Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

36 - #2 Assistant

A knock arrived and Dry didn't jump that time. He was getting used to that. "Who's there?" he called out to the front door.

"Dry?"

Female, older than a filly, but not old old. Dry hopped down from his chair and trotted over in a hurry to grab the knob in his mouth and pull the door open. There was Twilight, smiling at him. "There you are. I was hoping you'd be in."

Dry inclined his head. "It's not time for the club."

"It is not. I wanted to talk to you, personally." She waved between herself and Dry. "About your god. A lovely pony... I've met her before."

Dry blinked with owl-wide eyes. "You have?! How do you meet a god? They do not live in the plane of mortals, which we both are."

"But they can visit." Twilight hummed softly. "Twice, in this case... I called her on Everglow, and here, and she was gracious enough to answer. I am humbled, like being visited by Celestia, but with even less knowledge. They... It was a great moment."

Dry clapped his hooves, eyes still as wide as saucers. "How do I call her? If it would not be a bother to her. I would love to speak to her."

"You can only ask... And it is up to her if she arrives." Twilight leaned in closer to the colt. "She is a god, after all, and we are mortal ponies. Forcing her is a few steps beyond us. Not that I'd want to. She's very busy, and nice, and I respect both of those."

"Of course!" Dry colored as he backed up, opening the way for Twilight to enter, which she did without prompting. "She is the burning curiosity, and the excited cry of one who has found an answer and wishes to share it with the world."

Twilight inclined her head. "And that is why I am visiting." Her horn glowed as she closed the door behind herself. "I may have met her, but my knowledge of her is anemic at best. You seem to already have a better grasp on her religion. Would you teach me?"

Dry clopped a hoof to his cheek. "It would be an honor!" Twilight smiled radiantly. "But I can't." She deflated with confusion. "If I instructed you, Silver Spoon would be very jealous, for good reason! She is also a Luminace worshipper. She taught me! I would be a poor boyfriend if I didn't get her involved."

"I see..." Twilight considered that. "The last time I interacted with Silver Spoon was... less than ideal, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't allow her to grow?" She reached to ruffle Dry's mane. "She gets along with you, so she must be doing alright."

Dry colored at the wording. "I think she's... pretty great, ma'am. She's courting me, but she won't ask the question." He rubbed behind his head. "Equestrial foals stay foals longer."

Twilight blinked at that. "Do Everglow foals stay foals for a shorter period of time?"

Dry worried his hooves together. "Everglow can be a hard world. We can't protect our foals for as long as you can. They need to stand on their own hooves faster. I was surprised to be put in school when I arrived... but it's nice too... I would be jealous of the Equestrian foals, but I am one now."

"Hm." Twilight raised a hoof to her chin. "Putting aside how old and mature you should be, at what stage of development are you? Are you an infant? Clearly not. Child? Adolescent? Young Adult?"

"Um, of those... young adult." He sat up with an unsure pride. "If I had very wealthy parents, maybe I would still do a few things, training they wanted me to have... Otherwise I would be an adult. That is why I am here." He tapped the ground. "My mother would not bring me to the living world if I wasn't old enough to handle it, and she isn't here anymore... If I'm not an adult, what am I?"

Twilight went rigid. A thousand answers came to her, but they were all unkind, and Dry was not an Equestrian. His people were not her people... "You are a pony. You are loved by the ponies around you." She set a hoof on his shoulder. "And I am delighted to have met you. Now, I would love to discuss this god of yours, but I will hold myself back until you and Silver are together."

Dry bounced to his hooves. "We will both be at the club meeting."

"True... She is a god of magic, among other things, is she not? Our club is well within her jurisdiction."

Dry seemed only happier at that idea. "We are being friends and studying magic. That is exactly what she would want. It is a pleasure to do a little of her work with you, Miss Twilight." A thought came to him. "Oh, you are a princess, um, your highness." He dipped his head. "Sorry, not trying to be disrespectful."

"No offense is taken." She turned for the door. "I will gladly see you at the club meeting, and there I will just be Twilight, not princess. My title would only get in the way when we're all on equal standing in regard to Everglow magic."

He waved at the departing princess. "Let no mystery go unexamined," he uttered in a proper goodbye of Luminace's faithful.

Twilight hesitated. "That sounded official... I'm looking forward to learning more." Rather than prying at Dry further, she fled to avoid temptation.

Dry giggled with joy, but was by himself again. But he could fix that! He hurried out of the house.

---

Silver walked alongside Dry and the crusaders. They were all headed for the same place. "This is, like, super great!" She looked to her other side, where diamond kept up with her. "I don't know exactly how your magic works. Maybe tonight, you'll share?"

Diamond inclined her head towards the big tower they were approaching. "Save that for the meeting. The Everglow ponies said mine is one of the more obscure ones." She gave a smarmy grin. "I'm just special like that."

Dry nodded in easy agreement. "Very special. But not as special as Silver Spoon."

Silver colored and pawed at dry. "Aw! You are too much."

Apple Bloom giggled at the exchange. "Colt has you two figured out."

Scootaloo snorted softly. "I'll never let a stallion work me like that."

Sweetie raised a brow. "A lot of mares say that until it happens. Special someponies make a pony's head do wierd things, mares or stallions."

Dry joined his courting filly friend in blushing. "I'm not trying to... manipulate anyone. Silver Spoon is the most special pony in my life right now."

Silver swatted at him all the more vigorously, radiating intense heat from her red face. "Stop that! Um, well, here we are." She advanced ahead of the others to clop at the door. "Anypony home? We're here for the magic club!"

The door swung inside, revealing Spike, already mid-wave. "Hey there. Twilight's inside." He hiked a thumb. "She's doing the Twilight thing and making sure everything is perfect. Go in there and distract her."

Apple Bloom nodded firmly. "You got it. C'mon!" She waved to the others, leading the way into the castle. "How ya doin', Spike?"

"Me? I'm alright." He closed the door once all the fioals were inside. "Twilight said more were coming, so I'm here to answer the door for them."

The foals went past him, up some stairs, and found a large sign pointing the way. "Fresh Casters, this way," read Sweetie out loud, pointing in the same direction that the arrow was pointing. "Guess it's in there."

Diamond accelerated to the front. "Are we the first then?"

"Almost!" The door glowed with her magic, Twilight opening it and peeking free with a big, hopeful, and perhaps manic smile. "Welcome! For those of you that operate with a spell book, I have arranged a display area. Mine is already there, so place yours next to mine, if you would."

Scootaloo reached back, producing her book. "Uh, alright. A lot of them came from yours, I'll admit." She hurried in and added her book next to Twilight's. "But I got a few of my own. Hope you like them!"

Twilight clapped with undisguised joy. "Oh, I will! Now... I'm not an expert on other forms of magic use. Do you?" She was looking at Sweetie.

And Pinkie answered, there apparently. "Nope! Bards don't need a spell book. Come on in here, Sweetie!" She gladly welcomed Sweetie, the two chatting about bardic magic without any delay.

Diamond shook her head. "No book here."

Silver joined. "Me and Dry have a book, but it's about Princess Luminace, not really about her magic outside of the barest basics and etiquettes. Most of our magic comes from praying and getting to see the library She keeps."

"Praise unto it," agreed Dry. "It's big, bigger than... Bigger than anything! I feel so tiny when I am in it. I hope to add to it. I'm writing a book! Not on magic..."

Silver nudged against Dry. "Luminace collects more than magic books, so I bet she'll love your book when it's ready. Like, what is it about?"

Apple Bloom produced a book. "Ah have a book! But it's more like a cook book than what y'all do." Still, she added it to the two other books. "Ah cook up treats! Or tricks. Depends on if ah like ya or not."

The door swung open, a placid earth pony mare walking inside. "Check it out... I love the energy here." She nodded to each spellcaster in kind. "Each different, but coming together so nicely. Loving it..." She spotted the books and veered for a peek. She reached up to flip one open and peer a the words. "Woah..." It was not her magic. "Radical..." She closed the book and turned away. "But who needs a book when you have friends? They're the most fun book around."

Dry giggled suddenly. "Luminace be praised! What a devout thing to say. She would smile on you and your words."

Silver nodded at Tree Hugger. "He's right. The quest for knowledge is unending, but the knowledge you can gain with a friend can be the best kind."

"Righteous." Tree went to join the two. "So, tell me about this Luminot person. They sound nice."

"Princess Luminace," cut in Twilight, sitting among them. "A fascinating pony! An alicorn, but far more powerful than any of the alicorns you may know." All three other ponies in that conversation peered at her. "Including myself... She is a God, with a capital G. She rules over another plane of existance, I'm led to understand."

Silver raised a hoof sharply. "The eternal library, stretching out in all directions with every book any pony has written, at least in Everglow."

Dry curled a hoof to his chin. "If it only has Everglow books, we could offer her books from Equestria. That would please her."

Silver's eyes widened at the idea. "Wow, like, great idea! We should buy books to offer to Luminace. A little at a time. I don't think she wants a whole new wing being dumped on her without a chance to read some of it."

"Far out." Tree Hugger nodded at the idea, considering it. "I'm not big on, you know, reading. I prefer living life." She raised her hooves. "Take it between your hooves, experience it... A book can't do that."

Twilight shivered with excitement. The club was already going well! "There are advantages to both routes. It's a lesson I've had to learn... a few times... Books are invaluable, but actually seeing is a step that can't be replaced." She put a hoof behind her head. "No amount of books would have prepared me for my time on Everglow, for instance."

Author's Note:

The first meeting of the Fresh Casters has begun, and ponies are getting along nicely! Which class would you take, were the choice given?

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Comments

[redmar]

The club is off to a good start. Also I found a typo

thigns

should be things obviously.

[David Silver]

11383913
Gasp, a typo, in OUR club? Twilight will not stand for this.

[Alzrius]

Shouldn't Applejack be there too?

[Booster Spice]

Pinkie is there. She wasnt before, and didnt arrive, but when someone invokes the information of L-Space, in the Infinite Library, well, someone has to keep the Twilights distracted.

[David Silver]

11384010
Brain failure. What magical class is Applejack?

[Alzrius]

11384133 She's a magus, as I recall. Though I gave her some enhanced earth pony magic of her own in my story.

Also, don't forget Zecora! She's a caster too, right?

[David Silver]

11384138
Zecora is a caster, of sorts, but never went to Everglow, and is an Equestria caster if anything. No qualification.

(checks) Yep, Fighter 3, Magus 4 on her last sheet, for Applejack. Fighter with Magus or Wizard multiclass feats in PF2 land likely.

[Alzrius]

11384161 I thought Zecora went to Everglow in Potions and Swords though?

[David Silver]

11384204
Not... yet. Damn timelines...

[Alzrius]

11384261 Huh. I thought that since it was a sequel to Roots of Stone it must have happened by now, but I suppose that was just an assumption on my part.

Also, I might be behind on Duet in the Dust (and I'm not entirely sure it's in the same continuity), but doesn't either Ocavia or DJ P0N-3 learn some Everglow magic while they're there?

[David Silver]

11384273
Both are beyond. Which still fits sequel as in being past it, but no promise is made of how far beyond it. Octavia returns and eventually sets off again, though not to Everglow!

[howard035]

I love this chapter. It explores Everglow religion more AND has cute Dry and Silvy moments!