8 - Welcome to the Seekers
Fast Shadow led her two charges through a narrow corridor that opened into what looked like a communal living area. It was open and airy, with pillows arranged for lounging on and a flat space to the side with various wooden weapons set on a rack. A pony was standing there, another earth pony, or rather, an earth-bound pony, Twilight was quick to correct herself. The stallion smiled at them as they entered. "What have you dragged in with you today, Fast?"
Fast Shadow rolled her eyes as she gestured with her snout at her two guests, "They followed me home. May I keep them?"
The stallion was dressed to impress, rather than for battle. Fine-fitting silks adorned him from head to hooves, and some jewelry hung from his ears and tail. He approached, looking over Twilight and Spike critically, "I don't know. That's a lot of responsibility. Remember what happened to your last pet."
Twilight's ears folded back on her head, "Pardon, but I don't really want to be a pet."
Fast Shadow raised a hoof at her, "Quiet a moment, the adults are speaking." This earned her a scowl from the unicorn. Twilight’s horn began to glow but quickly sputtered and died, as the magic was choked by the ring placed on it. "That's better," continued Fast, "Now you know as well as I do that was only one time, and you're the one that sent me into that dungeon without feeding poor little Nibbles."
The stallion barked a laugh, slapping a knee with the adjoining hoof, "'Little' she says. Ha! That beast was a menace. He bit clients as often as he did his own kibble." He lowered his head to Twilight's level, being moderately taller than her, "Now then. Do you have a name? Oh, what's this?" He leaned forward and suddenly kissed Twilight's horn. Twilight went red as a tomato, but he seemed to pay it no mind as he smoothly pulled the ring free of her horn.
The room became a nova of light. Twilight hovered in place, eyes gone white, as power surged from her every available pore. "Oops," said the stallion even as Fast lunged forward, grabbed the ring in her own mouth and slammed it back into place. Twilight fell back to the floor and wobbled in place before Spike could move to support her.
"So, an untrained innate spellcaster is it?" said the stallion. "It’s a pleasure to meet you. I'm Firm Promise. You are?"
With Twilight still staggered from the sudden magic release, Spike piped up, "I'm Spike, and she's Twilight, uh, Twilight Sparkle. I don't usually see her do that unless she's using the Elements."
Fast raised a brow as she spoke, "Elements? Well, I'd love to sit and chat, but I think the sooner Twilight here meets Under Score, the safer everyone will be." She turned, flicking Firm across the snout with her tail as she led the two further into the building. Twilight regained her balance and looked up at Fast, a hundred questions on her face, but none reaching her lips. They descended into a basement. The air had many strange scents here. She smelled various chemicals, and things that spoke of the arcane with their unnatural echoes in the snout.
"We keep the alchemists, wizards, and other types down here, where the ground can absorb any 'accidents'," explained Fast, "We want ponies to practice their arts, but not at the expense of the safety of their peers. You'll be down here a lot, Twilight."
Twilight perked her ears back up, "Are there books, on magic?"
Fast just smiled before she nudged open a door. Beyond it was a library. She began to explain it, but Twilight shoved past her instantly. She used her wings to grab books off the shelf, a skill that left Fast looking quite perplexed. "You can't fly, but you can grab things with your wings? Is it true, you're from another world entirely?"
Spike shook his head at Fast, "It's no use asking her questions while she's like this. Let her geek out for a little bit." He smiled brilliantly, "She was a librarian back home, before she became a princess. Books are, you know, her thing."
Twilight moved over to Spike, "Number one assistant!" she barked, getting a quick salute from Spike, "Locate books on hybrids, arrange them in order of publication date, starting from most recent to oldest." Spike scurried away, searching for the tomes without delay.
Fast watched the two ransack the library for a few moments before turning back to the door, "I will be right back, but I trust you will remain here." Without waiting for reply, she was gone, but her presence was barely missed by either of the two.
Twilight eagerly pored through book after book, searching for more information on what she was within the framework this world. "Hybrids, known as 'those with the blood of unification', were first recorded with the appearance of the eventual Queen of ponykind, Iliana," she read out loud, "Born of the prairie tribe, she grew wings on a visit to the nearby pegasus village. Filled with a dream to unite the pony tribes, she took it as a sign and led both her tribe and the pegasi on a crusade to bring the other tribes under her banner."
Twilight raised a brow, "Huh. That's not how alicorns work on Equestria at all," she grumbled. "No great ascension, no being born with it."
Spike shrugged softly, "Different world, different rules. That human place didn't have any ponies, let alone alicorns. And I was a dog! A dog!" He huffed indignantly, "At least this place kept me a dragon. A bad-ass one too!" He began to flash his claws and make 'rawr' sounds, but a glare from Twilight got him back to retrieving books for her.
She eventually found what she was seeking. "It says here that hybrids have to channel magic actively into the new body-parts for them to work, so..." She rose up from where she had been sitting and closed her eyes. Her horn was still blocked, but Dawn Event had said that magic could be channeled through other parts of the body. She tried to focus on her wings, trying to coax her magic into them without her horn. At first, she kept trying to fall back on the horn. She could feel the blocker working each time she did this. She tried to draw from her center, imagining a line going out to her wings. Slowly they started to tingle and grow warm. With a manic grin she extended them and gave a powerful flap. The ground retreated from her as she did a graceless loop in the air and came crashing back down face first.
"You ok, Twi?" asked Spike as he rushed over to help her up, "That looked like it hurt."
Twilight was grinning manically, "It did, but that doesn't matter! I can fly again! I used magic without my horn too." She was practically vibrating with excitement, her mind full of the possibilities. She embraced Spike in glee and took off with him, carrying him on a quick circuit around the room. The trailing Spike narrowly avoided stacks of books and edges of shelves as she went, but she thankfully set down quickly. "Oh, that's funny," she said, looking at her wings, "They feel... empty?"
A new voice spoke from the door, "A unification sorcerer can only fly for so long before they must rest."
They looked over to see a wizened old stallion in a purple robe.
He advanced into the room as the two gawked at him. "I see you have already learned how to use some magic with a blocker on. A useful talent if you are a unicorn."
Spike was the first to speak, "Are you Under Score, the earth pony wizard? Can you really do magic?"
Under Score snorted, "I did not live this long studying the arcane to not be able to do magic. You sound surprised at the notion."
Twilight cleared her throat, "Well, you see. Where we come from, only unicorns do outright magic. Earth and pegasus ponies have their own kind of magic, sure, but it's not magic magic. You know?"
Under inclined his head lightly, "It is that thinking that let you be shackled by an ornament on your horn for a week, I'm told. Now, I was told to expect an innate caster, but here you are surrounded by books with the most radiant expression I've ever seen on a studying student."
Spike stifled a giggle poorly, "Twilight can't help herself around books. It's her one weakness."
Under nodded, "You are, perhaps, misdiagnosed, young Twilight."
Twilight puffed out her chest, "I am not young. I have mastered many spells, just not... here. Or with this thing on." She raised a hoof to point at the ring on her horn.
"Everything is young to me," countered Under as he took on a ready stance. He spoke eldritch words and shuffled his hooves, each movement leaving bright colors behind for an instant. Suddenly a sheen went over Twilight, then the ring was yanked free of her. "Now let's see you in your natural habitat."
Twilight's eyes went white instantly, but no power poured from her. "This feels... strange," spoke Twilight, apparently still in command of her senses.
"You have a nasty case of buildup in your horn," said Under Score, " I'm going to let it free. This will feel draining." With a fresh spell, Twilight's horn began to glow brightly at its very tip before she began to spew sparks from it in an unending stream, filling the room with dancing light as the excess power was allowed to escape her in a slow, long release. Twilight trembled with a strange sort of ecstasy as she felt a bladder she never knew she had finally feel some matter of relief deep inside. As her horn petered off and the fullness faded with it, Twilight sank to the ground with an explosive sigh.
Spike grinned up at Under, "Sorry for not believing you. That was definitely magic. I don't suppose I could learn that trick? I can think of a unicorn I want to cast that on." The somewhat devious expression on his face fell as the wizard pony shook his head.
"That was an advanced spell. You would need to spend years learning the basics before I could entrust its use to you. Arcane arts are not for the short-sighted or those lacking patience," spoke Under Score. "Now tell me, how did you learn and perform magic where you came from, Miss Sparkle?"
Twilight shook her head clear as her body felt right again at long last. She looked over Under Score again, "No offense, but you remind me of a wizard where we come from. You're like Starswirl, minus the beard, and the horn?"
Under Score smiled, face creasing, "Starswirl? A very unicorn name. They do love their heavenly bodies, Miss Sparkle. But my question, if you please? I wish to see you trained properly, and I must know what method you already use."
While they spoke, Spike casually picked up the forgotten ring, hiding it behind his back as Twilight and Under Score focused on one another.
Twilight tapped her chin, "I would learn a spell from a book, or from tutoring, and then... I cast it?" she said, sounding almost unsure.
"Do you regularly refresh your memory of the spells?" asked Under as he moved to start putting some of the books away, holding them in a white glow just as surely as any unicorn as he sent them to their proper place on the shelves.
Twilight nodded, "Well, yes, if it's a spell I don't know that well. There are some I've used a lot that I know off the tip of my horn, like short-range teleportation, shielding, and blasting things." She tilted her head a little, "Does lifting and moving things count? I have that down pat."
Under shook his head, "All ponies of the unicorn tribe have that talent, though I imagine, being a spellcaster, you are especially gifted."
Suddenly realizing she could use her horn again, Twilight joined in putting the books away. She took special pride in wrapping each in her purple aura before lifting them back into place.
Under nodded, "Smooth, without hesitation. You are even more talented than I had thought. I think you are an arcanist, of the various schools of training."
"Arcanist?" asked Twilight curiously, "What about that divine magic? I wanted to learn more about that. We don't have that where I'm from."
Spike snorted, "Getting ahead of yourself, Twilight?" he asked with a grin, "You should learn how to do the usual stuff before you do new stuff."
Twilight made a pained groan, "But Spike! It's a whole new kind of magic! How can I turn away a chance to learn about it?"
Under sided with Spike, "First, you learn to use your obvious arcane talents. After that, I can't stop you from pursuing other magics. If you insist, I will even call back Dawn Event. He is quite skilled with it, and is open-minded to the many gods."
Twilight clapped her forehooves together, "Alright! I'm ready. What books do I start with?"
Under Score smiled softly, "I hope that enthusiasm remains at the end of the month. For now, I would like to see your arcane penmanship. Scribe the spell for light." He moved to fetch some ink and paper and placed it on a short podium where a set of quills already rested. "You have an hour."
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Still going strong, keep it coming. Adding to my dwarf encounter list, I kind of want Spike to meet a clan of kobolds that instantly start praising him. Maybe after a fight with goblins with horse-choppers.
5451703 First, Spike needs some lessons! Twilight's not the only one who needs to be a studious one. Let's get to writing that.
5451926 Now thats something I'm really looking forward to?
Can't wait to see what Spike learns, and I'm hoping for at last a sneak peek at his class.
5452038 Next chapter posted. My fingers cannot be stopped!
Ah, well. Seems like the horn ring was more innocuous than it looked.
At least it's off now. It made me wary when she was being kept powerless arbitrarily.
5677698 Don't worry, it comes up again, eventually... later...
Huh. Arcanist. I was just discussing hybrid classes like that with a friend last night. I don't think they have access to bloodlines, though, so how does Twilight have access to wings by this world's rules?
On a mostly unrelated note, it always struck me as odd that the default time for the campaign setting was after the Empire's fall when you created so much stuff to use at its height.
Well, off to read more of the story.
5721241 She took the eldritch heritage feat line to gain access to unification bloodline.
We offer the post-empire to allow you to slap in Ponyfinder in... just about any setting you want. Ponies in Golarion? You can do that! Ponies on Faerun? Why not!
Arcanist hybrid class....yes that actually works really well for what we know about Twilight's casting methods.
And so there IS a feat line to allow non sorcerers access to bloodline powers. Sweet.
Also...Three, three cameos from Champions of Everglow....ha ha ha!
(Thunder rumbles)
5861497 Not much reason not to have them poke their heads in on the scene.
Something still bugs me a little. Twilight was an Alicorn, right? She embodies ALL pony tribes. Which for more stories is just the 3 basics. But still, THREE. Unicorn, Pegasi, and EARTH PONIES. Not 2, but 3. So what happened to 1/3rd of Twilight's body/spirit/magic?
5895220 In Equestria, she never displays any specific earth pony strengths. In Everglow, she's not high enough level to have three tribes. End result, she translated over as a pegasus/unicorn, unicorn primary.
You missed the second as.
5962429 fixed.
The magic surge caused by having a hornlock for a week being used as justification for having a hornlock. Fuck these people. Also that shadow chick was an asshole just like literally every character that has been introduced so far.
Methinks Spike's hoarding instincts are a mite stronger in Everglow.
To quote (i think?) from The Shadow,
Seems readers are pretty hung up on Twilight having all three tribes' magic, to the point that every comment the author makes about it gets downvotes. I'm pretty sure that alicorns having magic from all three tribes is canon at this point, and it's certainly part of my headcanon. But I don't feel so strongly enough about it that I'm going to downvote the author for not using it. This is fanfiction, as long as the author backs it up and it's internally consistant, what happens in the fic is up to the author. And no one can question this author about not backing his story ideas up, he wrote multiple D&D manuals about it. Even disregarding all that, the fact that Twilight is in a different world where magic operates differently is more than enough justification on its own for the author to decide her magic works however he wants it to.