20 - Unleash the Magic
The following day started off rather mundane compared to the excitement from the previous three, although that was mostly due to the fact that Dr. Kelly had to learn all of the fine details that came with caring for her new body and how it differed from her old one. At her own request, every male present on the team as well as within the castle staff was banned from entering her room while one of the nurses explained the finer details of female pony biology. The only exception to this rule was Bellwood, who was practically glued to the unicorn’s hip after everything that had happened.
Shadow could tell that the two females had grown closer over the past few days, although he discovered that frustration was an emotion he was able to generate when he found out that he wasn’t allowed in the room either during the teaching process. Given one of his primary directives was to learn as much as he could from any source, it seemed that his newly awakened consciousness had transferred that directive into a powerful sense of curiosity, one that was practically wailing in despair at the lost opportunity to learn more about pony biology. He had read through several books that outlined the subject in great detail back at Twilight’s library, but that would never compare to being taught the subject by an expert in the field.
Thus, since everyone who wasn’t a mare or woman was barred from entering the girl’s private quarters under penalty of slow and painful death (Bellwood’s exact words), Shadow was left with very little to do during the first half of the day. He quickly found out that boredom was another emotion he wasn’t very fond of as he wandered around the castle hallways, passing by members of the team at odd intervals but never really having much to say. Princess Celestia had stated that the diplomatic talks couldn’t happen until the other races’ representatives arrived, so that left the humans and cybernetic hound with little to do other than explore their current residence.
It was after the entire group had met up for the midday meal that a new problem presented itself, yet it was only made clear to the non-natives after both princesses explained the situation. Due to the novelty of ‘magic’, and the fact that Dr. Kelly had never had the ability to move things with her mind, no one on the team thought it was weird for her to be eating straight from her plate and bypassing any form of silverware.
This, apparently, clued in both royals that there was another aspect of Kelly’s new form that had to be explained, and in this case, taught by someone more skilled in the art than a nurse. Knowledgeable in their fields as they might have been, medical knowhow does not a good magic teacher make, at least according to Celestia.
And so, Shadow’s boredom was quickly expunged from his systems as he followed the royal sisters towards a section of the castle he hadn’t seen yet. Bellwood and Dr. Kelly walked along beside him while the rest of the team brought up the rear, the soft mutterings of excited theorizing being passed from being to being as they wondered aloud what they were going to see. The only one who seemed to have no investment in the happenings around him was Blueblood, although that wasn’t much of a surprise given his prior learning in manipulating the planet’s energy field. Even though she normally would have been sleeping at this hour, Princess Luna had agreed to supervise in case anything happened, although given Princess Celestia was going to be acting as Kelly’s personal tutor, there was little to worry about concerning wayward spells. Even so, none of the castle staff had been permitted to join them and all but a duo of guards had been dismissed from their posts as the group came to the end of the hallway. The two unicorn stallions would prevent anyone from entering during the lesson, as well as act as a final wall of defense between the castle proper and whatever Dr. Kelly might create.
The entrance was blocked by a plain set of double doors, although given the heavy metal reinforcements that covered most of the available space on each, Shadow surmised that this area was used for the more dangerous levels of magic use. This did little to alleviate the nervous energy that had been spinning in his processors since Princess Celestia had suggested magic lessons, although he figured that was more due to the unknown of what Dr. Kelly was capable of and less on if the royal sisters could handle it.
The guards took up posts on either side of the doors as Celestia opened them with her telekinetic grip, the hinges squeaking horribly as the slabs of wood and iron swung open.
Luna winced as the piercing sound finally stopped, “Shouldn’t this part of the castle be maintained by the staff? Why is this door so horribly cared for?”
“Because this door leads to one of the most secure testing areas in the entire castle.” Celestia replied, “Nopony without my direct authorization is allowed inside because this is where I do my own magic research. Needless to say,” she closed the doors behind their group with several clicks as locking mechanisms engaged, “I like to keep those who are not prepared from getting in and trying to cast unfinished spells.”
Shadow inspected the space around him as the others digested this new information, cataloguing several work benches piled high with papers and other magical equipment. In the center of the rather expansive area, was an intricate metal inlay that covered almost the entire floor. Swirls and patterns had been set into the stone with careful precision, the bronze nearly glowing in the dim light as the torches along the walls came to life.
Celestia beckoned for Kelly to follow her, while Luna ignited her horn and created a semi-transparent wall of energy between the rest of the group and the two mares as they entered the outer edge of the magic circle. As soon as Celestia’s hooves crossed the threshold, the bronze began to glow with a bright golden light, spreading out from her point of entry until the entire inlay shined. Dr. Kelly only hesitated for a moment before joining the larger mare, her hooves making small flashes of blue light whenever they came into contact with the array. The two mares continued until Celestia turned around in the center of the circle, motioning for Dr. Kelly to do the same.
“This circle was designed to contain large amounts of magic should a spell become unstable.” Celestia explained, “While it is rare in adult ponies, there is the possibility of a magic flare due to the unique status of your body and its magic pathways.” Seeing Dr. Kelly’s confusion, Celestia elaborated, “The basic premise behind the pathways is as follows, your nervous system controls your muscles and other physical functions while your magical pathways act in turn to channel the magic energy from your core to the rest of your body. These pathways normally grow in size and strength over time as a pony ages, resulting in flares when they expand faster than normal. Due to the fact that your body has never channeled magic, it is entirely possible that you will have a larger than normal flare upon unlocking your magic potential.”
The news seemed to make Dr. Kelly even more nervous as Shadow detected a sharp increase in her heart rate and breathing, although she remained outwardly calm, “So these flares, they’re normal for a pony to experience?”
Celestia nodded, “Foals, especially unicorn foals, will usually go through at least one flare in their early years, although it is uncommon for anything serious to occur during or after. However, wild magic such as what is created in a flare can be highly unpredictable, so any spells that are cast during that time will have completely unknown effects. My student, Twilight Sparkle, transformed her parents and several of my staff into potted plants during her entrance exam for my school, although given her rare ability and power that was more of an isolated case.”
The other members of the group were paying close attention as Celestia detailed what the plan was going to be, even Blueblood was following along, his ears turned fully forward to better catch his former relative’s words. All in all the plan was a simple one, Celestia would use her magic to unlock the power inside Kelly’s new body, then remove herself from the circle while her body adjusted to it. If everything went to plan, Dr. Kelly would sit there and get used to her newfound abilities while Celestia guided from the sidelines. If something went wrong, and Shadow’s calculations deemed it a higher possibility with each passing moment, then the circle would contain the flare and the excess magic that would come off of Dr. Kelly in order to prevent any dangerous spells from hitting anyone else. Dr. Kelly would be protected by her own magic if a flare occurred, but that wouldn’t be of much help to the rest of them if something happened, thus, the reason they were in what constituted as a magical bunker.
Celestia lowered her head to Kelly’s, her lips curled into a soft smile as her horn ignited, “Are you ready?”
The smaller mare nodded, “Do it.”
Celestia returned the nod before touching her horn to Dr. Kelly’s, the spire immediately lighting up with the same light blue that had lit up the circle under her hooves. They stayed connected for a moment before Celestia stepped back, leaving Kelly with her horn aglow and her eyes wide in shock.
Luna chuckled as Celestia made a calm but slightly hurried exit from the circle, “It seems that your teammate has partly lost herself in the feelings her magic is giving her. It must be so strange, and yet so familiar to have all of that energy running through your body and knowing that it is a part of who you are.” She sighed as her gaze travelled into a distant place only she could see, “I remember the first time I cast a spell, it was something I will never forget.”
Shadow watched the proceedings with rapt attention, his optics taking in everything they could as he observed Dr. Kelly return to the physical world. Her horn stayed alight as the blue energy around her hooves began to slowly spread out, her eyes widening even further as the circle’s former golden glow was slowly taken over by her electric blue.
“Focus on containing your magic,” Celestia instructed, “you are its master and it will obey your commands if you have the will to do so.”
Kelly’s eyes narrowed as her brow furrowed, her jaw clenching slightly as she braced her legs against the ground, yet this only seemed to speed up the spread of the magic around her as it raced along the circle’s pattern.
Concentration rapidly shifted to panic as Kelly’s horn flared brighter with each passing second, “I can’t stop it!” Her eyes turned to Celestia only to widen as the alicorn shielded her face and head with a wing, “What are you doing?! I can’t control it! Please, someone help me!”
Shadow took a step forward but was stopped by Luna’s hoof, his optics shifting to her face as she gently shook her head, “There is nothing you can do for her at this point. She needs to go through this, and any interruptions could prove disastrous. Please, wait here until it is safe to approach.”
As much as Shadow wanted to argue, he wasn’t an expert on magic, so he stepped back and watched as the swirling energy around Kelly’s horn began to run wild. Swirls and sparks shifted until they enveloped her entire body, lifting her off of the ground as the light grew too bright for the humans present to bear. Shadow dimmed his optics so he could keep a record of what was happening and watched the barely visible silhouette of Dr. Kelly rise until she was head height with Celestia. The circle was now fully blue and sparking with the energy it was trying to contain, although it looked like there was nothing to worry about. That is, until the light of Kelly’s flare got too bright for even his sensors, and an ominous cracking sound reached his audio receptors over the thunderous roar of Kelly’s out of control magic.
A single look down provided the source of the cracking, and it wasn’t a good thing. The metal of the circle was beginning to bend and warp, rising out of its seating in the stone as more and more of the detailed pattern became overloaded and snapped. Geysers of raw magic spouted from the severed ends of the metal, adding to the pressure that was beginning to put a strain on Shadow’s limbs and chassis. There wasn’t time to call out a warning, assuming anyone could hear him anyway over the roar of the flare, before the entire circle flashed white and disintegrated under the magical overload. The world vanished from Shadow’s vision for several seconds as the magic around him blinded his sensors to anything else, until the magic became too much and he fell over, error messages popping up in his vision before his processors went into emergency shutdown.
The last thing his processors picked up before powering down, was the cry of fear and panic that echoed around the chamber as Dr. Kelly’s voice reached his audio receptors, “Nooooo!”
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Magic likes Terrans, as if that's any great surprise.
Aww, a hanger after all this time?
Thanks for the update, I missed this story.
Well at least the promise of a major chapter make me feel better
All is good bud, keep up the good work and I shall wait for th next part, But, please remember don't rush, take your time, and have a good time, have a good night
But hey, this is a good chapter build up can’t wait for more wolf, human and silly pony adventures
Welcome back Mr. Quill, I hope to see mor updates, and I hope you are also working on The Love of a Hybrid. Really like both.
Someone going to sprout new limbs...
How tall and long is shadow again?
Wow, that's a lot of magic from one ponyified human.
This chapter is secretly an alternate start to fallout Equestria.
Great chapter, looking forward to more.
Snrk, silly Celestia, you should have had her tested and the barrier attuned.
Don't worry Dr Kelly, ponies can't explode twice. Spike said so!
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency." we wonder what the nature of those errors was. Damage? Input out of range? Invalid OpCode? Unrecognized interface IO detected? The possibilities!
It's too bad the doctor was embarrassed of her new body. It will take time to unlearn those silly taboos...
Keep going! ;)
*Holding Shadow Quills Pillow* Darn it....
sorry mr author. have to murder you in your sleep. with bread or something.
3 bits says she turns Shadow into a Timberwolf.
Mayhaps this is where shadow goes from robodog badass to adorable itty bittie flesh and blood wolf pup yes?
please please please let it be so!
and if it is not was I close?
I'm fine waiting, especially for something like this.
Correction(s):
"Wonder" has to do with thought; i.e. "I wonder if this creamer will go well with my coffee", "I was wondering if you'd show up, Mr Baxter", or "he wondered if he should go to the club tonight."
"Wander" has to do with walking; i.e. "I was wandering down the hall, my mind filled with endless questions", "he wanders down the street, whistling a merry tune."
People usually say/write "all in all".
I feel like that should've been two paragraphs rather than one, but I could be wrong here.
I usually make a new paragraph when it's a new speaker.
Welcome back!
I'm looking greatly forward to the international summit!
9783412
Typos eradicated!! You have officially been promoted to Chief Petty Officer of Grammar and Corrections!! Have a cookie for your efforts.
Thanks for spotting those for me. It’s the little things that I tend to miss on my edit runs prior to posting.
Hope to see you again next time and I look forward to seeing your comments in the future,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
9783592
)
Good thing I seem to be wired to spot details others would apparently miss. (Aside from my own writing for whatever reason
*Puts cookie in a cooled cookie jar for later* I'm just happy to help!
9783592
Ooh, Ooh, can I be the Commadore of the Fleet?
9781856
I like this theory.
Also, I need MOAR
I see the word “cybernetic” and only hear Arnold
Well that was a cliffhanger. And a doozy too!
Keep up the good work!
What they didn't know was Dr. Kelly was constantly thinking of AI improvements while in bed and in the circle.
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Shadow's about to get an upgrade.