The Other Button

by One of the Crowd

The Fire of Learning

Chapter 37: The Fire of Learning

"I thought we were going to school?" I said when Arrow to a left turn down a street instead of just going to normal way to school.

"You were suspended, remember?" He retorted as he continued down the path with me right behind him. Oh right, I beat the shit out of Cold for being an asshole...worth it.

We were now going down the street where all the vendors set up there shop. They sold all kinds of things from what I could see which was really only hats, cats, bats, mats, and flowers. Why did they sell so many things that ended in ats I'll never know because we were walking up to that candy shop in town.

It was the same as most of the other buildings except it had large windows out front which gave a view of what was within. You could see baskets filled with jellybeans, suckers, and even jaw breakers. Sitting right behind them however was the biggest chocolate bare I have ever seen. I swear I was getting diabetes just looking at all this candy.

"Why are we here? Don't tell me you want me to buy you one of those chocolate bars! It's bigger than me," I said while pointing to the sugary treat.

"No! Okay that's part of the reason, but the real reason is to help you," Arrow said while grinning at me. What could he mean by help me though? I don't know of too many things that a candy shop could actually do other than make you have a sugar rush.

"What do you mean by 'help me'," he just looked down at me and gave me a serious expression.

"Do you trust me, Chance?" Oh god why would he ask this?

"Yes?" I said giving him a questioning look. He just smiled before patting my head and telling me not to worry about it. When he opened the door I was instantly hit by the really sugary smell of everything in the shop. Why is that smell always so strong in these places?

"Welcome to Bon Bon's...oh hello again, Arrow," A cream colored mare said from behind the counter. I recall seeing her when I went into the everfree forest after telling Button to fuck off. I still feel horrible about that.

"Hey Bons. Is your roommate here?" Arrow asked weirdly.

"You mean Lyr-"

"Yes. Is she here?" Arrow asked again after he shoved his hoof into Bons' mouth. She slowly nodded before pointing to a door behind the counter. Wow this is getting insanely creepy and I fear for my butt.

"Arrow, Why are we looking for her roommate?" I asked while slowly walking past the counter towards the door Arrow didn't say anything and just stayed behind me the entire time. "Arrow?" I asked again, but again he said nothing.

This was when I started to hear a really beautiful instrument being played. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but I'd say it could be a harp, maybe. Arrow picked up on the music to and slowly walked over towards the door that the music was coming from. Before opening the door he turned to me.

"You know I wouldn't put you in harms way, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, what's going on Arrow?" I asked again when he opened up the door and pushed me inside. I was really confused as to what was going on until my eyes landed on a mint green unicorn holding a lyre in her hooves. My heart started to beat faster and my legs started to freeze up in terror.

"Chance, I need you to look at me," Arrow said while putting a hoof on my shoulder. I couldn't move let alone turn my head so Arrow just moved in front of me breaking my sight with the mare. This was when I realized I was holding my breath that entire time. "I promise this isn't Jungle. I'd never let her near you,"

"A-Arrow....C-can We P-Please go?" I asked in a shaky voice. I could feel the mare starring at me through Arrow.

"I need you to listen to me, Chance. Lyra has offered to help teach you to control your magic, and it might help you stop being scared of her," He said with a very serious expression plastered onto his face. I can't argue with his logic, but I couldn't stop shaking. "I promise I wont let her hurt you again,"

My shaking stopped as he said those words. I was still terrified, but something about how Arrow said that made me feel safer for some reason. I decided to look past him to look at the mare that had nearly caused me to panic.

She was sitting on a bed looking at me with a sad look. I started to shake again, but I felt a hoof rest on my back. Looking up I saw Arrow giving me a smile before nudging me closer to the mare on the bed.

"Hello, Chance. My name is Lyra and Arrow tells me you want to learn to control your magic," She said in a calm low voice while looking me in the eyes.

"I Can control it...mostly," I said that last part a little quieter, but I believe she heard me.

"How about you show me how well you can control it then?" She said while levitating her lyre over to me. "Pluck a few strings for me,"

I did as she asked and started to use my magic to pluck various strings in a random order. That was until the lyre started to glow a little orange which caused me to panic and drop it on the ground.

"I'm sorry!" I quickly said while she used her magic to move the lyre to reveal a scorch mark in the carpet.

"I was going to get this replaced soon anyway. That proves that you can't control you magic though," She said very calmly. I ws about to protest when she levitated a small bottle from a nearby dresser to me. "Drink this,"

"Why?"

"Just do it," I took the bottle with my magic and drank it's contents. It didn't have much of a taste to it for some reason. "That should keep you from accidentally burning anything,"

"R-really?" I asked shocked by what she just said. I didn't have to worry about burning anything anymore?

"Now, I want you to try lifting up my lyre again, and play a few strings," She said as calmly as before. Looking over toward Arrow for reassurance. I saw him give me a smile and give me a wings up (Which is oddly enough like a thumbs up).

Carefully I picked the lyre back up and started to play the different strings again, but this time the instrument didn't start to glow from any excess heat from my magic. It just stayed in the air while I played it.

"I did it! Look Arrow, I actually did it!" I said gleefully while jumping up and down a few times. I may be older on the inside, but I was just as excited as any other foal right now.

"I told you she could help you," Arrow said while giving me the biggest grin I've ever seen on him. That smug bastard was right about all of this!

"You did good, Chance. Now let's go into into manipulating multiple objects at once..." I was so excited that I finally was able to use my magic without worrying about it hurting someone. I could finally start using my magic for something useful rather than random bullshit like I've been using it for.

I began to learn various things about magic including a few minor spells that Lyra picked up over the years. I learned how to heal small cuts and bruises in a few minutes, and I even learned how to use my levitation more precisely. These weren't really useful, but I loved learning from Lyra all the same. I didn't even remember that she looked like that monster that kidnapped me so long ago until I looked at her, and even then I didn't care.

"I believe our time is up. Come back tomorrow and we'll see how you are with conjuring small things," Lyra said while ushering me and Arrow out the door. I didn't even realize that it was 4:00 pm until she had said anything. I was sad that I had to go so soon, but I could practice all that I learned while I was at home anyway. When we got outside of the candy shop Arrow looked down at me and spoke,

"Sorry I had to trick you like that. Can you forgive me?"

"I can, but only if you buy me that chocolate bar that's bigger than me." Arrow just shook his head while giving a small laugh before walking back into the store and buying me a normal sized chocolate bar. Today was a good day after all.

Comments

[Dravkwn]

I enjoy this story, but I wish it was longer chapters. Not that I'm asking for such it's just like getting a single piece of candy and knowing there is a bag hidden somewhere away waiting to spring a leak and let it pour in. Leaves your mouth watering for more.

[One of the Crowd]

6507224 Then I'm doing my job perfectly. Now dance for your candy! DANCE!

[Fancy Fox]

A chocolate bar of that size... I makes me sick just thinking about it

[Tome Turner]

That was just water wasn't it?
Didn't do anything to his magic. Just tricked him into believing he could cast without burning stuff, right?

[Radio]

well Chance seemed to get over his deal with Lyra rather quickly.
I would have enjoyed a more drawn "getting to know her" experience, such as over a few chapters her feels like he can let his guard down a bit and then have a more natural relationship come around.

also I'm just guessing there was nothing in that drink Lyra gave him. it was just something normal that was only there to make him think it would help him. like a helping a little kid learn to ride a bike by saying that you still got a hold of the handle bars when, in reality, you've already let go

and I really like Arrow in this chapter. being all, do you trust me?
in real life, if someone said "do you trust me?" my answer would be "well since you just said that I'm a bit on my guard but, in a general sense, yes"
and telling Chance nothing bad's gonna happen, and it actually calming Chance down shows how much he believes in him

[Gale Singer]

6507382 Sounds like a perfectly sized piece of candy to me...

[One of the Crowd]

6507382
6507852 I've actually had a candy bar that size before. I only got through a 1/4 of it before it went bad.

[One of the Crowd]

6507452 Yes.

[One of the Crowd]

6507743 Oh Chance is still scared of Lyra. There is a reason he wasn't panicking here though and I'm pretty sure you can guess why.

[Mother3Forever]

6508032 I had one before. I ate the whole fuckin thing. Got Hella sick after though. Came right back up.

[Mix-up]

Hi One of the Crowd, for what I can see of this chapter, I think you miss out a on a lot of potentially good scenes between the interactions Chance and Lyra. Much like the discussion between Chance and Celestia , there are a lot of intense unresolved issues between the two that goes way back in the story and you just make Chance accept her almost immediately and make her progresses resolve all his basic problems with his magic nearly immediately, and make it feels like you just want to get it over with his apprehension with his magic as well as that he has with her. There are a lot of things in this scene that you could have used to show that is making great strides in his traumatisms with his own magic as well as that of Jungle Vine without sacrificing all the Struggles that Chance has to go through and overcome his big mental obstacles. I think that the shift of ambiance was a little too sodden, and I would have imagined that Chance would be brooding more about Button situation before being distracted when reaching the candy shop.

You forgot that Lyra is a student of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorn, and that she was “friends” with the Princess’s personal student( It would help Chance to get access to Twilight’s Library castle with her connections); you could have used this so show that to Chance that she is a high tear magical student that is no slouches when it comes to magic, even if she has more of an affinity with playing the Lyre, and to show Chance that she is perfectly qualified to teach him magic. I understand that what she gave Chance was just a placebo, which the point was to make him stop worrying of setting things on fire with his magic, because the mere fact that he thought that jinx all his attempts of using it. But I think that the effect to the reader could have been better if she had told him that is was an alchemical brow that help on magical focus it would have been easier for him to buy it. Given her background, I could also think that Lyra could be a great source of in information for Change for his research on the Book and might help give him some insight on how he got into this world.

Seeing that Lyra and Jungle Vine might have had done some of the same research together at some point, long ago and might have known something about the Book or at the very least know how to translate it or tell him where she found it. I wander if Jungle Vine when to the same school with her sister? If so than that would explain how she is so good with magic and can manage a teleportation on her own, and that she is even more dangerous than we might have thought. I wander why is there such a stark difference between their personalities? I could understand that the loss of her foal could have thrown her into the deep end, and that she was inconsolable, but there must be more to it. I wander what append to her husband?

I think that Chance accepted Lyra’s a tutoring is little too easily, not in the sense that he still have an irrational fear of her but that he would have questioned if she was at all qualified to teach him at all. This would have been a great moment to setup for her to tell some of her background and showoff her character to the reader. For example, why would Lyra do her teaching sessions in a candy confectionery shop? Why did it have to be her? Why is she so informal with him? What is the relationship between her and Arrow? I know the answer, but Chance doesn’t.

This situation also would have helped to show that Chance is undermining his own efforts because of how he view things and that he is setting himself up to failed at everything he does. For example Chance’s self-confidence in his magic is nearly completely in shambles and that he doesn’t trust himself enough to do things right. It is also that Chance is really strong on the idea of doing things on his own and his independent mindedness makes him reluctant for him to ask for help from other or even consider the thought of it, given that he has been isolated from other ponies because he is seen as a liability to those around him.

All doe, One of the Crowd, despite my criticism on the interaction I think you did a great job of all the phenomenal progress that you have shown Chance was doing, even if I think it’s a little much for a first session, and that it allowed take a lot more self-reassurance in himself, that you showed that he is actually enjoying using his magic reliving him of a lot of undue stress that he had before, and in the end having a lot more self-confidence than he had before and move on .

I also wander if Chance’s percusses fire magic would warrant an admittance and scholarship to CSGU that might allow him to have access to the Cantelot Library which might help him in his research.

[Gale Singer]

6508032 Aaww... all that wasted chocolate...

[Vadelent]

I wonder how Chance likes the taste of placebo.

[One of the Crowd]

6508480 To answer a few of the things you brought up. Chance actually doesn't trust Lyra yet and the only reason he seems to trust her here is because of a certain reason that is probably obvious. Later on we're going to see what happens when said reason isn't present.

As for her teaching him and his being fine with it is more along the lines that Arrow brought him to her to be taught. A lot of this chapter is involving the trust between Arrow and Chance which is why he's taking all of this so well.

That's all I can say without giving major spoilers so... here's a fancy Luna

i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx81/mazeedt/images.jpg

[Mix-up]

6509057 It's not quit what I mean. I mean that there should have been more of a discussion between Lyra and Chance before the actual tutoring began.

[One of the Crowd]

6509083 True, but this is the whole Celestia thing again where I'm setting up for a really big scene and when I finally come to it I get so nervous that I screw it up. Thanks for pointing it out, and maybe I'll be able to remedy it in a future chapter.

[One of the Crowd]

6508997 We'll find out later.

[One of the Crowd]

6508301
6508909 Trust me when I say that eating all of that would of made me go into a sugar coma.

[AdamAperture]

"You were suspended, Remember?" He retorted as he continued down the path with me right behind him. Oh right, I beat the shit out of Cold for being an asshole...worth it.

The remember needs to be lowercase

Anyway, I was kinda hoping Chance would burn Lyra's lyre XD

[One of the Crowd]

6510021 He kind of did. It's pretty hard to melt metal to begin with.

[Eon333MS]

I think I might slow down on the comments a bit, I feel like saying I like them is becoming a bit routine, I'm sure you appreciate it but ultimately I don't think it's leaving as big of an impact so I'm only going to comment on something that really interests me until further notice.

[One of the Crowd]

6510151 I understand, and even though I will miss the constant comments it's goof to know that you will still offer you're views when the time comes.

[Gale Singer]

6509146 It would be worth it...

[One of the Crowd]

6510346 Yes it would be. If only I had the chance to eat it again.

[pootis_Bear]

Ever time I see just do it it think about Shia labeouf

[KvAT]

6538815
Every time I hear that name I think of that cannibal story opera performance thing on youtube.
Actual.Cannibal.Shia.Labeouf