//------------------------------// // 14 - Science to do // Story: A Penny for your thought // by Damaged //------------------------------// "A changeling now?" Luna's voice sounded confused, but not surprised. I was cuddled up to the legs of the Stick-protector in my dream. My attention was on Luna, however. "They are my… well, marefriend." I looked up at Stick, the fierce changeling was scanning my dream, looking for threats. "Something happened." "We heard. Changelings attacked, everyone is free now." My nod revealed that something wasn't completely right. "What else?" "They put me in a pod, it was… " Ghostly teeth started to appear, darting in to tear at me and hurt me. Stick snarled but it was Luna's hoof rising and coming down that banished them. The protector above me lowered herself a little, hunching over me to better protect. "Yeah, that. It hurt my magic too. When I channel it leaks, leaks in a way changelings really like." This news had the night princess pondering. "Other ponies we have rescued from their pods, they were never quite the same again, but we don't believe there is any record of this." I brought up a memory of the 'magic' picture Twilight made, Luna seemed impressed and gestured to the split in where my magic focused through my horn. "You should be able to control this." I smiled at that and nodded. "I have been testing just that. Right now it takes a lot of effort to focus on opening and closing, but I think I can practice it, get better control. I still need to learn basic magic." This got a firm nod from Luna and she was gone. My dream from then on was safe, Stick guarding my mind and, when I woke I discovered, my body. "She isn't coming out until she wakes!" Stick was at the door to my room, the thing slightly ajar. I lifted one ear to listen while I started getting up. "I am awake, today we have science to do." Stick turned her head and grinned. I could sense a whole lot 'right' with her today and it was something that made me feel good. Was I really in love? It had to be, what else but love or drugs could make a pony feel this good? "She is getting up now." Stick said through the door and closed it. "No princess is going to steal my pony before breakfast." She trotted right over to me and kissed my cheek. I turned my head and kissed her's in reply. "Mmm, fighting in my dreams was cool, now you defend me here?" My observation spoken, she raised an eyebrow. "I was in your dreams?" She was closer, suddenly, nuzzling along my neck and up to my jaw. I didn't hesitate, I channeled just a little, gripping that new place tight so not a drop of magic lit my horn. The changeling mare trembled and gave a happy sigh. "Now, at least one of us has had breakfast." She laughed outright at that and helped me straighten my mane and tail. "Do you think Twilight would begrudge a bath before science?" It was a few days now since my time at the spa and I could tell. With my saddlebags in place, Stick and I made our way from the room and downstairs to the main dining area. It was deserted but my friend found herself a door to the kitchen and slipped in. "Hay, where you going?" Following found me some food and a changeling ready to help. We worked wordlessly, making some little flat-breads and filling them with some fruit. Into a grill and we waited for it all to get nicely toasted. Yawning, Spike walked in in a half-daze and then halted, spotting us. "Good morning!" Our perfectly, if serendipitously, timed greeting surprised him enough that his eyes fully opened. "Didn't mean to interrupt." The young dragon was lifting down a little box of breakfast cereal marked 'gem-e-oohs'. "You didn't interrupt. You know if Twilight has eaten yet?" Stick was checking the grill as she talked. "Twilight? She will be lucky if she remembers to eat at all today. You said the S word before lunch time." I couldn't help but giggle at Spike's choice of words. "No fear of that, we can make extra." I began to prepare another flatbread as I talked. Pouring milk onto his slightly shiny breakfast, Spike began to scoop the wheat and shards of gems into his mouth. I nuzzled Stick aside as I added the second flatbread to the grill and we waited quietly. It wasn't quite as fast as an electric grill, but still it was pretty awesome. Lifting out the two, stick floated two plates over and with a grin I pushed a grilled sandwich onto each. Pushing the door to the dining room open, we entered with the two plates floating along behind us. Twilight had notes in front of her already and worst, a list. "Good morning!" Her greeting was full of excitement but she found her notes gently pushing to the side to make room for a plate. "What's this?" "Food." I said, sitting opposite and having Stick slide in beside me. "You eat it." Her chitter was absent. Twilight levitated the 'food' up and examined it. "You heated breakfast? Odd…" She took a bite and I saw delight on her face. "This is wonderful!" The quill at her side started to scribble on a pad. "What is in it?" Stick had lifted my own with her magic and held it just before my snout. I quickly took a bite and agreed, it was pretty good. "Just some things that were lying around." Stick's reply covered for the fact that I was greedily eating my own. She then read out all the things that were in the mix, along with the cheese we had spread over them. "Well, now that I have that down I will be having this more often!" She took another bite and closed her eyes in delight. If I were still human, this surely would have been enough cuteness to give me a sugar overload. I waited until she was done before mentioning science. "So, food aside, what are we testing today?" If the tasty food had gotten Twilight's attention, the mention of testing awoke a new hunger. "Well, if not everything, as much as we can both think to test. We are going to do a small lesson in the more physical aspects of horn magic, then see if channeling that is also affected by your changes." I nodded, seeing the sense in this. "If you are still up to it then, we can try bigger things. What if I channel energy into you? What if Stick does?" Mention of her name got a smile from the changeling. "Magic uses energy." Her statement made Twilight tilt her head a little at its simplicity. "I will make sure you both have plenty to eat." "That would be a help." It was clear from Twilight's tone that she hadn't really thought of that aspect and it being a problem. "Princess, you will forgive a changeling for her silliness. But you both get quite distracted when you get focused. I won't have Penny getting hurt for being pushed too far and, as someone I consider a friend, I won't have you feeling bad for having pushed too far." We both looked a little guilty at Stick's words. "Silly ponies, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but I will bring snacks." I got a good bite at the last piece of the sandwich and turned to kiss Stick before finishing it completely. The slightest of channels, with my emotions as they are, had her kissing back. Parting from her touch was getting harder and harder, but it was Stick who pulled back first. "Now, both of you, go and science and tell me in shorter words, when you are done, what happened." A magical thump on my rump had me jump and give an already softened scowl at the changeling. "Right!" Twilight had no clue what just happened, but she knew that she got to do experiments today and, list, notes and a whole mess of quills floating at her side, we made for the door. "You remember how your horn had two channels for magic?" I nodded, walking along easily. "The inner one is your power, raw and strong. The outer one is fine control, it lets you perform physical actions and form spell-patterns." It hit me then, spell patterns, power. I was actually going to learn real magic! We crossed the main hall and started to descend down to the lower areas. "Today you are going to learn first how to focus magic into that outer part, then use it to manipulate things." Stick trotted along behind us, her horn glowing a soft green. I was about to say something but then I remembered, she had to burn energy or she would end up drunk with it again. "On the table?" I was already working up onto it; I knew the drill. Twilight looked like a kid in a candy shop. "Okay, first…" I felt and saw her magic, mainly because she was probing at my horn with it. "Can you feel this part?" It was exactly where I pushed my magic, where it flowed easily, to make light. "That is where you have been channeling. Now I want you to try this part instead." Her power shifted, moving from the center of my horn to the edges, tracing the spiral to the tip. It felt very different to the other way and I blushed, nodding. The princess removed her touch and I tried. I brought my magic, I started with it at the center while I raised a hoof to forestall Twilight. Behind me, the soft green glow intensified. Then I started to work it, it took a lot of work and my horn started to spark, but I could feel it work through that other passage. "Good, now try and push it all to there." Twilight guided me with words alone and I diverted more and more of my flow to that outer edge. It felt different, less a torrent and more like jets. Precise. A ball was set before me, then another and, at last, five in all. "Now lift one." I blinked, almost losing focus on that new part. I reached out carefully, trying to will my magic into a familiar form. A hand was the simplest and I picked the ball up with a grunt. It felt really heavy. The dull red-brown glow around it surprised me enough that I lost all control and it fell, bouncing softly and revealing how light it really was. "Excellent!" Twilight was happy with the effort. "You looked strained. Stick," the princess turned to look at the changeling, "more or less than when she makes light?" "More, lot more." Stick was nodding, juggling some heavier objects but slowing down her burning of my energy. "Even better. This is going to mean more things to test!" Her enthusiasm was infectious, at least to me. As I worked, under Twilight's supervision and testing, I managed to at last be able to lift two of the balls without strain. Stick left the room at some point, neither of us noticing. When she returned banging the door behind herself, halfway through Twilight fitting me with sensors to try to measure that new radiation, we were surprised. "What's goi-" I started to ask her what her deal was, but then my belly rumbled, the smell of the soup she carried hitting me like a brick and I was about to get up and try and intercept a bowl before Twilight exclaimed. "Wait, I am almost done hooking you up!" Green magic sailed two bowls over, one resting beside me, the other hovering just before Twilight. Her own magic grasped it and neither of us said a word as the thick tomato soup was slurped and drunk down. "I put something extra in there, it is sweet?" We both nodded wordlessly to Stick. "Extra sugar, messes the taste a little but I think you both need it." Of course, this was a good test for my new magic control and I was keeping the bowl well steadied. Weight was less of an issue, Twilight had worked with me to try and reduce the leakage, but of course it was still there. "Delicious!" I managed to get a word out, moments before finishing the bowl. My belly gurgled once in contentment, apparently mirroring my evaluation. I could see and smell that Stick had a little pot with her, lid on it. "More?" I nodded and sent my bowl over to her where it was refilled. Twilight wasn't being tested and didn't need a second helping. "I'll keep going while you eat." I nodded as my bowl returned. Soon enough my bowl was empty again and I was covered in little sensors, wires trailing off to Twilight's diagnostic machine. "Alright, small burst, lets see if we can measure this now." I didn't worry about the fine control, not when all I was doing was spitting out the energy. My horn didn't so much as glow as I clamped down on that but released a little magic. Lights flared on the machine, meters moved and there was a very excited alicorn reading over everything. "Perfect, again, but as strong as you can!" Stick gave a worried chitter and I felt myself lifted just a touch from the table. I did as asked and sealed the path to my horn as best I could while opening my magic fully. The glow of green around me grew more intense and my horn did light up just a bit. "That as much as you can?" Twilight's words were lost as I strained. She turned and saw the effort it was taking and didn't ask again. "Okay, now slowly reduce and close off your magic." My focus was on that inner opening, trying to work myself to close it, slowly. I knew I was sweating as it finally started to seal down and, by the time it closed, I was panting. "That's the last." Stick had refilled my bowl and was floating it just under my nose. I managed to secure it in my own grip and started drinking. "Not even hitting the sides on the way down." She didn't sound put out by it, much the opposite. "I will make some more things. You will keep pushing?" Twilight nodded to Stick. "If we can get the machine fully calibrated then the real tests will begin." The changeling collected my suddenly empty bowl and ducked out again.