• Published 11th Jan 2016
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A Penny for your thought - Damaged



A human finds himself yanked out of his own life and plunged, with no field guide, into Equestria!

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4 - A lesson in fate

Unfolding that second letter I smiled. The penponyship was absolutely wonderful.

Penny Farthing, her highness Luna has informed me that you need to be taught the basics of horn magic. Please see me at your earliest convenience at the Canterlot Library.

- Moon Dancer

I tilted my head in thought and then smiled. Were the episodes real here, was this before or after…

"Well, good news?" Mr Loaf had let the big ovens burn down so they weren't so hot and was preparing dough to rise for tomorrow's baking.

I straightened up and nodded. "I am finally going to learn magic!" I did a happy dance and almost felt for a song but it slipped away. Aww. A hoof ruffled the top of my mane and I giggled.

Mr Loaf kept rubbing a bit more and my enthusiasm continued unabated. "That's good, it's not right to ignore your talents. You got a horn, best be using it!"

My giggles stopped suddenly. "Wait, earliest convenience… I should go now!" Near-panic set back in and I scurried out of the bakery at a run. Reaching my store I opened the door and darted in. Packs… oh no, they are full of damaged gemstones. It took a short while to find places for all the stones and get my packs back in order but, tucking the letters back into the packs, a few bits and slinging it and my shawl over my back I was off.

My heart was full of plans and ideas, so much so that when I reached the end of the street and looked around I was aware I had no idea where the library was. "You look lost, ma'am." A deep voice came from the side and I turned to see one of the city guard, a unicorn stallion in armor, what luck!

"I need to find the library." I beamed at him, getting a wider smile back. "Oh, where are my manners. How is your day? Oh, and I am Penny!"

His smile parted a bit more to show a grin. "Well Miss Penny, my day is going well. The library is just down from the palace, big unicorn statues out the front, you can't miss it. And I hope your day goes well too." I laughed happily and practically bounced away.

I could practically feel a song coming but, alas again it didn't. I pouted for a moment until I realized I was in front of the huge library. I closed my eyes a moment, tried to picture Moon Dancer from the show and, with that image solid I opened them again and trotted inside.

"Wow this is huge..." My words were softened in reverence. The human-me had been a bibliomaniac of the highest order and this. "Heaven!"

"Shhh!" A chorus of sound came. I had been a bit louder it was sure.

A look around revealed nearly a dozen unicorns and even a few others around, but I spotted my new mentor. Moon Dancer looked just like she had in that show, except one thing. She was frowning. Wait, had she made friends with Twilight yet or not?

With my target in my sights, I stepped over confidently, moving just behind her and to the side. "Miss Moon Dancer?" I kept my voice soft but it got her attention.

"I am a little busy." Her reply was a bit curt and my smile wilted a touch. She turned to face me and I realized that it definitely was pre 'fences' Her eyes through those lenses, though, were amazing, the perfect shade of purple.

I gave a bob of my head. "Ma'am, I am Penny Farthing. You sent me this letter, you are to be my tutor." My smile reclaimed my snout as her head turned a little to the side. "Uh, Luna said you were a wonderful teacher and-"

My words were cut off by her exclamation. "How does a mare not know how to use her horn?!?"

I was already wincing and the expected came. "Shhhh!" The chorus was almost louder than her words and she winced.

Closing her book and setting her things in her pack, she returned to a whisper. "Well, come along, we are going to need to get to the bottom of this."

She led the way to one of the private study rooms that ringed the library and once the door was closed she took a deep breath and found one of the chairs in the room. "Okay, start from the start. I don't want to miss anything."

I explained my story. From human getting dumped on the street in Canterlot. I left out the more personal bits but she seemed to give a little nod when I did, as if she knew there were more but didn't want to pry.

"Well, that is quite the reason. So you need to start at the start." Her horn lit and a few books came from her bag, one in particular sitting on top.

Your Horn And You.

I grinned and reached for it with a hoof to have her magic wrap gently around my foreleg and stop it. "Not yet, books always assume knowledge. This one assumes you can make light and channel." At her words I sat back, but she noticed my eyes straying not only to that book but also another that was revealed in her open pack. "You like books?"

Understatement plus plus! I breathed in, the smile gathering on my lips as air tickled through my nose. "I love books. Where I lived I had more books than any other possession. I read like a shark eats. My best friend wrote books, I helped him with editing them which meant I typically got to read them before anyone else." As I explained, I almost forgot I was meant to be doing more listening than talking and when I focused back on Moon she had as big and goofy grin as I did.

"I wish I could meet your friend, I lost a good friend too once..." I almost cried then, knowing just who that would be. "On our way out I will arrange you a library card but first. I want you to think of magic. Of power in you and swirling around just below your horn." As she spoke I went a little cross-eyed trying to focus up and on my horn. "No, you can't see it, only feel. Here."

A glow above and between my eyes made me giggle a little as Moon's magic touched my horn gently. It felt sensitive, but nice. "Here, now just down a bit more..." it pushed down a little, into my horn and down and I felt a place in there, almost like, it was like breathing but I knew it would only work outwards.

I relaxed that part of me, not even knowing I was clenching it. A light blue glow replaced her purple one. I had a moment to giggle at it before white-blue sparks started to spin and zip off it. "Whoa, calm down, slow it and focus on only letting a little out at a time." Her words worked, calming me as the glow returned to just a glow and then sputtered out!

"Good, a good first try!" She smiled at me, her first smile, a flash of white teeth that I accidentally returned. Her smile didn't stop when she saw mine, the hint of 'too many teeth'. I saw the flash of almost-recoil but then a nod. "You will practice that, we will meet back in a week, here again."

Rising, her book floated from her bag and into mine, tags still marking important places. "Let's get you a card so you can borrow this, I will find one of their other copies." I realized that books were her 'out'. Twilight had almost broken through to her with them, and how could 'book-pony' not?

"Any knowledge needed for it?" I got up, hefting my bags to my back and working on holding my light steady again. It felt oddly nice to just channel like that, but it was also tiring.

"For that one? The only knowledge is that you can read and have a brain behind your horn. Stop for now, it will look a little odd for you to be doing foal horn exercises as a mare. Lets grab some food, you are hungry."

My blink at the not-question made her chuckle a little. "Magic uses energy, energy comes from food. Come on, there is a nice place it… only serves normal food."

"Uh, normal food?" My belly rumbled then, telling me what Moon already knew.

She paused our conversation, softly asking the librarian for a new card for me. Floating it over she led the way outside before replying. "Normal food, like, not meat. You b-" She stopped talking and flushed red, seeming to shrink away from something. "Sorry, I didn't mean… lunar ponies..." I got the feeling she was just really awkward around ponies.

I leaned up and gave her side a rub with my shoulder, a gentle one. "It's okay! I only just became one. You don't see many like me?" She shook her head.

"None, I haven't seen a lunar unicorn before… at all." We arrived at the sandwich bar and found some stools to sit on. Orders were placed and seated our conversation resumed.

"Well, at least I am something different. So we can eat meat? I don't think I really need to though, I have been helping out at Mr Loaf's bakery and get most of the things I need in trade for work."

Moon nodded and while we chatted I saw something that, had I wings, would have shot them up. Twilight was out on the street, trotting up to a house with Spike and knocking on it. "You might want to ask Luna about that, I am sure she could… why are you staring out there?"

Moon was starting to turn. If I didn't get her home the princess might not run into her and the show would be ruined. Minuette stepped out of her house and was chatting with the alicorn.

I was saved. "Did you say Loaf's bakery? This is their bread!" The pegasi serving us set our plates down with a wing. I noticed from the corner of my eye a flash go off as pictures were taken and, thankfully, the princess and her old friend wandered away. "Anyway, I hope the food is good!"

While we ate, we kept silence but Moon did sneak a glance outside, not seeing what had caught my attention. Glee!

The bread was, of course, delicious and the salad of carrot shoots, daisy petals and rhubarb made for an oddly spicy and tasty meal. "Oh, did you hear, the pegasi are going to have to bring in some clouds this afternoon, yup, I will be lucky to be able to make it home before it begins raining!"

Moon looked startled and, much as I hated lying to her, I had to ensure she returned home and not to the library. "I best head home then, I was going to anyway." Her admission took some of the wind from my sails.

We parted ways and I couldn't help but do a happy little skipping dance on the way home. I had helped an 'episode'!

No song took my voice and hooves, but then this wasn't a turning point or such, that seemed to be when they happened.

Author's Note:

Phew, that was close. What would happen if somepony messed up an episode?

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