Tyro's Tail

by RainbowsAreMagic

A Test of Will

Chapter 6: A Test of Will

Tyro was deep in thought. The ponies here had done much for him already, but he had done nothing for them. That charity, he knew, would not last forever, and he felt a need to pay them back for their generosity. Rarity had spent hours trying to make an outfit that would match his dark red coat and dull black mane, and Pinkie Pie had thrown a huge party welcoming him to Ponyville. Meanwhile, Twilight had been teaching him basic magical skills, from summoning the magic itself to focusing it into spells he could then use.

There must be some way he could help everypony in order to balance out his debt.

"Tyro!" Twilight's call interrupted his thoughts. "Come on! If you're late for your lesson again..." She left the threat hanging, but it was more than enough motivation for him to sprint to the door and catch up with his teacher. He followed her to a small field that Applejack was leaving fallow this year, and they began the lesson.

She ran him through the basic exercises he had mastered, and then went on to more advanced manipulations. Rocks floated in the air, changing shape or color. Tyro had a little surprise today, though. He'd been practicing using magic on multiple targets at once, and this would be revenge for chasing him around with that boulder a few days before.

"Twilight," he said, looking straight at her, "look behind you."

Twilight looked, promptly jumping a couple feet in the air and landing on her rear. (Success!) Before her was a perfect, life-size statue of herself, made from solid stone.

"Tyro! You silly!" She chastised him, but he could tell she was secretly flattered by the lifelike reproduction. "Don't startle me like that!" She paused a moment before continuing. "Your test was going to be to lift Applejack out of the bush over yonder..."

A loud rustling sound was heard from the bush in question as Applejack fled the area.

"But instead, I think I'll have you move this statue into the library garden, using magic." She grinned at Tyro's expression as his prank backfired on him.

"B-but..."

"I know you can do it, Tyro. You have both the power and the endurance you'll need. As for the test of your control, I think you've shown that fairly well already." She glanced at the statue, then gave him a sly wink. "Although I do appreciate the flattery."

Tyro, defeated, resigned himself to the task, calling up the magic within him as she had taught him... not so long ago, really. Twilight had taught him a lot in the last few days.

"Tyro? If you don't put me down, you'll have to carry me and the statue back to the library," the floating unicorn warned.

Embarassed, Tyro gently lowered her to the ground, redirecting his magic to the statue and not its subject.

"Sounds like your control is fine, but your focus is much less so. Come on now, let's go."

With a great effort, Tyro focused every essence of his being on lifting the statue, finally raising it from the ground. Taking a slow, cautious step forward, he carried the weight alongside him. It wasn't easy, carrying such a load, but he struggled through it.

About three-quarters of his trip to the library were uneventful, but then Twilight became a little mischievious. She brushed up against his flank, and the statue wavered in the air. "Focus, Tyro," Twilight giggled. "Don't let yourself get... distracted." She rubbed against him again, grinning wickedly as the statue almost dropped to the ground. This teasing wasn't helping a bit with Tyro's ability to maintain the spell, Twilight knew it, and she was clearly enjoying the opportunity. A couple other ponies snickered as he went by, his face red with both exertation and embarassment. Twilight, on the other hand, was utterly shameless.

She finally let him be once they arrived at the library, allowing him to place the statue without interruption. However, Tyro, no longer burdened by the effort of concentrating on holding up the weight, could now get his revenge. He sidled up to her, touching her flank as she had his. "Do you like it?"

Twilight blushed. "The statue, or..."

Tyro responded simply, "both," and Twilight blushed even more. "Ooh, looks like you do, hmm?" Twilight's embarassment reached new levels, and Tyro finally let her go, into the library. He quickly followed, with a wink to the ponies watching the spectacle.

Inside the library, Twilight was seated in a chair in the main room. "I suppose I had that coming. But honestly, Tyro? That was a little much." Tyro just laughed.

"Come on, Twilight, you know you liked it..." Twilight blushed again, then fled.

Comments

[UnintentionalMishap]

All aboard the shipping train!

[RainbowsAreMagic]

327274 I wouldn't count on that. You know how I am with plot twists, after all. Just about anything might come of this. Of course, I could be just saying that to make you expect a plot twist when there isn't one. I am not above such tactics.

In any case, you'll see soon enough.