The Price of Power

by kingrulerword

Chapter 23

“NOOO!” Starlight grabbed my ear in her magic and pulled me back into the wagon. Every time someone tried to get out, she would scream no, grab them by the ear, and drag them back into the wagon. The strange thing was, we all had the strength to resist her magic and yet we found ourselves sitting in a circle around Starlight.

“Is… there a problem?” I asked her.

Starlight rubbed her temples and sighed angrily. “Yes. Your last visit to Ponyville was... catastrophic at best. I am not going to let you destroy the lives of these ponies.” She looked me dead in the eyes. “Understand?”

Have you ever been stared down by a marshmallow? A marshmallow doing its best to kill you with its eyes? That’s what I was feeling.

“Check out the balls on this unicorn,” Gilda laughed. “What’s the plan boss?”

“How could I resist such a passionate plea,” I said. “Stay in a pony form for the duration of our stay here. Don’t do anything crazy or draw too much attention to yourselves. I’m serious, you can see Canterlot from here. Got it?”

“Then what are supposed to do?” Adagio asked.

“Whatever you feel like,” I replied. “Consider today a day off.”

“What?” Gilda looked at me like I’d grown a second head.

“Just do whatever,” I said, transforming into my pony disguise. “I have a few errands to take care of. Meet back here tonight.” I climbed out of the wagon a walked into town.

“Oh no you don’t,” Starlight yelped. She quickly started following behind me. “You’re not getting away that easy. I’m keeping my eye on you.”

“It’s ok,” I grinned. “I know you just want to spend more time with me.”

“Faust damn, I hate you,” Starlight rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be like that Starlight,” Sunset said as she and Trixie caught up with us.

“No, I agree,” Trixie added. “Sasuke is pretty insufferable.”

“Tell me how you really feel,” I said with mock hurt.

“Whatever,” Starlight grumbled. “So what’s first on your evil agenda?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Evil agenda? I’m going to go see a tailor.”

“It’s about time,” Trixie said. “Trixie did not want to say anything but your outfit is lacking.”

“Damn, Trixie,” I said. “Feeling savage today?”

“Trixie has no idea what you mean,” the blue unicorn put her nose in the air. “Trixie is always full of grace and class.”

We kept the back and forth going as we walked through the small village. All the while, I scanned the area for Pinkie Pie. The last thing I wanted was for her to draw attention to us. My hope was that since Trixie, Starlight, and I had been to Ponyville before, we could act as a sort of new pony cloaking device for Sunset. I would like to think it worked. But realistically, I think she was just preoccupied. A stream of profanity echoed through the normally quiet town.

“Is it just me, or does that sound like Adagio?” Sunset asked.

“Huh,” I kept walking. “I guess it does.”

“Should we go help her,” Trixie asked, slightly afraid.

“Nah, she’ll be fine,” I answered. “Besides, we’re here!”

I gestured to the building in front of us.

“Carousel Boutique?” Sunset read. “What could you possibly need from a dress shop?”

“Like I said, I need to see a tailor,” I pushed open the door and walked inside.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique,” Rarity’s cheerful voice greeted us. She motioned us to come in. “How may I assist you today?”

“Hello Rarity, I’m not sure if you remember me but I-”

“You were the mysterious traveller who helped Twilight after that nasty nightmare incident,” Rarity smiled. “I do hope she thanked you properly.”

I grinned. “She’s been more helpful than she could possibly know.”

“That’s good. Now, I’m sure you didn’t come here just to chat. What can I-” Rarity took notice of Trixie for the first time. “What is she doing here?”

“Trixie is here with me,” I explained. “I hope that won’t be a problem.”

I could tell Rarity really wanted to say something but her professionalism won out. She took a deep breath and sighed. “As long as you keep that miscreant magician under control then I will not object to her presence.”

Trixie started to respond but I shoved a hoof in her mouth. “Not a problem.”

“Now that we’ve gotten that unpleasantness out of the way,” Rarity flicked her mane back. “How may I be of service to you, today?”

“I need a tuxedo to wear to a fancy event,” I stated.

“While I don’t usually do stallion’s clothing, I would be glad to do it for you,” she gestured to a raised platform and levitated a measuring tape in her magic. “Please stand there so I get get your measurements.”

I hopped up onto the platform.

“Aren’t you going to, you know,” Sunset asked.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” I grinned.

“Forgot what?” Rarity asked, looking confused.

I released my transformation and returned to my human form. “If I’m going to get measured for new clothes, I should get it done right. Dontcha think?”

Rarity sat completely still. Her eyes and mouth hung wide open as she tried to form a coherent thought. To her credit, she was only stunned for a few seconds before she managed to collect herself. “You’re not… Um… How…. Have you always been..”

“Yup,” I said. “Since the first time we met.”

“Then did you…”

“No, that was an accident,” I explained. “I don’t want to hurt Twilight. Or you.”

Rarity clutched at her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. “Then why are you here?”

“I need a tux for a fancy party,” I said sitting down.

“I don’t mean to question a mons- gentlestallion such as yourself but why come come all the way to Ponyville? Surely there was an option that presented less risk,” Rarity walked towards a large cabinet.

“Yes please explain,” Starlight echoed. “Why would you put everything you’ve worked for in jeopardy?”

I jolted up and struck a heroic pose. “I will never compromise on quality!” I declared. “No danger is too great to look good!”

Starlight facehooved while Sunset started laughing. Trixie nodded sagely and Rarity looked at me with stars in her eyes.

“Then I shall give my all to ensure you are dressed for,” she stopped and rubbed her chin. “What do you need this tux for, again?”

“A fancy party.” I maintained my pose.

“You will be the best dressed….. you at your fancy party,” Rarity finished. She levitated a measuring tape. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

**********

Gilda was mad. Not annoyed like usual. No, today Gilda was full-on,100%, throbbing head vein, mad. She had been mad before, blindly striking out at any unfortunate enough to cross her path. But that was back before she met Sasuke. Her training with him and the ghost that lived in her head had given her a sort of clarity about herself. So now she knew she was angry with herself. Angry with herself for overreacting to a bunch of pranks, for running away from her best friend like a coward, for being too embarrassed to apologize, for sulking in a bar for months like a weakling, and for still being hung up about everything. But the thing that pissed her off the most was the fact that she could only access half of her power. She wanted the magic, she really did. But every time she tried, Rainbow Dash was there, in her mind. The phantom Rainbow blocked any attempt to dig deeper within herself and it frustrated her to no end.

Gilda flew lazily through Ponyville lost in her angry thoughts. The town turned into a blur of mixed colors and she plowed through cloud after cloud without noticing. Nothing short of a mountain would have gotten her attention if it weren’t for..

“Gilda?”

The griffon snapped to attention and searched for the source of the voice. She frowned when she saw the pink party pony looking confusedly at her. Shaking her head, Pinkie Pie waved Gilda down. Gilda hesitated but reluctantly decided to talk to the pony. Allowing herself to gently descend, she landed face to face with the pony she hated most in this world.

“What do you want?” Gilda huffed.

“I know you’re a super meanie griffon and tried to Rainbow Dash away from Ponyville buuuuuut,” Pinkie took a deep breath. “It looked like you were really sad and I can’t let any pony be sad even if you aren’t a pony because my super special talent is making ponies smile and we’re kind of enemies but not really and that’s no reason to let some pony, who isn’t a pony, be sad soooooooooo…” Pinkie Pie pulled a plate out her mane. “Want some cake?”

Gilda blinked owlishly. Besides being confused about the rant that she could barely follow, she had another emotion welling up, rage. She wanted to take this plate and beat this stupid, hyper pony to death with it. But she didn’t. She took a deep breath and thought, ‘What has that done for me lately?’ Feeling defeated, Gilda took the plate.

“You know what,” she said calmly. “I would love some cake right now.”

Pinkie Pie squeed. “Now, tell me what’s on your mind.”

**********

As I walked out of Carousel Boutique in my pony form, I couldn’t help but stretch. I let out a sigh of relief as my spine popped.

“Gross,” Trixie commented. She stepped away from me.

“You gotta try doing that in your human form,” I replied. “It can feel better than sex if you do it right.”

Trixie turned up her nose. “Trixie highly doubts that.”

“Tell her Sunset,” I said.

“Huh?” Sunset blinked owlishly.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “You seem a bit distracted.”

“Nothing,” Sunset lied. “Just thinking about stuff.”

“Anything major,” I asked.

“No,” Sunset lied again. “I think I’m just going to go for a walk around town.”

“Ok,” I said cautiously. “Trixie, go with her.”

“If Trixie must,” Trixie rolled her eyes.

“Sure, whatever,” Sunset said, lost in her own world again.

“Trixie will make sure she does not run into any walls.”

“Good,” I smiled. The pair walked away and Starlight gave me a meaningful look. “She’s fine,” I comforted. “She’s just got a lot on her mind right now. She’s probably thinking about Celestia since we’re so close to Canterlot.”

“And sending her away had nothing to do with what you’re doing next?” Starlight asked accusingly.

“Well,” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I didn’t think meeting Celestia’s current student would be all that helpful. And she chose to leave on her own.”

Starlight huffed but said nothing. We walked in a tense silence all the way to the tree library. I wanted to say something but for the first time in a while, I didn’t know what to say. Despite the uncomfortable silence, Starlight stayed close to me. I had noticed that she stood closer to me lately. I guess she was getting more comfortable with being around me. I knew my winning personality would wear her down eventually. When we reached Twilight’s home, I popped my head inside to see if there were any other ponies inside.

“Ah, Sasuke,” Twilight said as she grabbed me in her magic. “Just the human I wanted to see.” Twilight floated me across the room and sat me down in a chair. She then dragged a large chalkboard into the room and scribbled across it furiously. “I’ve been reading Madame Blueblood’s journal and comparing it with her notes in the Children of Tartarus and it’s led me to various conclusions but I seem to be stuck.” Starlight walked into the library quietly. Twilight never noticed her. “In all my studies, I’ve seen thousands of types of magic but they all share a basic underlying structure,” Twilight explained. “And now that I’ve examined Spike’s magic, I’ve learned that there are types of magic that don’t share what I assumed was the basic structure of all magic.” Twilight stopped to take a breath. “I thought maybe all species share a basic magic structure but then I came across a term Madame Blueblood used.” Twilight grabbed my face and pushed her eyes into mine. “What is a unique spell?”

“Hello Twilight, it’s good to see you too,” I said.

“Oh sorry,” Twilight blushed in embarrassment. “Hi, Sasuke.”

“And Starlight,” I gestured to the unicorn.

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Starlight,” she rushed to hug her. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“Right so about unique spells,” I started. Twilight conjured a notepad and quill then motioned for me to continue. “I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. All pony magic is based on a spell Starswirl the First created.”

“You mean Starswirl the Bearded, right,” Twilight asked.

“Nope,” I corrected. “Starswirl is a title, not a name. Now, before Starswirl the First, it was really hard for ponies to use any kind of magic. Unicorns had an especially hard time because they had to consciously make the magic do what they wanted. So Starswirl created a spell that would allow all ponies to use magic easier, Building Blocks. She cast it on all of ponykind. It allows any pony access to a set of predefined magical instructions to use to create spells.”

Twilight scribbled furiously. “There’s a lot to unpack here,” she said. “But that still doesn’t explain what a unique spell is.”

“I was getting to that,” I said. “A unique spell is a spell not bound by Starswirl’s spell. They don’t follow the laws of magic as you understand them and they can do ‘impossible’ things. They’re nearly impossible to create without help because ponies instinctively stick to Building Blocks.”

“Then how many unique spells are there,” Starlight asked.

“I’m only aware of 5,” I replied. “Luna and Celestia both have one.”

“Only one?” Twilight asked.

“Again, they’re insanely hard to make,” I explained. “Not only that, messing up can cost more than your life.”

Both unicorns shivered. Then Starlight narrowed her eyes. “You said you know of 5 but only named 2. Who have the other 3?”

I grinned. “Not telling.”

“That’s fine,” Twilight smiled. “I have soooo many more questions!”

**********

“And the food back home tastes terrible,” Gilda said. She was laying on a couch that Pinkie Pie had inexplicably acquired.

“Go on,” the pink pony herself was sitting in a chair next to the sofa wearing small square glasses and taking notes on a small pad of paper.

“And the food here was so good! The cupcakes you made were the best I’ve ever had,” Gilda covered her face with her claws.

“How does that make you feeeeel,” Pinkie asked with a silly air of seriousness.

“Like crap,” Gilda admitted. “I like Griffonstone because it’s my home and everything but I…. do like Ponyville.”

“That sounds like a breakthrough to me!” Pinkie Pie tossed up her props and they fell into her mane.

“Hey wait!” Gilda squawked. “I thought we had the whole hour!”

“It’s been an hour, silly,” PInkie said. “Besides, the ol’ Pinkie Sense just found some new ponies that need a party!”

“Oh, ok then,” Gilda said. She shifted back and forth, not sure why she let herself be so vulnerable with her enemy. Lost in her thoughts she walked through Ponyville.

“Hey Gilda,” she heard Trixie’s voice.

Gilda turned to find a contemplative Sunset Shimmer and an annoyed Trixie. “What’s going on here?” she asked.

“Sunset Shimmer has something important to say but made Trixie wait to hear it until we found you,” Trixie huffed.

“I’m having trouble with something,” Sunset admitted.

“Not so perfect after all,” Gilda smirked.

“This is serious,” Sunset stamped her hoof.

“Fine, whatever. Keep talking.”

“I,” Sunset paused to take a deep breath. “Want to see Princess Celestia.”

Trixie and Gilda were struck speechless.

“I want to ask her some questions,” Sunset continued. “And I know that Sasuke wouldn’t let me go, and I don’t want to go alone. So…. would you come with me?”

“What kind of question could possibly be enough to risk getting caught by the princess?” Trixie whisper-shouted.

Sunset took another deep breath. “I want to know why she abandoned me in another world.”

Trixie was stunned. That was a pretty good question.

“I’m in,” Gilda said. Sunset looked at her with shock. “Look, Sasuke by himself was enough for both of them. With the three of us, we could easily win. And you deserve an answer.”

“Thanks Gilda,” Sunset smiled. “Trixie, we can’t do this without you.”

“Of course I’m not taking part in this foolishness,” Trixie was so stunned she dropped her normal third person speech. “You’re talking about fighting the two most powerful ponies in the world, one of whom: HAS OUR POWERS!!”

“Trixie, I know this is a lot to ask,” Sunset pleaded. “But you two….. Are my best friends. And I would do the same for you.”

Trixie chewed her lip. It’s not like she didn’t know. They had been silently getting closer. But now that it had been said out loud? How could she not?

“Fine,” Trixie finally said. “Trixie will help out her best friend. But only because she thinks you will fail without her.”

“Sure,” Gilda smirked.

“Shut it,” Trixie shot back.

Sunset Shimmer grabbed them both in a big hug. “Thank you so much!”

“Whatever,” Trixie and Gilda said in unison.

**********

As we walked back to the wagon together, Starlight huffed continuously.

“Something on your mind?” I asked her.

She looked at me and stopped walking. “What is your unique spell?”

A bit surprised, I stopped walking. Recovering quickly, I continued my pace. Starlight followed along. “What makes you so sure I have one? I can’t use pony magic.”

“See? That’s it exactly,” Starlight said. “We’ve been together long enough now for me to tell how you think. You almost never lie outright; you choose your words very carefully. And you keep saying you can’t use pony magic. You’ve never said you don’t have any.”

The corners of my mouth twitched. “Even if that were true, it doesn’t mean I would have a unique spell. Remember my lecture? They’re nearly impossible to create and they have a significant cost to do anything worthwhile.”

“And that’s what makes me think you created one,” Starlight continued. “One with a cost so high that you could only ever use it once. Maybe it’ll cost you all of your pony magic. Maybe it’s the only thing you could use poy magic for; that would be a pretty significant cost. Am I right?”

“You’re wrong,” I said solemnly. “I can’t use pony magic because it reacts poorly with chakra. If you have magic first, the chakra will find a balance on its own. But I had chakra first. Pony magic can’t find a balance like chakra can. It causes me a lot of physical pain to use pony magic. It’s also why I can displace magic with chakra.”

“Oh,” Starlight said. “Then why don’t you use the serum? It works for everyone else.”

“Starswirl informed me that I might go the same way as our first test subject,” I explained. “Remember her?”

Starlight shivered. “Yeah.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence. When we finally reached the wagon, Smoke Puff was waiting for us with dinner. I released my transformation and rubbed her head. She talked excitedly about her day as we ate together. The sirens eventually found their way back covered in confetti and streamers.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” was all Adagio said before she crawled into the wagon and passed out.

The rest of us sat around a campfire exchanging stories and eating. As everyone started getting ready to go to sleep, I stayed at the fire. Trixie, Gilda, and Sunset, never showed up. I grinned to myself. Starlight was going to chew Sunset out so bad. While it was mildly concerning, I wasn’t really worried until….

I felt a wave of power and stood straight up. That was Luna. And she was at the end of an intense battle. Oh no….

Comments

[Dr_Tornado]

I felt a wave of power and stood straight up. That was Luna. And she was at the end of an intense battle. Oh no….

[Lord Nopony]

Excellent chapter. What will Celestia say to Sunset? And what is up with Luna NOW?!

[dereturd]

What a return. I’m really happy you updated.