First Hoof Account

by TCC56

11 - Law Of Motion

"Again!"

That Cadance was shouting it this time showed serious progress - two days before when they had started the next phase of training, it had been Sunset pushing the envelope. Now the newest princess was practically reveling in their little game.

Taking it as a challenge, Sunset picked up two golf balls this time and hurled them both at Cadance simultaneously. They shot across the room with frightening velocity, each aiming for one of the alicorn's eyes.

In response, Cadance lit her horn once more. Baby blue magic batted the left ball away, sending it careening into the corner before it ricocheted off the wall and flew up into the air. The right ball got a little closer before Cadance caught it in her magic, bringing it to a stop in mid-air two full lengths away from her face. She smiled joyfully at Sunset - right before the unicorn's own horn flared for a second.

High above, her own teal magic smacked the still airborne golf ball downwards.

It hit Cadance right between her shoulders, dropping her to her knees with a yelp.

"Getting cocky," Sunset teasingly pointed out as she closed the gap between them. "Remember that if you deflect a projectile, you're not controlling it and there's nothing saying your attacker can't retake control."

Cadance's retort was a painful groan.

Reaching out with a hoof, Sunset tried to help Cadance up again - and failed. The alicorn's legs wobbled and buckled as soon as she tried, unable to support her gangly teenage body. "...Maybe we should take five," Sunset admitted.

Splitting away, Sunset trotted over to their bags - hoofsteps echoing in the emptiness of the room. It had been at her (well, at Princess Celestia's) request that the Royal Guard's practice chamber was cleared out for them: it provided an open space that was both reinforced against magical damage and kept gawkers out. Teaching Cadance to defend herself in the open would be a cue to the world that she couldn't defend herself - at least that had been Sunset's stated logic behind the privacy. In truth, it had been more a desire to keep the new alicorn alone with her.

Because of what was coming up with the next lesson.

Retrieving an ice pack and a water bottle out of the bag she'd brought, Sunset returned to Cadance's side. The ice went on the spot the golf ball had impacted, causing the alicorn to hiss. "Oh, it'll be fine in a few minutes," Sunset scolded as she passed the water bottle to Cadance with her other hoof. "I didn't hit you that hard."

"Tell that to my spine." Cadance groaned before slowly rolling her shoulders. "I'm going to bruise there for sure."

Sunset rolled her eyes and booped Cadance with the bottle. This time, she got the message and took a drink.

Leaving Cadance with her ice pack and water, Sunset plopped down on the floor a few steps away. "Really, though. You're making good progress. I know I was joking about how you had the magic of a toddler a few weeks ago, but you've caught up to average teenage unicorn in pretty good time."

Cadance's lips released the now half-empty bottle with a slight pop. "I credit my teacher," she quipped with a grin.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. The point is that I'll admit you're getting the hang of levitation really well. Your endurance still needs work, but that comes gradually from using it. I think it's time we go past what the average teenage unicorn gets and start talking proper wizard work."

The implications sharply widened Cadance's eyes. With a wobble, she struggled to her hooves again and tried to set her neck straight. "I'm ready," she solemnly pronounced.

Sunset snorted. "No you're not. That's the point." She sighed, head shaking. "If I had my way, we'd start with something easier like creating light or an alarm clock enchantment, but Princess Celestia's insisting on defensive magic so..." Sunset sighed loudly. "So I guess more advanced means true shields."

There was a momentary waver in Cadance's determined expression - Sunset caught it out of the corner of her eye. Just a moment of fear, quickly banished. It was gone fast enough for Cadance to firmly nod with a conviction she obviously didn't have. "Right. Shields."

"Yeah." Sunset paused for a moment to mentally organize her thoughts. "So levitation works fine as a defensive tool if you're trying to stop physical projectiles and if you see it coming. But if you don't know where it's coming from or if it's a magical attack, levitation won't cut it. Plus levitation can be overwhelmed if they just keep firing at you - one's easy, two is tougher, fifty is impossible. So that's where a shield comes in."

Lighting her horn, Sunset projected a bubble of teal magic around herself. It took barely an instant before it popped into existence, surrounding her completely in a glittering sphere. "A shield is omni-directional, doesn't care about if what it stops is physical or not, and it lasts as long as you have magic regardless of how much gets thrown at you."

Inching closer, Cadance prodded the bubble with a cautious hoof. The bubble momentarily hardened at the impact, gleaming like metal before reverting to a softer magical glow.

"It's technically less efficient," Sunset pointed out, "But you've got an alicorn's magic reserves so that's like saying a bucket drains faster than the ocean."

Cadance giggled a little. "I'm a lake at most and you know it."

Sunset shrugged and dropped her shield - it disintegrated and wafted away like dust on an unseen breeze. "So eventually you'll be able to project a shield so fast it's an automatic reaction. But that's a long ways off, and you've gotta start somewhere. So - repeat after me."

Bracing her hooves, Cadance prepared herself for anything.

Sunset started humming.

Cadance blinked.

The hum continued - a single, steady note.

"Um."

Sunset frowned at Cadance before humming louder.

The alicorn blinked. Then she got it. "Oh!" And she started humming as well, matching the tone.

After a few seconds to make sure she had it, Sunset stopped. "Alright, now I want you to remember that tone. Did you feel how it felt?"

Again Cadance's expression immediately went to confusion. "It, um, felt like a G sharp?"

Sunset facehoofed. "Okay, I explained that wrong. Think about when you were humming that note. When you make a sound, you should be able to feel the way it vibrates in your head - there's a resonance in your throat and jaw. That's the feeling I want you to concentrate on and remember."

It took a moment for Cadance to understand - then she started humming again. This time, her face was wound tight with concentration as she focused on the feeling and tried to commit it to memory.

As she did, Sunset started lecturing again. "Once you have that tone in your mind, try to extend it upwards. Have your horn match the resonance you were feeling in your jaw. Then take your magic and push."

There was a loud thrum in the air as a sphere of baby blue magic expanded outwards from Cadance's horn. It enveloped her for a moment - glowing brightly and vibrating slightly - before it expanded further and dissipated into invisibility. The effort dropped Cadance to her knees again, panting.

Sunset, meanwhile, clapped her hooves. "You got it! I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think you'd manage on the first try." She smirked. "Guess I'm a better teacher than I thought."

"That... that was really draining," Cadance panted, her whole body heaving with each breath.

Sunset sauntered over and gave her a hoof up. "And it gets a lot worse once you actually have to stop something. But it's like any other magic, and you'll build up endurance. C'mon!" She gave Cadance a not-too-gentle elbow to the ribs. "You should be happy!"

Cadance's smile was hesitant, but it was there. "Yeah. Yeah." She took another deep breath to steady herself further. "Is that how shields are when you do it? That much magic?"

"Nope!" Sunset's smile stayed wide - even if it was a lot thinner now. "What you did is Tritone's Projection - it's a beginner's shielding spell. It isn't good, but it's decent enough and pretty easy to learn. I use a variant on Brilliant Brocade's Barrier, which is derived from Starswirl's own shielding spell." But before Cadance could ask the obvious question, Sunset continued. "I didn't use that one because it's grounded in a lot of high magic theory. You aren't even up to understanding Meadowbrook's Equation yet. Tritone is easy to figure out because it relies on the music as a mnemonic - the 'shield' is just a bubble of sound around you manifested as magic."

Briefly, Cadance considered that before nodding. "Okay. That makes sense. It's a lot easier to picture that than some complicated magic spell." She hummed again experimentally, though this time nothing projected. "I can kind of feel it, now that I know what I'm trying to do."

"And you'll eventually know it well enough that everything will be an automatic reaction," Sunset noted. "At least, until we teach you a better spell."

Cadance frowned. "Right. It makes sense that yours is better."

Sunset hesitated briefly, then nodded. "More efficient," she allowed. "And thought is faster than sound, so it projects faster." Again, she hesitated - then revealed what Cadance would almost certainly discover on her own if she read up. "And there's one big flaw with Tritone's: harmony."

Cadance blinked uncomprehendingly. "Harmony's a flaw?"

"Tritone's operates on that note you hum." Sunset's lips curled into a thoughtful line as she tried to dumb it all down for the novice alicorn. "So if somepony knows what that frequency is and matches it properly, their spell harmonizes with the bubble and your shield thinks their magic is your magic because it has the same resonance."

Cadance's ears flattened. "And it would go right through."

A nod. "Like goats through grass. So you need to be careful about using it - an experienced mage who knows what to look for will pick up on your note after a few casts. And you can't disguise it: when Tritone's deflects something, it makes a loud ringing noise in the note you're using." Sunset, of course, didn't let Cadance in on the other part. The reason she'd chosen Tritone's Projection over other beginner shielding spells: there was already one unicorn who knew what frequency would get through Cadance's shield. And Sunset Shimmer knew how valuable an ace in the hole was.

Unaware of that, Cadance nodded solemnly. "I understand, Sunset." Then she hugged the unicorn. "Thank you. I know Princess Celestia told you to teach me, but I'm still glad you care."

Sunset automatically stiffened when she was hugged - but quickly allowed herself to relax into Cadance's embrace. "I don't want you hurt, either." Which was at least a little true. "That's one thing Princess Celestia and I agree on."

Breaking apart, Sunset picked up the water bottle again and offered it over. "Total truth, I expected that to take us the rest of the day. I guess you're a natural with shields." She paused. "Or with music. That's more likely, Cadenza."

Cadance rolled her eyes as she took the water. "Ugh. I know that's my formal name but it just sounds so stuffy. There's a reason I introduce myself as Cadance." She took a quick gulp before continuing. "After my coronation, did you know it took almost a month for the nobles to stop trying to call me that? It wasn't until Blueblood stepped in and started talking to them on my behalf that it stopped."

Internally, Sunset invented several new swear words. Outwardly? "Oh, really? That seems out of character for him."

"Yes, it surprised me too." Cadance drained the last of the water bottle, then unsteadily floated it back into the bag. "But when I mentioned my problem, he was eager to help and I appreciate that. Everypony says he's..." She bit her lip. "Well, most of the non-nobles aren't fond of him. But everypony deserves a chance." Her voice practically glowed with earnest naivete.

Sunset's eyes rolled hard enough to turn her head. "Sure."

Trotting around to pick up the scattered golf balls, Cadance continued airily. "He's jealous of you, you know."

"Right," Sunset grunted. "Jealous."

"He is!" Cadance didn't let it go so easily. "He would never admit it, but I can tell. You're everything he wants to be." She paused her gathering to quickly tick off a list. "You're smart, powerful, confident, beautiful, widely respected, Princess Celestia trusts you--"

She was cut off by a sarcastic snort from Sunset - who immediately realized she couldn't say what she was thinking. Sure, Celestia trusted her: trusted her like a bonfire. Something that kept you warm and lit up the night, but also something to be contained and feared, lest it become too powerful to control.

But she couldn't say that to Cadance. So Sunset had to scramble and cover her brief misstep. "Look, Cadance, I get what you're trying to say." She crossed the distance between them to put a hoof on the other mare's shoulder. "But Blueblood's not jealous." She paused. "Well, okay, maybe he is but that's not the point. He's a douche. He's a greedy, self-centered jerk and he's only being nice to you because he wants to use you."

In a surprising display of savvy, Cadance smiled. "Him and every other noble pony in this city. But at least he's being nice while doing it instead of looking down his muzzle at me." She dropped the golf balls she'd collected into the bag Sunset had brought them in, plonking them down one at a time with a loud thud. "I'm not joking when I say you're my only real friend, Sunset. Everypony else just wants something."

It took effort for Sunset not to wince. "So why bother with him at all?"

"Because he might become a friend," Cadance defended. "And I need every one I can get."

Sunset was quick to retort. "You don't need anypony, Cadance. You're an alicorn. You have more than enough power on your own."

The look that Cadance gave her eerily reminded Sunset of ones Princess Celestia did in similar moments. It was a mixture of pity at a supposed lack of understanding and of exasperation over failed communication. It - as always - instantly rubbed Sunset the wrong way and put her hackles up.

Cadance at least noticed the way that Sunset's ears went flat and her lips drew to a tight line. She responded by coming in and giving the unicorn a nuzzle - a wholly unexpected one. Sunset's brain jumped the tracks, her anger instantly squeezed out of her and replaced by a confused blush.

Pulling back, Cadance's look of pity was replaced by a friendly smile. "I need you." She stepped away. "But I've also got to get a shower. I promised Blueblood tea today, and I don't want to miss it again. Ending early means I can make sure I won't!"

Words failed to form in Sunset's mouth, and all she could do was dumbly nod as Cadance departed with a wave.

A good two minutes later, the sourness returned. She had to get out ahead of Blueblood before he ruined Cadance - and Sunset's plans.

Comments

[Octavias Melody]

"He's douche." should probably be "He's a douche."

[FanOfMostEverything]

Heh. Sunset was prepared for everything but open, sincere affection. And she just doesn’t get why other ponies can be a strength beyond offering additional utility.

I do have to wonder how much Cadence realizes she’s being fought over. She’s surely aware that ponies are manuevering to exploit her, but does she realize that Sunset is one of them? If she’s willing to give Blueblood a chance, what does that say about how much she sees through her tutor?

[The Sleepless Beholder]

This was a pleasant way of waking up from a headache-induced sleep.

I like how the lessons are evolving and how you name-drop the mages and even give them distinct ways of doing a similar way. Nice touch adding Harmony to the mix.

And the social game continues between Cadence, Sunset and Blueblood. Honestly some of the most amusing stuff comes from it. Is it wrong that I felt sorry for Sunset getting flashbacks to Celestia when Cadence challenged her ideals with a look? Even worse, Cadence instantly noticed it and had a better way to communicate it than Celestia probably ever did.

Continue with the great work!

[TCC56]

11314584
Three editing passes and I still missed that. Dagnabit. Thank you.

11314653

I do have to wonder how much Cadence realizes she’s being fought over.

This will actually be addressed in time.

[hmaf43]

11314653
Sunset outright said that she doesn't like cadance and doesn't pretend to like or support everything cadance want. So there's that.

[ZanarNaryon]

Haha, get sinceritied on loser