Broken then Healed 2

by Tohshi

Part 1: Chapter 9

“I feel we have covered the basics enough to move on to some more complex spellwork,” Twilight explained. She set two hoops down five feet away from each other. “So want to learn how to teleport?”

“Really,” I stated excitedly. “You think I’m ready.”

“I do. I had a look at your wellspring of mana after your miraculous recovery,” Twilight explained. “And I think that you have enough to practice this spell without causing any worries.”

“How big is my wellspring?” I asked. “I knew I had more than usual for a pony my age and size but teleportation has to take up a lot of mana.”

“Your wellspring is approximately at eight kilolites. Which is about four times the amount an average adult unicorn has,” Twilight stated. “Teleportation is actually fairly mana light if you are well practiced with it. At first it is going to take a lot out of you. One of the properties is that the spell will draw extra mana out of you if you misjudge the distance or location for safety reasons.”

“Wait if I have eight kilolites, how many do you have?” I asked. Eight seemed like such a high number.

“I am around twelve thousand kilolites,” Twilight said. “I probably have the largest wellspring of all time right now, well save for Discords who has so much it is unmeasurable. That or his chaos energy is just messing with my spell. My wellspring grew substantially after the Tirek incident. You don’t hold onto four alicorns amount of magic without some side effects.”

“Wait you’re about four times as powerful Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” I asked. I had never realized how powerful Twilight was.

“Only in one aspect,” Twilight explained. “Amount of mana you can draw on isn’t the only way to measure a mage, and is normally only important in tests of endurance. Control and efficiency is far more important. It takes me around one thousand kilolites to move the moon where as it takes Luna only around fifty. I couldn’t move the moon daily at least not for a long while till I got a better handle on the spell.”

“So how do I teleport?” I asked trying to break Twilight out of lecture mode.

“Well first you form this spell matrix-” She projected a complex multi layered spell matrix into the air “-and then you focus on your destination and push mana through the spell matrix. As you get better you can simplify the matrix by a lot but for now it is best to use the more complex version.”

I recreated the spell matrix, thankful that unicorn brains were made to hold those in memory much better, and then attempted to teleport from one hoop to the other. My first jump was semi successful as I popped into existence five feet up in the air above the hoops. Twilight caught me in her magic.

“Nice first try. It took me much longer to pick this up.”

“Why do these things seem easier for me than you?” I asked. The teleport had drained me much more than I would have liked and only had one or two in me after that

“Part of it is just your personality,” Twilight explained. “You are very mature about things which translates to an easier time pushing your all into these spells. But also it is likely a side effect of Sombra’s spell. You just are more intune with your magic than a normal unicorn. Besides I learned how to teleport when I had a wellspring similar in size to you and I couldn’t pull near as much at once as you can.”

“Ah,” I said in response. I powered up for a return trip and manage to only be about a foot above the ground this time. Still I figured that was all I could do without risking exhaustion. I had to pant to catch my breath and sweat ran down my back. “I think that is all I can do right now. It takes too much out of me.”

“That’s alright we can work on some less arduous spells now. How about we work on the come to life spell, that one should be pretty easy for you,” Twilight said. She cleaned up the hoops, placing them back on their racks.

“I can already do that one. Is this just for practice to get better?” I asked.

Twilight said, “Mostly but I also am pretty certain that you can now use that spell at much greater effect than you once did.”

Twilight levitated a pony shaped manikin over to us. The manikin was earth pony shaped and looked worse for wear having been used for target practice. With a quick use of magic, Twilight returned the manikin to pristine condition. The manikin was made of wood with articulating legs and neck to be put in poses. A silly face had been painted on its head.

“So I want you to try to make it walk like a real pony. This one’s joints should work for that type of movement,” Twilight stated.

I channeled mana into the spell matrix focusing on the movement I wanted from the manikin. Something felt different in the way the mana came. It felt more natural as if this was somehow meant to be. I released the spell and watched to my amazement as the manikin came to life. Walking around much as a pony would. It seemed to not have much to do so it wandered in a wide circle through the room.

“Great job, Lilac,” Twilight exclaimed. “Now comes the hard part turn it off.”

As Twilight stated removing the spell from the manikin proved much more difficult than had putting it on. I had never been very good at dispelling magic. It took me twenty minutes before the manikin was back on its stand stationary. We repeated the process for much of the rest of the day.

Returning to the suite diner awaited us. A simple salad and some garlic bread. The coffee table had been converted to a make shift dinner table. And four place settings had been set out.

“Great timing,” Lyra stated as we entered the room. “I was about to go find you guys.”

“Diner smells great,” I stated. I took up a spot near the far end of the table.

“Did you have fun today?” Bon Bon asked. She set the steaming bread onto my plate as I helped myself to a scope full of salad.

“Yeah I learned how to teleport,” I stated. “It is very hard to do. All I can manage is five feet.”

“Better than I can do,” Lyra stated proudly. “I’m very proud of you, Lilac”

“Thanks for diner,” Twilight stated. “Sorry your vacation plans have gotten so far off course.”

“I forgot we were even on vacation,” Lyra stated sheepishly. “This is fine at least to me. I get to hang out with the ponies I love.”

“Yeah it hasn’t quite the vacation we had planned but it is still plenty nice to have time with the family with no worries about the shop,” Bon Bon said.

The rest of diner passed with small talk about our days. Twilight left out what we had seen of Chrysalis so I did as well. Soon enough I found myself tucked away into bed. I woke the next morning cursing the infernal rays of the sun which bored mercilessly into my room from the wind on the far wall.

Stumbling into the living room, I scoured the bookcase for a book to read. Finding something that looked remotely interesting. I sprawled out on the couch. Approximately half way through chapter two of the cheesy romance novel, Bon Bon came out and joined me on the couch.

“Did you sleep well?” She asked quietly.

“Not really,” I stated. “But at least I didn’t have a nightmare, again.”

“That’s an upside,” Bon Bon stated. “Do you want some tea?”

“Yes, please,” I asked. “Do they have orange spice?”

“You’re in luck,” Bon Bon replied.

We enjoyed our tea a few minutes later. Bon Bon had also grabbed a book to read. The quiet morning wasn’t interrupted save for a small breakfast of toast till much later in the day. Lyra came stumbling out of her bedroom just before lunch. We had a simple lunch of pasta with a light red sauce. The plates were clinking back into their homes when a knock on the door interrupted our peaceful day.

“Come in,” Bon Bon called. The door clicked open and twilight walked into the room. “Hello. How are you today?”

“Exhausted,” Twilight complained. “Paper work sucks. Princess Celestia had me working on the backflow of written requests from the general populace. Nothing is quite as deadening as reading a thirty page essay on why Prince Blueblood should be able to banish ponies from Canterlot.”

“Yeah that sounds riveting,” Lyra stated. “We were just enjoying a quiet morning if you wanted to sit down and spend some time relaxing.”

“Oh I wish,” Twilight said with a sour tint in her voice. “I only swung by to tell you all that Nympha is showing signs that she will be hatching out of her molt sometime soon. I figured Lilac would want to be there for that. I have to get back to writing a thirty page response to Blueblood’s request. Why the response has to be just as long as the request is beyond me.”

“Really,” I exclaimed. I turned to Lyra and Bon Bon. “Can we go and wait there? I want to be there when she wakes up.”

“Of course,” Bon Bon stated. “There is no reason not to go and wait there. How long does Dr Remedies think it will be before she wakes up?”

“He mentioned he thinks it will happen in the next few hours,” Twilight answered. “Sorry to dash so quickly but I really need to get back to the paper work. Princess Celestia was very clear with how important this task was.”

Twilight popped away. I hurriedly rushed to my bathroom and gave my face a one over with a washcloth. I drew up my mana and imagined the hallway just outside my room. Pop. I managed to only be six inches off from where I had wanted. Still the attempt drained me.

“Wow,” Lyra praised me excitedly. “You just teleported! That’s so great! Good job.”

“Thanks,” I panted. “It takes too much out of me. So I have to practice the spell.”

“Well keep up the good work,” Bon Bon said. “We’re proud of you.”

I blushed and rubbed the back of my head. Ignoring my embarrassment, I headed for the door. I stated, “Come on let's go. I don’t want to miss it.”

“Okay, Okay,” Lyra exclaimed. “We’re going. Hold your wings, we’re not in that big of a hurry.”

The trip to the hospital wing was much longer than I would have liked. My patience had long since worn thin. I clammered through the doors to Nympha’s room first. Dr. Remedies sat on a bench a few feet from the bed. He scribbled notes from time to time. He glanced slightly in our direction but otherwise kept his eyes glued on Nympha.

Nympha’s form had swollen significantly since the last time I saw her. Her dull shell had turned pure white and the pink glow had shifted to a dirty brown glow as pink and green swirled equally. Every so often her entire form would twitch.

The next two hours were spent in total silence only punctuated by slight cracks and pops coming from Nympha at odd and distant intervals. It was nearing two when the cracks and pops took an upswing. A crack started to form on the back side of nympha’s huddled form. It slowly speed up as it grew to encompass the entirety of her back. With one sudden movement A head burst out the back of Nympha. Nympha started to struggle to extract herself from the rest of her old shell. Gently Doctor Remedies help her break the pieces of her shell with his magic. Nympha’s new chitin was shinier than ever. She was huge, nearly as large as Lyra. Her maroon mane was nearly a foot longer and feel wet on her side. Her eyes only seemed more expressive. A look of love filled her eyes.

“Hi,” Nympha said in a higher pitched voice than her size would have implied.

“Hello,” I said tentatively. “How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy,” Nympha stated. She stifled a yawn. “And happy. Talking to you.”

Nympha seemed giddy as she bounced slightly on the bed. Her mood shifted quickly though as she slumped into a pile still in the remains of her old chitin.

“Why don’t we get you a bath, Nympha?” Dr. Remedies stated. Nympha nodded.

Dr. Remedies got up and started to gather the tarp that had been placed under Nympha’s bedding. I had not noticed before but there was an attached bath which he deposited the tarp with Nympha in the bath room. He spun the dial and the tub filled with steaming water. He gently lowered Nympha into the water with his magic.

“Lilac do you want to help?” Dr Remedies asked.

Bon Bon nodded at me towards the door. I said tentatively, “Yes, if it is alright.”

“Just be gentle with your magic and run this wet cloth down her chitin,” he explained.

Slowly and meticulously we cleaned off the remaining gunk from Nympha. She seemed to be particularly sensitive to touch right then and flinched away from our touch several times during the bath. Still she tried her best to stay still for the duration of the bath. The warm waters had done their magic on poor Nympha and she was barely awake when we tucked her back into bed. The evening sun cast bright marks across the wall.

Bon Bon waited nearby on a bench next to the door, reading a book. Lyra entered into the room from the door, carrying two cups of coffee with her. She smiled gently at me and handed one of the cups to Bon Bon who placed her book beside her. The steam coming off the coffee was barely perceptible in the evening light.

Nympha stifled a yawn as her eyes fluttered in between open and closed. She smiled meekly at me and said, “Sleepy now, talk tomorrow?”

“Of course,” I said gently. “Sleep well.”

Nympha’s eyes ceased their struggle and she quickly dozed off to dreamland. I tucked her blankets around her form with my magic, taking extra care to be gentle. She looked peaceful in her sleep. We quietly slipped out of the room.

“We’ll visit tomorrow,” Bon Bon said. “But for now it’s almost dinner time, and I feel we should avoid the dining hall.”

“Please,” I said quietly. The thought of having to endure that level of noise sent shudders through me.

“Don’t worry,” Lyra stated. “We can always just order room service if need be. Perks of being royal guests.”

“Ehhh,” Bon Bon grunted. “We can just cook something the kitchen has plenty of things to cook.”

“Could we get pizza ordered?” I asked. I smiled cutely at Bon Bon trying my best to make sure my eyes were as puppy dog like as possible.

“Fiinnee!” Bon Bon sighed. “We can order pizza.”

Lyra playfully rubbed my head. We took a hurried rate back to the suite. The blur of passing ponies and armors that lined the walls hid my tiredness from me. But upon reaching the suite my exhaustion caught up to me and I shakily slid into the couch. I found my head to be impossibly heavy, as were my eyelids. Soon enough I lost track of the world.

I found myself tucked snugly into my bed with the morning sun not so gently playing with my face. It was strangely bright for how early I normally woke. My stomach grumbled with hunger. Stumbling from my bed I headed for the living room. Bon Bon sat sipping from a steaming cup.

“What time is it?” I asked quietly.

“Near six in the morning,” Bon Bon replied. “Good morning. The pizza took a while getting to us and by then you were really out of it so we just tucked you into bed.”

“Oh,” I stated. “Any left? Can I have some for breakfast?”

“Go ahead. There is plenty left.”

I quickly grabbed a slice of the cold pizza and stuffed my face. With my belly satisfied, I snuggled up next to Bon Bon. Despite having had a full night’s rest I still had a thick blanket of sleepiness over me. I rested my head against her chest and dozed off into a haze of sleep.

Some time later Lyra joined us on the couch after she too grabbed a slice of the cold pizza. She sat on my other side and smothered me in snuggles. I sleepily pushed back against her onslaught. It was then the tickling started. My high pitch squealing could likely be heard several doors down. Try as I might there was no stopping the horror of such an attack and I giggled madly till mercifully Lyra yielded.

Gasping to regain my breath i leaned further onto Bon Bon’s side. My head hang lazily of to one side. I stated, “Please no more. I’ve had enough.”

“Awwh. Oh well,” Lyra stated as she engulfed me in a hug. She gave me a gentle nuzzle before placing me back on the couch. “So you up to going and seeing Nympha now?”

“Yeah,” I stated. “I hope she hasn’t been waiting too long.”

“Don’t worry,” Bon Bon stated. “I bet she will be happy just to see you.”

“Yeah, probably,” I stated. I stifled a yawn. “I hope today is less eventful.”

“Me too,” Lyra stated. “But we should get going. Don’t want to make her wait any longer.”

I nodded in affirmation. We gathered ourselves and headed out the door. The walk to Nympha’s room was short and familiar at this point. The halfway point was marked with a beautiful painting of what looked like a yin yang. The sun and the moon were vying for the sky in a dance.

We passed the picture with little fan fare. Coming upon the door shortly the voices of Doctor Remedies could be heard inside as well as some high pitched giggles. Entering revealed the doctor reading a book to Nympha this one had little hoof puppets which the doctor was acting out the story with. Nympha sat engrossed by the display. She lit up though upon noticing visitors and started to jump up and down on her bed. Much to the bed’s disagreement as it creaked and trembled.

“Hi,” She shouted at us. “Play games?”

“Um, maybe,” Lyra stated. She seemed baffled by Nympha’s size versus her maturity. “But first we need to calm down.”

“Um, Okay,” Nympha said. Her jumping ceased and she settled down into the mess of blankets. Her stare was slightly unsettling with her cat like eyes.

“How is she, Doctor?” asked Bon Bon. She had moved over to the far edge of the bed and was gently petting Nympha’s head. Nympha leaned into the affection with a content sigh on her face.

“Physically fine,” Doctor Remedies stated. “Almost too well. She has the energy of a little one with the size of an adolescent. That and the mind of a one the age she once appeared. She is smart but very limited in her education at this point.”

“Is that normal for a changeling?” Lyra asked. She leaned up against Bon Bon.

“It is hard to tell. This could be a symptom of her separation from the hivemind or of the sudden forced growth. Or even something else we don’t know about yet. Only time will tell us,” Doctor Remedies explained.

“Can we play now?” Nympha asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Doctor Remedies stated. “Though maybe a different avenue may be in order. The gardens have plenty of space for her to run and frolic.”

“How does that sound want to go play in the gardens?” Bon Bon asked Nympha.

“Yes,” Nympha nearly shouted out. She hopped off the bed and rushed over to me. “Play tag or chase?”

“Um maybe let’s see what it is like when we get there,” I said tentatively.
“Might be good time to practice teleportation,” Stated Lyra. “Maybe then you can keep up with her.”

“Maybe,” I stated with a hint of sarcasm.

“Some exercise will do you well,” Bon Bon stated. There was no weaseling out of this now.

“Don’t be too rambunctious both of you are still recovering,” Doctor Remedies stated. “Even if your recoveries were miraculously quick.”

“We’ll make sure they don’t push themselves too much, Doc,” Lyra stated. “Come on let's go to the gardens, but Nympha you need to stay close till we get there.”

“Okay,” Nympha stated.

True to her word Nympha spent the entire walk nearly glued to Lyra. Our walk took us further than our suite though not by far. The walk shook the rest of the sleepiness from me.

The open floor to ceiling doors each made of a stained glass scene of roses and other flowers. Outside the doors stood a wonderful green lawn that had plenty of space to run. All along the sides of the expansive garden were beds of flowers with more variety that I knew there could be. A large flowering tree caught my eye the most as its pink blossoms.

The tree brought back memories of Melody and my brain started to spiral again. Painful memories fluttered through my head. Her smile as we sat amongst the cherry trees. Their pink blossoms falling from time to time to land on us or the ground. The world around me started to fade to black as images of her face laying in the coffin hovered in my head. A strange warmness bleed into my head as it started to chase the bad images away. The warmth that should have been present in those painful memories of the cherry trees some springs ago started to take root again. My vision cleared and with it the world returned with a magenta tint to it.

“Better?” Nympha asked. Her gleaming eyes filled most of my vision.

“A bit,” I whispered. “How did you do that?”

“Love heals,” Nympha stated.

Author's Note:

So for those wondering Kilolites are 1000 light spells

Comments

[Nova Blaze]

I always look forward to these updates. Good chapter.

[Tohshi]

7413534 I am happy you enjoy them. I wish they came more regularly, but at the moment they only seem to come when I am in the hospital or some situation similar.

[Seeking Dusk]

Hey, apparatio- I mean teleportation training!

Nice to see Twilight interacting with Bon Bon and Lyra as a family. It's something I've feel was missing for a while. She's been interacting with Lilac, but not so much with the rest.

Nympha will be interesting for a while. A child in the body of a teen?

---

One error I noticed.

As you get better you can simplify the matrix by allot but for now it is best to use the more complex version”

A lot, not allot. Also the missing period at the end.

[Tohshi]

7414593 Fixed that one. thanks for the catch. I wish that one would show up on spell check as wrong would be so much easier for me to catch that then.

I hope you continue to enjoy the coming chapters. I am somewhat worried about my planed finally.

[NecromanCREEEEEE]

7414778 Also, go ahead and read through carefully again. I noticed a few missing punctuation as well.

[Fistfire]

"Love heals,” Nympha stated.

Awww!

[cloudminer1]

“Physically fine,” Doctor Remedies stated. “Almost too well. She has the energy of a little one with the size of an adolescent. That and the mind of a one the age she once appeared. She is smart but very limited in her education at this point.”

I think you should reword this one

[Black--Soul]

Nympha looks promising. Very interesting chapter.