone for a bit as a result.”
Stormy’s ears twitched at hearing that. Well that’s the first I’ve heard of this. She head tilted over at him. “You’re leaving? For how long?”
Merlos paused at that, the realization he hadn’t considered something rather pertinent suddenly dawning on him.
“Well… it’s a simple guard job to the coast. A few days there, a few days staying, and then a few days back. It will give me a chance to sell some of my scrolls, too.” He began to consider things, concluding slowly. “...So, I’ll be gone a fortnight. Hm.”
Stormy blinked. “You’re going to be gone two weeks?” She sighed. “At least tell me you’ll go shopping first? There is nothing edible in that kitchen of yours. Believe me, I looked this morning.”
Merlos shot her a glare. “I assure you there is plenty that’s edible, not to mention the food you have out in the stables still that I did buy just for you.” He raised a hand to forestall any interruption and continued. “And in any case, I’m not actually sure I wouldn’t rather bring you along just yet…”
Stormy bit back her outburst about eating hay that had been sitting outdoors for who knew how long, and gave her host a confused look. “Oh, you mean I get to come too?”
Merlos frowned at that, just barely not shaking his head in response. He stared hard at the floor, thinking. “Like I said, I’m not sure I’m comfortable bringing you along, either. It will be dangerous—”
Stormy almost awed at hearing what sounded like him thinking of her, before he then said, “And I really don’t want you there to get in the way. Or worse, actually cause trouble of your own in the city.”
Stormy scowled. “Hey!”
“Although.” Merlos hummed. “I suppose I could just disavow any knowledge that I know you were you to get into any serious trouble.”
Stormy’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “You— You big jerk!”
Merlos looked up, suppressing a grin. “But, thinking about it, since you likely couldn’t hope to keep out of trouble for twenty-four hours, let alone two weeks, it’s probably better you stay where I can at least keep an eye on you. Even if there might be danger.”
Stormy hovered up to Merlos’ face and laid her ears back, placing her hooves on her hips as she set about barking out a retort. “If something wants to hurt me while we’re there I’ll just fly away from it. I-I can take care of myself.”
She tried to make herself sound sure of herself. Unfortunately, last night’s events came back to her even as she spoke, adding a slight quaver to her rebuttal. She swallowed hard afterward.
Merlos studied the little pegasus, rubbing his beard before coldly adding, “No, you can’t. Not in this world. You need to learn to protect yourself and learn what’s out there before making a silly assumption like that again.”
“Consider this an ideal opportunity to learn in the stead of a large party. We’re going to the capital of Halia. If you want to learn some spells you can read from my books along the way and I can help you practice.”
“R-Really? You’d help me with that?”
“Yes, it’s going to be a hopefully boring trip anyways. I’ll fetch my books from when I was a young lad. Maybe they’ll give you some possible hope of casting magic. Perhaps with time you’ll pick up some parlor tricks or such.”
Stormy lit up with a renewed energy Merlos hadn’t witnessed before, her ears up and alert with her wings spread wide she bounced excitedly “I get to learn to cast magic?”
Merlos stared incredulously as she whinnied happily and continue bouncing around him like a jack russell terrier on large quantities of haste potion. He studied her while she moved in a way he’d never witnessed a pony, let along any equine move before.
“I get to learn magic! I get to learn magic! I get to learn magic!” she chanted. Leaving a few errant feathers from her improvised dance on the ground.
Merlos allowed the filly to bounce around a moment, before finally clearing his throat.
“Right then,” Merlos began, Stormy stopping her improvised dance number to listen to his next words. “I’ll fetch your distracti— I mean, your books. In addition, you will need a few things for the trip, but I’ll see to that.” He stroked his beard a moment, the grainy sounds filling the air with his pause. “In any case, we’re not apt to leave for several days, but be sure you’re ready for when the barge arrives. You’re going on an adventure soon.”
Stormy sifted through the kitchen looking for a cup for her journey. Stupid Merlos. She frowned, flittering from one cupboard to the next. Why would I need a cup? Oh, I dunno, jerk, to drink out of maybe? Wait, you seriously think that being a pony means I wouldn’t drink out of a cup? Uggh.
She supposed she could cut him a bit of slack, but continuously getting compared to the other ponies and horses he had here was grating on her nerves.
Stormy sighed. “Oh well, I guess that’s not as bad as my lack of a toothbrush right now… and Merlos’ confusion about what that was doesn’t fill me with confidence about getting one at this city— Hello, what have we here?”
After setting down the grimy little cup she’d found, Stormy hovered over toward a peculiar bottle sitting in the far corner of Merlos’ grimy kitchen.
The bottle was oddly shaped, tapering off quickly at the top, and was filled with an orange liquid.
Stormy looked at the label, but it was written in whatever other scripture humans used, so she had no idea what was inside.
“Huh, what is this stuff?”
She missed her saccharine diet of sweets from Equestria; A sodapop fresh from Soda Jerk’s fountain drinks, ice cream, cakes from Tia's Forbidden Desires, donuts from Donut Joe’s. All of them were sugary confections that a young pegasus would eat to their heart’s content. She knew well that she was, as many would call her, a “Sugar fiend.”
And she hadn’t had any sugar in weeks.
The familiarity of the strange liquid was too much for Stormy to resist.
Removing the mysterious fizzy concoction’s stopper, she took a whiff and her eyes widened. "Orange soda?" she commented out-loud. She marveled at the bottle clutched in her hooves, containing something that she had honestly thought she would never see again. At least, certainly not in Merlos’ kitchen.
A grin split Stormy’s face as she leaned in lovingly to nuzzle the funny shaped bottle.
"Who loves Orange soda? Stormy loves orange soda! Is it truuuuuue?" She cradled the strange bottle and cooed to it. "Is it true? Ohyesohyesohyes it's true-ooo! I do I do I do I do-oo!” With the ritual complete, she placed a kiss on the bottle’s top before hefting it to her lips.
Stormy took a good strong gulp. Her eyes widened.
“Whoa. Whoa that’s good!” She smacked her lips. “Not quite orange soda levels of good, but not bad— whoops!” Her hooves slipped on the glass bottle’s slick exterior, sending it hurtling towards the ground.
What happened next to Stormy’s perception were as follows: as she had let go of the mysterious soda bottle, it began to slow down its fall.
“Huh, that’s new.” She blinked at it, dropping down to watch the bottle fall and even caught it with her hooves. “Weird,” she said, but thought no more about the oddity. For some reason her thoughts were picking up speed.
Stormy shrugged and tucked the bottle under her wing, before grinning around herself and remembering the other thing she’d wanted to do that day. “This place is so filthy! I guess I’ll get started on cleaning.”
While passing by a window, she noticed a honeybee fly by it, its wings flapping in slow motion. She shrugged, took another sip from her strange glass bottle and went on a search for a broom. Hm, this could use some ice. Where can I get ice from?