The New Timeline

by Jongoji245

Magic Training Part 1

It's yet another beautiful weekend at Ponyville. The dragon migration has since passed, allowing the town residents to walk out in safety. Spike has begun his trek to find his dragon nature. A few hours later, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash followed him as well. Where they have gone, nopony knows.

In the meantime, another experiment was going on.

“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Cosgrove asked as he looks into complete darkness. He was sitting on a chair in the Library's underground laboratory strapped up to a machine akin to how Twilight did to Pinkie. However, the helmet, fitting an adult pony, covered his entire head. The weight kept him from moving his neck.

The dark view was lit up by an aqua blue aura before tilting his head upwards. His eyes shifted down to the view of the library and spotting Sunset Shimmer walking towards him with a green plug in her mouth.

"Not at all." Answered the former Canterlot student through her teeth before plugging the wire to the helmet. She then released the helmet, returning the colt's head to a neutral state.

The spectrogram beeped constantly as faxing paper spat out into a bin. The colt shuffled his shoulders as the weight of the helmet aggravated him. After a few minutes, the machine completed its run. Tearing off the results, Sunset scanned the list for any unusual circumstances.

"From the looks of this, you have very little magic." - She eyed the BMI - "But you are pretty healthy." Sunset finished as she turned around to find Cosgrove's head and helmet on the monitor.

"Well, a circus Pony is a healthy Pony." Said the colt, the helmet flapping up and down as he talked.

A magic aura surrounded the metal cuffs and the helmet before unlocking them. The aura lifted the colt to his hind legs before loosening the strap. The colt shook his head wildly, getting his mane into its original shape.

"But how can I have magic?" - Cosgrove added - "I'm not a Unicorn."

Sunset began walking around him, "Let me ask you this: how is it that Apple Bloom, an Earth Pony your age, able to buck apple trees?"

Cosgrove placed a hoof to his snout, "Earth Ponies have magic too?"

"A somewhat passive one. Earth Ponies and Horses, even at a young age, can use Magic to enhance their natural strength."

"Is that how pegasi can walk on clouds?"

The unicorn nodded before the two Ponies began walking up the earthen steps. "You may also have a passive form of magic as well, but for our sake, we can explore other forms of magic such as alchemy."

"So is there a book I should read?" - asked Cosgrove - "You know, to help me have an edge."

"Yes," - Sunset answered before turning around - "but even when I was Celestia's student I always learned best by firsthand experience. Reading ancient texts may be okay for you, but really the best way to understand magic is if you get your hooves dirty."

She began scanning the books at her height.

"Ah." - She levitated a book to the former circus Pony - "This works best for beginners like you."

Plopping on the floor, Cosgrove looked at the title, "Equestri Magia: A Beginners Guide to Magic." He then sat on the bench and began to read, while his mentor walked to the R section of library books. Sunset looked at the books that contained the word "race" in the title. She lifted one and skimmed through the pages, but nothing she was looking for was found.

The following afternoon, the two Ponies were a good distance away from Ponyville.

"Before I was taught magic, I was given a physical assessment." - Sunset turned to her student - "What can you do?"

"Well..." Cosgrove moved his hind legs before pushing the ground and performing a hoof stand.

"Is that all?" Sunset asked.

The colt then pushed on his forelimbs, launching himself into the air towards her head. The unicorn winced... Then opened her eyes to find her student balancing on her horn with one hoof.

"Nope." He answered before vaulting off onto the grass.

Sunset rubbed her chin. "Did your grandparents teach you some of their skills?"

"Well..." Spotting a dragonfly, Cosgrove lifted his tail and whipped the bug. The insect exploded, the pieces disappeared. "I also tried to breathe fire, but Mom wouldn't let me."

Sunset then looked at a tree. Her horn glowed before she disappeared and reappeared at the top of said tree. "Can you reach me?"

Walking up to the base of the trunk, Cosgrove eyed the closest branch, shuffled his haunches then ran up the tree before leaping up and grasping the branch. He twisted around before vaulting higher up the tree. Cosgrove continued flipping up and over before reaching the canopy. After a while of huffing and puffing, he noticed something was wrong.

"Sunset?" - Cosgrove looked around - "...Where did you go?"

Indeed, his friend was nowhere to be found at the tree he was on. When his ear flicked to a loud whistle, the colt turned to find Sunset at the top of another tree giving a wave of her hoof. Cosgrove dipped under the tree cover. A little rustle of leaves and the colt vaulted from the tree to the next. He was high in the air when he noticed the green-blue aura again. Cosgrove landed on the spot.

He turned around, even passing a first glance at a bubble popping in another distance. Cosgrove began to realize just what this Pony is playing. As a strong wind began to blow, Cosgrove, with a furrowed brow, dipped below the canopy and begun to swing around to his target.

Sunset began looking around at the branches rustling around her. Her student and friend clearly caught on the idea. The wind made it hard to judge which of the trees he would jump out of.

With a gust of wind, the circus Pony leaped out of the tree behind her, the sun casting a shadow. His face beamed as he began to land on his target. The unicorn's horn began to glow. Just as he was inches away, Sunset disappeared once again. Cosgrove flailed his hooves frantically when he landed on the tree. This time the branch snapped. He tumbled down the tree, falling through weak branches.

It would have been much worse... Had Sunset not caught him before he slammed hard on the floor. She then gently lowered him to the ground and inspected the wounds.

"How'd I do?" Cosgrove asked while on shaken legs.

Sunset remained quiet as she teleported him and herself to the library. She grabbed a medical kit and began wrapping his stomach in bandages.

"Do you know why I kept warping to another tree?"

"... I thought we were playing a game?"

She nodded, "You know me like the back of your skull, but you didn't use any brute force. A good start if I say so myself."

Cosgrove smirked at the compliment. He then grabbed the book he was reading, placed it in his saddlebag and moved to his home with a slight limp. All the while, his much older friend to her room and took out her journal.

"Sunset's log. Despite having a lack of experience using his magic, Cosgrove shows much promise. His agility was one to notice, despite my common knowledge of his origins from the circus. To date, none of the books in the library contain whereabouts of his species. There were several species of Ponies with multiple toes throughout pre-equestrian times, all/most of which are extinct. Based on this day and age, I currently classify him in the genus Hipparion, but until I find something, caution is needed."

The next day, the two ponies, the younger of which is looking much better after yesterday, stood at the top of a large hill.

"So, what is today's lesson, boss?" Said Cosgrove as he shook his shoulder.

"We'll be taking a somewhat smaller approach." - Sunset burned a patch of grass, leaving only darkened earth - "Now we can practice basic alchemy."

Cosgrove turned the book over to the starting chapter regarding alchemy looking at the symbols of the most natural elements.

"So do I draw in the dirt?" asked Cosgrove

Sunset nodded. Choosing the wind symbol, Cosgrove quickly made a slightly crude version of the symbol in the dirt. After waiting for a full minute, Cosgrove turned to his mentor.

"Did I do something wrong?" - Cosgrove noticed Sunset tapping her hoof on the symbol, prompting him to hop on top of it.

The symbol began to glow underneath him. Soon the element of air began to snaking around Cosgrove before accidentally inhaling the wind into his nostrils. Almost to the point of choking, Cosgrove looked at Sunset who mouthed, "Unleash the magic!" With a curled snarl, Cosgrove arched onto his back legs then slammed his hooves to the grass and brayed so loud that even made the Stymphalian Birds of the Everfree fly in fear. Sunset walked up to Cosgrove as he panted heavily.

"What a strange sensation..." Said Cosgrove between breaths.

"That's natural for a non-Unicorn, well, that's what I've heard." Sunset added

"Why did I have to be on top of it to activate the magic?"

"Symbols written on the ground will not release their magic until pressure is added to them."

Cosgrove placed a hoof on his chin, "Like pumping water from a dry riverbed?"

The Unicorn nodded, "You can also write the symbols in the air to release the magic automatically, but you must be quick to complete it."

Curious, Cosgrove asked, "Can the symbols be in obvious shapes?"

"As long as they show what they-" - Sunset eyed Cosgrove just finishing a symbol that resembled her cutie mark, catching him in magic just as he jumped - "That is too much for you to handle."

Cosgrove raised his hooves, "Why?"

"No matter if it's science or sorcery, energy needs energy." - Sunset and Cosgrove eyed the symbol - "A spell like that can kill you at this point."

After lowering Cosgrove on the ground, Sunset scratched away the symbol.

Cosgrove looked at the distant Canterlot, "How much does lifting the Sun and the Moon take?"

Sunset looked around to see if anypony was watching before lowering her head.

"Princess Celestia's daily intake is equal to that of an entire triple-decker wedding cake."

Cosgrove's eyes widened, "You're kidding?"

Sunset crossed her hooves and gave a face that Applejack used to make while she was Discorded. Cosgrove's mouth wiggled and nose snorted, trying desperately not to laugh. He "relaxed" when a large beast leaped in front of them. A mishmash of leaves and twigs gave it a canine appearance. After giving a quick howl, four more of them joined in. The two Ponies ran as fast as they could from the splintered maws of the predators. They could feel their breath as the wolves were catching up to them. Suddenly one timberwolf leaped in front of them, halting them in their tracks. The wolves behind them began to creep up to them.

"Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

Sunset held the colt in a magical aura then vaulted him well into the forest. Cosgrove wailed as he began a quick descent through the canopy, bashing through the branches and slamming his chest on what appeared to be a large tree.

Comments

[Jongoji245]

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Sombra embraced his destiny shown in the Crystal Mirror and turned against the Crystal Empire, ruling over them with an iron fist. I added Chrysalis into his origin story to provide a catalyst effect while also explaining the my own origin of the Changelings.