Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

32 - A Potion a Day

Dry was not used to wearing goggles, but he had them, big and bulbous, on his head. He adjusted them, hoof on either side of them as he peered through them at the vials arranged before him. "Is this safe?" Of course it wasn't. But there were relative values there.

"So long as you do it right, like wearin' those goggles, you'll be fine!" Apple Bloom grabbed a smaller vial in her mouth and poured several drops into the larger, causing it to shift rapidly from an angry red to a vibrant green-purple. "Today, gonna show ya my magic!"

Dry applauded the idea. "What does your magic look like?"

"This, to start." She waved at the collection of beakers and flasks. "My magic is all about provable solutions that work the same each time." She tapped at her left forehead slowly. "No guesswork. You put A and some B together and C happens. That ain't gonna change. Prayin' to some god's nice an' all, but that's a personal relationship, ain't it? So it could vary a lot, 'cause that's what relationships are gonna do."

Dry pointed at Apple Bloom's book. "Doesn't Scootaloo work with a book too? Is her magic not reliable?"

Apple Bloom waved a hoof at that. "Ah'm not tryin' to talk mean 'bout nopony. Talkin' bout strengths, not weaknesses. Now, her magic's jus' fine an' all. But mine's so reliable, I can share it." She reached back into her Equestrian pocket and drew out a slim vial, thrusting it at Dry. "Go on, take it."

Dry accepted it with an unsure noise. "I don't know how to cast your magic..."

"Yes ya do!" cried Apple Bloom with a grin. "Reliable magic don't need no heavy trainin'. Ah already did the heavy liftin'." She nodded at the vial Dry held. "All ya gotta do is drink it. Now, see, if Scootaloo copied one of her spells and handed it to ya, wouldn't work. Gotta know how to read it, and that ain't no small thin' is what it ain't." She shook her head for emphasis on that. "So either she casts a spell on you, or ya ain't enjoyin' it. Now, what ya got there." She pointed at that vial Dry was holding. "Ah could go a world away, and ya could still drink it. Don't need me no more."

Dry turned the vial left and right slowly, the orangesh blew sloshing with the motions. "Oh... I think I see. Even if I learned all sorts of prayers, I'd need to be there, praying. Your magic lets you make these." He jiggled the vial at her. "And once you make them, anyone could use them."

"'xactly!" Apple Bloom nodded firmly. "Now, there are two exceptions." She raised both her hooves. One came down. "Ain't nopony but me should drink my mutagen if they know what's good 'fer 'em! That's made wit' me specific in mind, and it'll make your belly real mad at you if you try to put it in there, so don't do that." She nodded at the vial Dry held. "That ain't it, so don't go worryin' 'bout it none."

"Good." He had started to wonder. "What's the second one?"

"Two!" She lowered the other hoof. "Ain't figured out a way to make bombs that're good for longer than a moment. So that's a 'spell' ah gotta be there to 'cast'." One could hear the quotes she put around those words. "Probably fer the best, don't need to be handin' out bombs to ponies like they were candy er nothin'."

Dry held up the vial towards the sun and looked at the sun, through the vial. He could see little bits of sediment drifting around inside, not perfectly clear. "This can't be the mute... or a bomb. What is it?"

"Take a sip an' find out," teased Apple Bloom with a cocky smirk. "Won't hurt ya, promise."

"Hm." He turned the vial around. A label! It showed a pony. A perfectly normal pony. What kind of label was that?! Wait... That pony stood next to an apple tree. That part was normal, except the apple tree seemed to be about the same size as the pony, or the pony was the same size of the tree. That pony was big! Bad drawing, or a hint of its nature? "I trust you." Friendship was about that at times. He grabbed the cork in his teeth, popped it free and got to chugging down the strange potion.

It tasted of spicy mint, a curious combination.

Warmth exploded through him, radiating out from his belly. It wasn't like a fire burning him. It was like he was sitting next to a cozy fire, except that fire was on the inside, warming him up with a surprised squeak. He swelled in all directions, becoming larger than Apple Bloom, larger than Applejack, and even larger than Big Mac. "Woah!"

Apple Bloom clapped eagerly at his growth. "See, worked fine. Ya did it, cast one of mah spells, and didn't even have any trainin' to do it."

"Wow..." He sank to his haunches, shaking the ground beneath his increased bulk. "Your magic is amazing!"

"Toldja! And that ain't even a big one." She turned her eyes up at his bulk. "Well, alright, in some ways it's the big one. Makes ponies big! It don't last too long though, should be worn off afore too long."

Dry considered the advantages and disadvantages of his new size. He was surely stronger, and scarier to things that might want to hurt him. Those were good! But hiding when he was that big felt almost impossible. What would he do, duck behind a house and hope for the best? "I'm glad... But thank you for showing it to me." An idea came to him with a big smile. "I will repay you."

"Ya don't nee--" She didn't get to finish, being picked up as she was. "Wha?" Dry set her on his haunches and started walking with her. Apple Bloom burst into laughter, wrapping her legs around his neck and grabbing with her hooves for a better grip. "Well, if yer offerin' a little ride around, ain't sayin' no. Let's surprise..." She scanned the horizon quickly. "There's Big Mac! Let's surprise 'em!"

"I never did this before..." He had become the hunter instead of the hunted. Big Mac was doing a terrible job of hiding, kicking trees, and walking around without even trying to duck into a bush. Amateur. Dry slunk up on him, walking as quietly as his large form allowed. He kept down low, allowing the trees to provide some amount of cover as he slunk up on the big red pony that had become not so large, relatively.

Oops! Dry's heart hammered in his chest as Big Mac perked up and looked around. Had he made a sound? It was harder to sneak when so large. He could hear Apple bloom giggling faintly on top of him, the first noise she'd made since he started his hunt.

But he was a pro as hiding and sneaking! He resumed his journey with careful steps, going over barrels with precise lands of his big hooves to not knock them, or anything else, over. Dry was getting close to Big Mac, and hadn't been spotted. He dared a smile, rump wiggling. It was time to attack, like a cat in a jungle! He hunched down as far as he could, muscles binding tightly.

With his head down and his eyes narrowed, Dry's lips pressed into a grim line. His nostrils flared, and he puffed out his chest. A small smile nudged at his lips. With a great release of that tension, he jumped forward into the air, not shouting. Shouting would ruin the surprise! Big Mac noticed him, but it was far too late, his eyes widening as the great form of Dry Whisper came crashing in, a few last inches passing by in what felt, to Big Mac, to be like minutes as they came together with a thud, all three of them crashing to the ground.

Apple Bloom hopped free of the accident, laughing wildly. "Woo-ee! Ah didn't think he could do it, but he did it!"

Big Mac rose next, shaking his head free of the dizziness. "Apple Bloom?" Yep, it was her. "What?"

Dry sat up on his big haunches. "Sorry about that. I didn't hurt you, did I? Apple Bloom made me big and... I was just playing, promise."

Big Mac smiled at the suddenly bashful huge colt. "Ayup." It was hard to be angry at the show of worry. He turned instead at Apple Bloom, fixing her with a glare.

No words were required. "Sorry!" she squeaked. "It weren't mah idea!"

"Um..."

Dry's uncertain noise was enough to tell Big Mac who had actually had the idea. He crossed his arms, tapping a hind hoof at her. "Nope."

Apple Bloom wilted, caught red hoofed. "Sorry... But it were funny! Gotta admit that."

Big Mac casually grabbed her, getting a squeal as he rubbed her head with the flat of his hoof in a round of noogies.

Dry watched the two and their antics, unsure. "Um... are you mad?"

"Nope." Big Mac released Apple Bloom to her own hooves. All settled, he wandered back to working, and not hiding properly. He'd be pounced again, Dry was sure of it. Why did they refuse to learn?!

Apple Bloom scrambled back up onto her perch atop him. "That was fun!"

Had it been? "Where to next?"

Apple Bloom considered with soft hums. "Ya ain't gonna keep extra sized fer too much longer." She pointed at their tree house. "How 'bout we stop there. If yer still big, the girls'll get to see it."

"That sounds fun." Not that he galloped. No, skulking was so much safer. For being bigger than a story, he was doing his best to remain as least obviously visible as he could, keeping himself below the tree line and veering from one collection of those trees to the next.

Becoming smaller did not come with any warnings. The world began to expand around him and the weight on his back grew dramatically. He was giving Apple Bloom a ride, and he was not big anymore. His advancement slowed to a strained heaving, but he wasn't giving up.

Apple Bloom gave up for him, hopping free. "'ppreciate the ride, but no need to throw somethin' out." She dashed up the ramp to the clubhouse and threw open the door without a pause. "Ah'm back! And ah brought company."

"Company?" Sweetie poked her head out, easily spotting Dry ascending the ramp. "Oh, hey!" She waved at him, the motion turning to a beckoning inside. "I wanted to talk to you, so your timing is quite fortuitous."

"It is?" Dry advanced past Apple Bloom to find Scootaloo was there too. They were all present. "How can I help?"

Scootaloo grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down to his haunches. "We are the Cutiemark Crusaders!" The other two nodded. "But now we're part of another group."

"An awesome group," added Sweetie. "We want to start a new club that already has members."

Apple Bloom inclined her head. "Am I part of this? Ya didn't talk to me 'bout this."

Scootaloo waved that off like a trifling concern. "The Little Spellcasters!"

Dry blinked softly. "I don't like that name."

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Don't neither, means any big member's gonna feel real awkward, and even we're gettin' bigger."

Sweetie curled a hoof to her chin. "We were trying to think of better names when you arrived. Hm. Everglow Wizards?"

Scootaloo hiked a brow. "None of us are actually wizards." She pointed at herself. "Magus, Bard--" She pointed at Scootaloo. "--Alchemist" She pointed at Apple Bloom. "--And, uh, cleric right?" She pointed at Dry Whisper. "All different kinds, but no wizards."

Sweetie nodded at Dry. "Then let's ask the one who's an expert, relatively, on Everglow Magic. What would you call it?"

Author's Note:

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

Marks an Sparks?

Nah, sounds too business like.

Applebloom is classing as Alchemist? Big she is part of a musical trio. that should get her at least one level in Bard?

[badninja]

My guess is they are going to visit Twilight.

Now only if I had the money to commission a story, stupid unexpected long term expenses, where Trixie, Starlight Glimmer, and Starburst would go to Everglow.

[David Silver]

11319562
This could happen :D

[redmar]

I'm very curious to see what they come up with and how Dry and Silver's relationship will develop.