Yet Another Human In Equestria Story 2: Season of Chaos

by Bardic_Knowledge

Chapter 4: October 4, Lesson Zero

YAHES 2: Season of Chaos

By: Bardic Knowledge

Chapter 4: October 4, Lesson Zero

The Warlock's Wheel, conceptualized in Larry Niven's The Magic Goes Away, was used to test how much magic was in the air. It would spin as long as it could get magic, thanks to the combination of runes carved into it.

My first clone had popped when the magic sustaining its form was absorbed by the Wheel. So, four days after I woke up, I was recovered enough that I could make a clone to take my place while I inspected the Wheel myself.

It was still spinning, even after four days, and there were no signs of slowing during the hour I watched it. There were propeller-esque blades on it to keep it from drilling itself into the ground under the sea, but not enough to make it go flying into space. But I did notice the clouds were starting to form a circle, so I moved some air above it to lessen the pressure and it shot off towards space.

So, as far as I could tell, Equestria's ambient magic regenerated faster than the Wheel could use it to spin. Which meant a hydroelectric dam without the water. Just the ambient magic.

Which meant free electricity for Equestria. But there were... problems with that plan.

“Alright,” I muttered. “everything appears to be in order. Anti-friction enchantment is active, copper coils and magnets in place. Let's try this again.” With a few gestures, a throttle rune “opened” and on the Warlock's Generator the magic absorption rune glowed. Almost immediately after the Wheel started turning, the light bulb I had crafted (vacuum-sealed incandescents are much easier to make when you can magic out the air) lit up, power flowing from the generator to the bulb. I started to grin, when a loud “POW” sounded out, and the light bulb shattered.

“Curses! Still too much. Maybe I should contact an engineer.” I sat back on air as I contemplated the situation, gathering the shards of light bulb together again with a gesture. With the successful testing of several experiments, I was doing my best to turn the building I had grown from a single acorn (I was surprised to see the spell had worked, despite using up almost all of my magic in the process) into an entertainment centre. This meant cinemas and gaming rooms and a library, and most of that needed electricity.

So I needed to make sure that anything I hooked up the grid didn't blow out all the equipment in the building. I also had plans to weave wires through the building like thread in a shirt (or something), but I also wanted to try and summon the metal from the ground directly. Still needed the rubber, though.

I'd also tried doing a bit of self-modification, but the only things that resulted was much-improved eyesight and I was no longer quite so sensitive to light, these were mostly fixed with the guiding knowledge of Dr. See More, and I had basically partitioned part of my magic to maintain a mostly permanent version of the eidetic memory spell. It was bizarre and useful to have a clear image of whatever memory I wanted at all times.

Still needed sleep, though, as much as I wanted plenty of time to work on all of the things.

I sighed as I resolved to look up the nearest Equestrian Electrical Engineer, pulled the magic away from the Wheel (a little trick I developed to make my experiments easier; I couldn't make all the Wheels fly into space), closed the throttle rune, and headed home. Even with my new perfect recall, there were many things I had not read or skimmed while on Earth, so I still had to consult people or books that knew more, and there was no shortage of those.

Anyways, after the debacle that had resulted from my utterly draining myself, I had been forced to attend a few classes from Twilight on measuring one's own magic and self control, both of which were things that most unicorns could do instinctively by the time they got their cutie mark.

Twilight was not one of these unicorns. She'd had to work hard for her control, and so she was the perfect teacher to get me up to speed on handling my new magic. That had only lasted a couple of days, and I'd been such a good student that she hadn't written any friendship reports on the matter.

She almost did one for the instigating incident, but it wasn't really a friendship matter, just an idiocy one.

And with today being the day of a friendly picnic, reality was practically screaming “It's time for Lesson Zero!”

Trixie and I weren't really asked to bring anything to said picnic, but we were still bringing some veggies and dip.

As I approached home (not that it was far from the nascent Entertainment Centre), I was approached by Trixie coming the other way, a perturbed look on her face, and picnic basket held in her magic.

“Twilight?” I asked simply.

Trixie blinked, nearly tripping over her hooves as she paused. “Uh, yeah. How'd you-” she paused and face-hooved. “The show. It's been so long since something happened. Well, aside from... Discord...”

“Yep. From what I've been able to discern, today is the day of 'Lesson Zero.' After this, I will be able to step up my interference.” I cracked my back and touched down, a momentary flash activating my second “permanent” spell: the Template Transmutation (Form: Unicorn).

As a unicorn, I still had access to my Chaos Magic, though it was channelled solely through my horn, rather than anywhere I wanted. To describe myself as a unicorn was fairly simple; I was light tan with a dark brown mane and tail, and my cutie mark was as I'd envisioned as an open book full of incomprehensible writing.

I nuzzled Trixie and we headed off to the picnic's location. While we travelled, I explained that Twilight was going to be rather... off-kilter, and the reason why. While we both agreed that Twilight's reason didn't mean much to either of us, we also agreed that everyone had something that could set them off, even if it didn't mean much to another.

I had tempered my own emotions, but once upon a time, I was easily set off by people interrupting me, especially when I was reading. Yeah, that got me in trouble more than once in school.

After arriving at the picnic site, everyone got things set up in remarkable time (though I did have to retrieve Pinkie's balloon basket when it started flying away), even Rarity, who still managed to forget the plates (but not her chaise lounge). It helps that a great many things were suddenly only a snap of my fingers away.

And then Twilight showed up.

If it had been disconcerting to see Twilight frazzled as an animation, to see it in person was actually rather horrifying. She was blinking liberally as hairs from her mane hung over her face and into her eyes, and her lips were stretched almost unnaturally into a severe Unsmile.

Applejack was first to speak up. “Are... you alright, hun?”

“NO!” shouted Twilight, practically blowing us all back. “I am not alright!”

The others moved in, expressing concern.

“It's just terrible.”

“Yes?”

“Simply awful.”

“Yes?!”

“It's the most horrific trouble I've ever been in and I reall really really need your help!”

“YES?!”

“My letter to Princess Celestia is almost overdue, and I haven't learned anything about friendship.”

That bit of “drama” done with, everyone sighed in relief. Except for myself and Trixie. As Twilight attempted to explain the problem, and the others dismissed it, I readied myself to take things off the rails.

“Come on now. Have a seat and stop sweatin' the small stuff,” said Applejack.

As Twilight started on her way off back to town and her encounter with the CMC, I barred her path with a cage made of hard air. And, thanks to having studied the normal unicorn form of teleportation, I warded the area against her warping out as well.

“Twilight,” I said, sitting down beside the air-cage. I summoned my teapot and two mugs, pouring a cup for each of us. “Sit down. Have some tea.”

“But, I need to find a friendship problem!”

“Right now, you need some calming tea and a healthy application of logic.”

Twilight grumpily sat down hard on the grass and yanked the tea out of my grip with her magic. After a sip, she looked with surprise into the mug.

“Yes, I got some of your favourite tea. Now, please, and I know this can be hard, explain to us your train of thought.” The others watched with interest as Twilight recounted: late on assignment -> fear Celestia would think she wasn't serious -> sent back a grade -> Royal teacher means more severe “sending” -> Magic Kindergarten and life is ruined.

I nodded, sipped at my tea, and refilled Twilight's shaking mug. She still hadn't noticed that the air-cage had vanished as soon as she first took the tea from me. “Thank you. Now, let us examine this closer. Did Princess Celestia ever directly tell you that you had to send a letter every week, or within a week from the previous?”

Twilight stopped short. “N-no...”

“You can't be tardy if there's no deadline, can you?”

“I... I guess not...”

“Now, do you really think Celestia would believe that you don't love the friends you made when she facilitated your move to Ponyville just to be with them?”

“Well, when you put it like that...”

I scratched my face. “I can't really speak on the whole 'sent back a grade' thing, because it didn't really happen in Ionia. Same with holding someone back a grade. I heard someone call it an 'elevator school' once.” Twilight's face fell slightly. “But, I do have someone who's an authority on this matter.”

Twilight blinked curiously, then her eyes widened as my suprise guest appeared behind us.

“I sent a letter inviting the Princess to our picnic today, but I asked her if she could be... discreet at first. You see, you were, having an episode?” Trixie groaned loudly at my pun, even as Pinkie laughed.

Celestia stepped past me and hugged Twilight with both wings.

“Oh, Twilight, my dear, dear student,” she started. “You are such a dedicated pupil, you humble me. I don't need a letter every week to know that you are an exemplary student.”

“R-really?”

“Indeed.”

With a happy sob, Twilight collapsed into Celestia's embrace. There wasn't a dry eye in the picnic, metaphorically speaking (but if Pinkie actually activated her waterworks, I'm sure it wouldn't be metaphorical any more).

Personally, I was happy with my accomplishment, and my change. When I first arrived in Equestria, I was bound and determined to not interfere. To let the “episodes” play out without changing anything. Then I changed my stance to “I can start making changes after Lesson Zero.” But... Why start there? If I can help, no matter the when, then I will. I already ruined a few future events with little things. But then again, maybe, there's no such thing as “little things.”

To quote the Doctor, “Nobody important? Blimey, that's amazing. You know that in nine hundred years of time and space and I've never met anybody who wasn't important before.”

Only, you know, substitute the references to people with moments.

This wasn't just Twilight's.

This was my own Lesson Zero.

Author's Note:

Well. That ended differently than I expected. I was going to show Twilight “Lesson Zero,” then I was going to have the “calming tea” thing followed by picnicking with Celestia after her arrival, then I was going to combine them, then this happened.

And I like it.

Looks like my character is developing without me.

Next Episode: Time Travel. It's a cornucopia of disturbing concepts.

Unless you know what you're on about.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Okay, I will freely admit that I overreacted to the Warlock's Wheel. Sorry, but accustomed as I am to the card game version, I tend to overestimate the thing.

In any case, it will be very interesting indeed to see the ripples that spread from this one. The friendship assignment hasn't been given to all and sundry... but it's not like they won't have the same opportunities for growth. Hmm. Very interesting indeed.

[Bardic_Knowledge]

7803079
I'm having issues with linear time in a time travel-based chapter, plus I'm quite busy with my job.

I wasn't expecting to take this long with it, but I am still working on it.

[Thekindlymimic]

Is... is this story still alive? Or should i stop following it?

[6mike161]

i really love this story but i have a question is it dead?

[Bardic_Knowledge]

8822849
As my recent blog post says, I'm still working on it, but writer's block is a terrible thing.