Time Enough for Everything at Last

by Jay Watson

Ch.6 A Spy Among Unicorns

Opaline sent Misty first to Maretime Bay to investigate but she found nothing there. She was then sent on to Bridlewood, presuming that any magic controlling creature wishing to not be found would most likely retreat to the relative safety of the unicorn woodlands. Misty, wearing the locket Opaline gave her to communicate with, informed her she was about to enter the unicorn woods. Opaline wanted to know immediately if Misty saw anything out of the ordinary. Misty followed the path into the woods, wondering just what she might find out here.

For several hours, Misty wandered the paths of Bridlewood, observing the other unicorns coming and going about, none taking interest in her presence. She saw nothing that caught her eye and started to think there was nothing to find. A chance to overhear words between two mares talking while Misty was resting, revealed to her that there would be magic lessons given to any unicorn who wanted to try over at Alphabiddle's tea shop. She made her way over to the business to investigate the claim.

Peering cautiously in through a window, Misty spied Alphabiddle sitting with that purple mare she'd seen observed in Opaline's viewing pool and another pony, cloaked and hooded. She could not hear what they were speaking about, only see that the cloaked stranger would speak first and then demonstrate a small magic skill. Then, the pony seated opposite them would try to perform the same thing with their unicorn magic. Words were spoken again and the pony that was sitting with the cloaked stranger got up and left the tea shop.

Misty, hiding behind a convenient rain barrel nearby, watched the stallion leave and head off down the road. She followed after, watching him move along with a lively spring in his step. The stallion met up with a mare several doors down from the tea shop. Misty stopped a few feet away to look into the window of a bakery, feigning to be looking at the baked goods in the window.

To her surprise, she overheard this stallion going on about how he was selected to learn more magic from a friend of Izzy Moonbow who was visiting here from 'far away'. Misty was speechless. Here was a unicorn willing to share the knowledge of magic while her mistress had never shown her any. She would have to stay longer and learn more about who this visitor was.

Starlight put her plan into action, spending her daytime hours rewriting the spell scrolls of what spells she needed to use and to teach her students. While the evening was spent in the privacy of Alphabiddle's closed tea shop to further screen her selections. Izzy was her right hoof mare while she worked, recopying Starlight's spell scrolls and working with some of the candidates to help them practice the rudimentary skills of unicorn magic during the evening lesson time, as well as being at Starlight's beck and call for anything she might need. So far, the only things Izzy had to repeatedly get for Starlight were more ball point pens, more paper, and lunch for them from her cottage.

Sunny visited Bridlewood every other day to help out as well and ask Starlight for help with her magic. At a lunchtime break, Sunny confessed to Starlight that she wished to learn more magic too, so she could control her alicorn transformation. Not to mention learning all those amazing spells Starlight knew like the back of her hoof. Starlight was honored to be asked by the new Princess of Friendship for help with magic, willing to make some time for personal training.

Izzy and Alphabiddle were perhaps Starlight's most devoted students, working hard to master more of those 'first time' spells and attempt the tougher spells. The pace was intense, and the work was demanding, and some found the regiment too much to take on in such a short amount of time. Another magic test by Starlight to check on the progress of every pony selected, she whittled down the group to a core dozen or so who she felt had the most potential. Sunny didn't include herself in the group, remaining an earth pony and still unable to tap into her magic at will like she desired.

Misty had been watching this and finally made contact with Opaline again, telling her mistress what she had observed. This news troubled Opaline, first thinking this stranger was intending to take over Equestria with a unicorn army at their command. Even if this was not so, having unicorns start to reclaim their power would be disastrous for her, she alone was the single most powerful magic wielding pony in Equestria and she must keep it that way. But to Misty, it didn't seem like this was the start of an army. More like learning something that was natural to all unicorns. She didn't understand why this stranger was so willing to share magic knowledge with ponies she'd never met before.

Opaline ordered Misty to stay close to this stranger and find out who they were, where they were from, and what was their purpose for being here. Misty would do as ordered. She asked if Opaline would one day do the same for her, teach her magic but Opaline only laughed at her, saying she was too incompetent and scatterbrained to handle the responsibility or have the skill to wield magic. Misty was hurt by the cutting words and quick refute.

Over the next few days, Misty began to work her way closer to Starlight, hanging out near the tea shop in hopes of speaking with Starlight when her pegasus and earth pony friends weren't around. She finally saw the chance to speak with her, she caught Starlight one morning on her way back to Bridlewood from an overnight trip to Maretime Bay. Sitting not too far away from the tea shop, she planted herself in a conspicuous spot where Starlight would see her attempting to use her magic.

Sure enough, Starlight stopped on her way to watch Misty try a basic levitation spell to stack some wood blocks one on top of another. Misty was so proud to be able to show Starlight she could do this simple exercise and Starlight felt very kindly towards this young mare, seeing she was trying so hard to succeed. Starlight was reminded of her eight-month-old daughter, Luster Dawn, back home and how she would one day turn to her mother for guidance and knowledge when introduced to magic. It warmed Starlight's heart to see the younger unicorns taking more interest in magic.

Starlight invited Misty to come and watch tonight's magic lesson. Misty wouldn't be able to participate with the older students who were practicing more advanced magic but could ask for help and feel like part of the group. Misty at first yelped excitedly and pranced around a little, but then caught herself, trying to regain her composure. She didn't want to be in Starlight's way of teaching the better students tonight but did ask for some learning materials to study on her own, she was a bit shy being around older unicorns who could do real magic. Starlight understood perfectly, no pony wanted the pressure of eyes watching your every attempt. She removed from her carry bag a small spell scrolls with three elementary spells written out, passing it along to Misty and encouraging her to try. Misty was so grateful for the offering that she hugged Starlight in thanks and hurried off to try. She came back a little later that same night, sitting under the open window of the tea shop and listening to the practicing going on inside.

That night was another long grind for Starlight and her selected group, putting them through the paces and making sure they understood what to do when casting spells. She watched and was pleased to see some master those first spells and quickly move on to more demanding work while some still struggled. Starlight found the nightly sessions both fulfilling and frustrating at the same time. After more than five hours of straight work. She called it a night and the dozen or so students departed, thanking her and promising to do better next time.

Misty, still camped out under the window and out of sight overheard Izzy, Alphabiddle, and Starlight talking among them. It was then that she learned the truth about Starlight's origin and why she was teaching magic to the unicorns. It sounded like the wildest kind of fantasy to Misty, a pony from Equestria's past traveling three centuries forward through time?! That's impossible!

She heard Starlight's plan, to have all of her students help her cast a spell to open an energy portal that would allow her to travel back to when she came from. Starlight was clearly worried that her students would not be able to reach the right proficiency soon enough, she had to return within thirty-four days. The longer she stayed, the further out of sync she would be with her own time period, returning either too far in the past or future of when she originally departed. She might reappear back in this time a split second after entering the portal, or she could very well die from the extreme magic power it would take to be successful. It was just a theory for Starlight, she was not one hundred percent sure what would happen after she entered the portal.

Starlight and Alphabiddle heard the audible gasp Misty produced when she heard the danger Starlight was in and what fate could have been waiting for her. Izzy and Alphabiddle went outside to see where the sound came from. They found nothing, assuming it was the wind or their imagination playing tricks on them.

Misty had stolen herself away quickly, getting out of sight of the two older unicorns by hiding in some nearby scrub brush. This news was incredible, and she had to tell her mistress about what she has learned so far. Finding refuge in a nearby abandoned cottage, Misty made contact with Opaline and told her the truth. Opaline was instantly dismissive of Misty's findings, calling her stupid and naive to believe such an obvious lie about where this unicorn mare was from. Angrily, Opaline ordered Misty to keep searching for the truth about this unicorn and not to bother her again with such idiotic stories.

Misty was again hurt by the cruel words of her mistress, confused as to why Opaline thought she was lying to her. She would do as ordered. Opaline, though initially dismissive of Misty's story, was intrigued enough to investigate the actual possibility of this being true. She retired to her castle's library, wondering if she could find anything to validate what Misty said.

The library was full of books, many old and unreadable for they were written in Old Ponish, an ancient language of Equestria now lost to time. Which ones were books on magic, she could not tell. She could only sense an aura of magic energy emanating from within the space, meaning some of these books must contain magic spells or similar powers. Opaline walked slowly among the dilapidated and rickety shelves, coming across several collections of history books that were still readable, but most were incomplete with missing volumes and some books had deteriorated to the point of simply falling apart. She had only taken a passing interest in them over the years, finding the reading tedious and pointless. But finding a few volumes from Equestria's pre-cataclysm time on one dutiful shelf could present some clue or lost insight that might prove what Misty said to be true.

Comments

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

11565866

Even IF the future is "not so great" in the first place.

[mishun]

11569667
Well, that's definitely a new step in the development of spam bots