Trials and Tribulations

by Divide

Chapter Fourteen

Trials and Tribulations

Chapter Fourteen: Foundations of magic

Three minutes earlier, Twilight's perspective:

Twilight was looking forward to today. Spike was off with Rarity finding gems and she had most of the day to herself. She was so entranced in her thoughts that she didn't notice the commotion going on further down the road.

She was snapped out of her reverie by Derpy, who had nearly crashed into her.

"Hey, please be more careful next time!" said Twilight.

Derpy shook her head, revealing her eyes watching opposite directions. "Sorry Twilight. I was in a rush. It seems like there's something happening near the town square."

It was then that Twilight look over and saw something she wished she hadn't. Seth was in the process of berating Coin Star, the filthy rich Earth pony that ran the coin press up near Canterlot. She quickly trotted over, hoping Seth would have the better judgement not to antagonize him any further.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Seth obviously didn't like the last thing Coin Star said, as he quickly closed the gap between them and slammed the bag of apples he was holding into the pony's front leg. Just as quickly, Seth then kicked out his other leg, causing the pony to topple to the ground. He then reached over and grabbed Coin by the nose, twisting with all his might. Even from twenty paces away, the crack was audible.

Twilight then watched Seth whisper something in Coin Star's ear, causing the pony to shudder. She couldn't tell what happened next, as the crowd blocked her view. Angry that Seth had done such a stupid thing, she yelled as loud as she could.

"SETH! Get over here this INSTANT!"

************

Seth strolled along casually to where Twilight had called him. He put on his best false cheer and said overenthusiastically, "Well good morning to you too, Twilight. In fact, I was looking for you. I was hoping-"

The look on Twilight's face made Seth stop talking.

"I mean, whatever did I do wrong?"

Twilight stared at him as if he'd made a gibbering noise instead of an intelligent and witty response. "You just got in a fight with Coin Star! Don't you know who he is? He's one of the richest ponies in Canterlot!"

"I don't care. He was acting like a complete jackass and he deserved every bit of his punishment," stated Seth.

"What could he have possibly done to make you angry enough to break his nose?! You are always the picture of tranquility, making decisions based on facts and evidence!" said Twilight angrily.

Seth's eyes gained a cold sheen. "You obviously missed some important facts. He was picking on three fillies I met earlier. Nice kids, all of them. I asked him to stop. He insulted me, and everypony else in Ponyville. That's when I stepped in."

He looked straight at Twilight. "I don't tolerate insults, to me, or to anypony else that can't properly defend themselves. It reminds me too much of home, and I will never let Equestria become like that."

Twilight was struck by the force of Seth's words. How bad could where he came from possibly be?

"I...I guess I did miss some facts. It was right of you to step in to protect those three, but I still don't wholly approve of the violence."

Nodding, the sheen of Seth's eyes disappeared. "We can agree to disagree. However, I still need your help with something. Are you willing to hear me out?"

"Of course I'll help," said Twilight.

Fifteen minutes and several conversations with the landlord later, Seth and Twilight were sitting in Seth's new living room.

"I can't believe how many bits Celestia gave me," said Seth morosely. His rent was only 250 bits a month. He felt undeserving of it, like he stole or begged it.

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

Seth sighed. He liked Twilight, but god forbid she should try to think from his perspective.

"How would you feel if you died and woke up in a strange land, populated by a completely different race of sentient people, who somehow spoke the same language as you? Now, feel like that, and then imagine the ruler of said people handing you a very large sum of money, with little or no effort on your part to earn the money."

Seth's mind drifted to other possibilities. Could she be trying to blackmail me? She never explicitly stated that her and Luna trusted me.

"I would feel undeserving of the money too, I guess," said Twilight.

Seth twiddled his thumbs. "That brings me to another subject: magic. I want you to teach me."

Twilight looked at Seth dumbfounded. "Why would you want me to teach you?"

Seth was confused by her lack of enthusiasm. "What do you mean 'why me'? Because you're the most skilled conjurer in Ponyville at the moment, that's why. Also, I know you better than anypony else here."

"But, but, you're the most intelligent person I know from a civilization so advanced that machines do all the work! You seem to know every answer to any question that is asked of you, not to mention the fact that you're physically imposing."

Seth snorted in barely contained laughter. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of me Twilight, but magic is far out of my league, and you're the only pony I'm willing to trust to teach me how to use it properly. Sure, I could borrow a hundred books and lock myself in here, but that nullifies the point. The point is: I need your help, and your help only."

Seth's eyes glinted in a joke known only to him. "As for physically imposing, it's all a matter of perspective."

"Well, if I'm the only pony who can help you, I guess I'll give my best effort into helping you learn magic," said Twilight.

"Perfect," said Seth with a grin. "Oh, and one more thing. My civilization may seem advanced and knowledgeable, but reality, this reality, is far superior to anything and everything I came from. As for machines doing all the work...watch the movie "The Terminator" on your phone. You'll come around to liking having no machines here."

*************************

"I don't understand!" said a frustrated Twilight.

She had Seth learning how to better control his magic for the better part of two hours before she let him attempt to pick up anything with telekinesis. Seth's first task was to pick up a book off the floor. He did so flawlessly, using his hand to control how and where the book floated through the air. Feeling confident in his abilities, Seth picked up a second book and controlled it with his other hand, executing it perfectly as well. This is what had caused Twilight to not understand.

The sudden words caused Seth to lose his concentration, which in turn caused the books to fall to the ground. "What is there not to understand? I managed the telekinesis spell fairly well, if I say so myself."

"No, that's not it! What I don't understand is how you were able to lift two separate things at once! I've been using magic for most of my life and I can barely muster the concentration necessary to do that!" said Twilight.

Seth shrugged and said, "I don't know what to say. I could control the book with my hand fairly easily, so I figured I would be able to do the same with my other hand."

Twilight stopped fuming. "You were controlling it with your hands? Your magic is supposed to be channeled through your horn, but seeing as you don't have one-"

"HEY!" shouted Seth. Twilight blinked in confusion. Mentally face-palming, Seth said, "Never mind. It would take too long to explain anyways."

Giving Seth an odd look, Twilight continued. "Seeing as you don't have a horn, I guess your body found another way to control and hone your magic by way of your hands. Us unicorns have to concentrate very hard on whatever were trying to accomplish. Any disruptions or second thoughts can either make the spell fail miserably or give it unintended side effects."

She looked at Seth's hands wistfully. "And here you are as a first time magic user and you are able to do something that very few unicorns are capable of doing. I'm no slouch when it comes to magical prowess, but I can't multi-task well enough to lift those two books at once and control them individually."

Seth sat down on the floor and stared at his hands. His hands were his greatest asset in this world. They could operate complex tools, build things at a greater level of finesse than ponies were capable of, apparently even let him control magic better than the best practitioners. These hands gave him an edge in nearly everything.

Should I...Should I tell Twilight about what happened with Rainbow Dash? Would she try something? No, I don't Twilight is that kind of person. Fuck, she seems so distraught that I trounced her ability in the first day of teaching. I wish I could handicap myself or....

Seth inwardly groaned.

...or I could tell Twilight that I found a spell that can temporarily turn her into a human, and make no mention of it happening with Rainbow Dash. Should I tell her? No, that would only cause spite and jealousy. Alright, fuck it. I have nothing left to lose anyway.

Seth cleared his throat and proposed his plan. "Twilight, when I was reading the spell book you lent me, I found a spell called "Similarity" in the transformation section. I think that I can turn you into a human, or at least humanoid, so you can have full control of all the magic at your disposal. Of course, it's all up to you."

Twilight's eyes widened at the proposal. "Are you sure? It might be dangerous..."

Shaking her head, Twilight said, "Oh, to hay with it. I've wanted to see how it feels to walk on two legs ever since I met you. And if my magic gets a boost in control, that's just a bonus!"

Seth found it much easier to cast the spell this time around. He wondered why he didn't try to channel the magic with his hands on previous occasions. Well, he thought. Last time I tried I was drunk, and the time before that I turned into a pony. Hmm, I guess that's why all the people in movies ad games use their hands to draw symbols in the air or to point at the enemy. It actually works.

Drawing the power from deep inside (lol), Seth thought of the spell and directed it towards Twilight. Just like Rainbow Dash, Twilight's body was encased in a blinding white glare but Seth was already prepared by looking away. He waited a few seconds for the light to die down, then looked at what he wrought.

Lying on the floor while curled up in a ball was the human form of Twilight. She retained the horn on her head, which was located slightly above her forehead. As with Rainbow Dash, she was completely naked and her skin was the same colour as the fur she wore as a pony.

Goddamn, thought Seth. Are all the females here this beautiful in human form or am I just that lonely?

Sighing, Seth unbuttoned his dress shirt and carefully placed it on the sleeping Twilight. No sense letting her freeze, thought Seth. He realized that even in human form, Twilight was still only around five feet tall. His shirt nearly covered her entire body, curled up the way she was.

Lying down on the couch, Seth settled in and waited for her to wake up.

Comments

[Steve_is_mad]

Don't you dare stop expanding this wonderful adventure because it would upset me deeply

They don't call me steve is mad for nothing you know

[Divide]

1332142
Don't worry, I will be writing the next few chapters sometime soon. Currently waiting on my new story being accepted by the moderators

[Divide]

1421797
Read further in. It doesn't last long.