The Mage's Jump

by Marvelous Cheshire

Chapter 13

THE MAGE’S JUMP
BY GENOSABER
CHAPTER 13

(Fei)

“Mornin’,” I muttered, walking down the stairs. Dad looked up from his reading while Twilight lay next to him and he scratched her ears with his free hand.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up,” he said with a smirk, before looking back down at his book. “There’s some muffins in the kitchen, if you hurry you might be able to leave in time to get to your meeting with the crusaders.” I blinked and looked at the clock. ‘What’s he talking ab- by the gods, I’ve slept in!’

“Why didn’t anyone wake me?” I shouted, bolting into the kitchen and grabbing about half the muffins and wolfing them down.

“I was going to, but Trace said something about it being ‘bad luck’ to wake you up,” Spike said. I looked over at Dad with a look of confusion mixed with a glare.

“Whenever I tried to wake you up for your training back on Gaia, you tried to bite my hand. A few times you succeeded,” he replied.

“Oh come on! I only bit you one time,” I said between bites, already down to the last three muffins.

“Yes, because I had a steel gauntlet made afterwards,” he countered, not bothering to even look up from his book. I let the subject drop and finished my breakfast, rushing to the door as soon as I was done.

“Wait,” Dad said, making me pause. “A gift from Matt, we had a few extra jars of honey we didn’t need, so he asked a friend of his if she could use it.” He pulled out a paper bag and tossed it to me. I caught the bag, opening it to find it filled with what looked like hard candy. “No added sugar, so it shouldn’t cause any problems, and I know you’ve always had a sweet tooth.” Out of curiousity, I popped one of the candies into my mouth. ‘They can’t be that go-’

‘By Helios. these are magnificent.’

I zoned out for a moment, snapping back into reality when Spike tugged on my jacket. “Mind if I tag along?”

“If you want to.” I turned back to Dad. “Tell Matt I said ‘thank you’ for these,” I said, holding up the bag.

“I’ll let him know,” he said. I gave him a quick smile before heading out the door, Spike following right behind me.

---

A few minutes later we caught sight of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hey Spike,” I said, tossing another hard candy in my mouth. “Is there some reason you dislike my dad?”

“It’s not that I don’t like, he seems like an okay guy,” Spike said quickly, caught off guard by question. “It’s just, something about him makes me uncomfortable around him.”

“Aura,” I said simply. Spike stared back in confusion. “Dragons on Gaia can sense the aura of magic users. My guess is you’re picking up his natural black magic aura, tends to make smaller dragons a bit unnerved. Most creatures can’t sense it, but dragons tend to notice it.”

“So you think it’s just due to his magic?” Spike asked. I nodded as we turned down down the path to the orchard. “You can probably guess the other reason.”

“You’re uncomfortable with your older sister/mother figure being in a relationship, especially with a guy that makes you uncomfortable?” I deadpanned. Spike stumbled and fell face-first into the dirt. I stopped and waited for him to pick himself up, keeping my hands in the pockets of my jacket. “Too blunt?” I asked.

“Just a bit,” he replied with a scowl. I shrugged and walked over to the fence, just on the edge of the orchard. Taking a seat, I pulled out two more candies, tossing one in my mouth and holding the other out to Spike. He kept his scowl for a second longer before taking it and sitting down next to me. “But you’re right,” he sighed. “It’s not like I don’t want Twilight to be happy, but just...”

“You’re not used to her being in a relationship, much less one where the other half is living under the same roof,” I finished. Spike nodded before looking down. “Look, I can’t force you to like Trace, but give him a chance. You might find he’s not such a bad guy.” I paused as something came to mind. “Do you know when the last time Twilight was in a relationship was?”

“Well, there was that diamond dog a couple years back, but as far as I know they didn’t have anything major, and it ended after a couple weeks.” I nodded. “Why’d you ask?”

“Just curious,” I said absently. “Trace hasn’t been in love for about five years. I can’t go into any detail, but he was hurt pretty badly. When I moved to Cornelia he was just starting to recover.” I paused and stood up. “I guess you could say that in a way, this relationship could be… ‘therapeutic’ for him.” Spike just stared at me blankly. “What I mean is-”

“I get it, you think that being able to love somepony again, and being able to spend time with them, might help Trace recover from his pain,” Spike finished. “I guess that makes sense, but it’s still a little odd.”

“As I said, just give him a chance,” I said as we resumed our walk. It was peacefully silent for a minute before Spike spoke up.

“Why don’t you wear shoes?” I blinked and looked down, seeing my bare feet.

“Never liked shoes, I’ve always prefered the feeling of the earth under my feet, regardless of how cold it is” I answered. “Why do you always wear nose plugs?”

“Humans stink,” he said simply. I tilted my head and stared at him, ears twitching in confusion. “Don’t know why, but humans just smell really bad to me.” I nodded in acceptance, before remembering something Dad told me.

“Just remembered, Dad is planning on going camping with Alex and Matt, along with taking the crusaders.” Spike tilted his head. “Remember, give Trace a chance, come along on the camping trip with us. I know Twilight is planning a slumber party with her friends at the same time, so it might be for the best.”

“Count me in,” he said quickly. “Don’t get me wrong, Twilight and the girls are great. But I don't want to be around when they get all frou-frou for a slumber party."

I chuckled before shivering as a cool breeze blew past us. I pulled my my jacket tighter and cursed my choice to be in my human form ‘At least if I stayed in my true form I’d have my winter coat.’ I glanced over at Spike, seeing that he was unaffected by the weather. ‘Guess being a fire breathing dragon has its advantages.’

“So, what do you normally do while camping?” Spike asked.

I raised an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious.”

He gave me a flat look. “In case you haven’t noticed, Twilight isn’t really the ‘outdoorsy’ type,” he deadpanned.

“...Good point,” I admitted. “Usually camping includes sleeping in tents, sitting around a fire toasting marshmallows or telling stories.” I scratched my head and shrugged. “Some people might do more than that, such as hunting or just walking around the forest to see what’s there,” I finished in a bored tone.

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic,” Spike said as we passed by the barn.

“You’re talking to a girl that’s lived most of her life in a forest, after a while it all looks the same most of the time.” Spike nodded and let the topic drop for now, allowing us to walk the way in peaceful silence.

As we neared the clubhouse, I noticed Sapphire sitting in the watchtower, pausing as she spotted Spike and I, then descending down to the main room. A moment later all four of them came running out towards us.

“Hi Fei. Hi Spike,” they chorused.

“Hey girls,” I said before shivering as another breeze, this one a bit stronger, blew by. “Please tell me you got that little heater you showed me last week set up.”

“Yep,” Apple Bloom said with a grin as we started walking to the clubhouse. “Fixed it yesterday.”

I gave a small squeak of joy at the thought of warmth and picked up my pace to keep up with them.

Is something wrong? you seemed upset a moment ago. I turned to find Sapphire beside me, staring back at me with a curious expression.

“I’m fine, just never liked the cold that much,” I replied with a shrug. Once we were inside I shrugged my jacket and threw it in the corner as I sat down by the heater. “So, any plans for today?”

“We were thinking of going sledding,” Scootaloo said, pointing a simple wooden sled by the doorway.

“Sounds… interesting,” I muttered, tilting my head. I had heard of sledding, but I wasn’t really familiar with it personally.

“It’s really fun!” Sweetie Belle said with her usual smile. “Have you ever ridden on a sled before?”

“Can’t say I have. There was never a lot of snow in Cornelia, and well, you know how I was when I was originally growing up.” I shifted nervously. I still wasn’t that comfortable with them knowing the majority of my past but Dad convinced me it would be better than leaving them in the dark for some unknown amount of time and risk causing any problems in the future. ‘At least I didn’t have to bring up the necromancer and dark knight.’ “Don’t know if I’d enjoy it though, Winter’s never really been my favorite season.”

After an uncomfortable pause, Scootaloo spoke up, “Then shouldn’t that be all the more reason for you to have fun now?”

“Scootaloo’s right.” I turned to Apple Bloom as she spoke up. “Yer dad said ya should look at this as a chance at a new childhood, right?” I nodded slowly. “Then ah think what Scoots is sayin’ is that you should give it a chance, since ya never got to before.”

‘That’s a pretty good point.’

“I guess,” I said, earning excited grins from the girls. “Do you mind waiting outside for me, I’d like to change into my fox form.” They nodded and made their way out.

Considering the past experience those fillies have, I can’t help but wonder-’

---

‘-Just what have I gotten myself into?’

“Girls, are you sure about this?” I asked as I looked down the hill. The hill they had chosen as the perfect spot to start out on, which was located just a short trip outside town, seemed terrifyingly large in my current state. ‘Don’t know why I’m scared, I’ve jumped off a tower before, this shouldn’t be intimidating at all. I glanced over the the others as they were setting up the sled, before looking back down. ‘Of course, I was running from a troll at the time and had a grappling hook on hand.’

“We’ll be fine,” Scootaloo said as her and Apple Bloom finished setting up the sled. “You ready?”

‘Too late to say no I guess.’

“I suppose,” I muttered as I walked over to them, taking a seat between Sapphire and Apple Bloom in the back, allowing me to see the field of snow in front of us. “Not joining in?” I asked, turning to Spike as he stood by the scooter and wagon.

“Nah, the sled’s not really big enough to hold more than four ponies at once,” he pointed out. I nodded in acceptance and turned back to the front of the sled.

I gave a sigh as I stared down at the slope. “Everyone ready?” They nodded and placed their hooves to the side to give the sled a quick push.

‘Stay calm, Fei, I’m sure it won’t be-’ My thoughts were cut short as we quickly picked up speed, resulting in the sled rocketing down the slope as the cold winter wind slammed in to my face. ‘This is not fun, this is freaking terrifying!’

My panic quickly turned to excitement as the familiar feeling of adrenaline came back to me.

‘Scratch that, this actually is pretty fun.’

Carefully, I rose to my hind legs, placing my front paws on Apple Bloom's shoulders. Trees were rushing past us. The snow was flying up on either side. More trees came rushing past way too close. Up ahead, I saw a lump at the bottom of the hill.

Before I could react, the sled crashed into the snow covered rock. The girls went over it. I was the lightest and furthest back, so I was catapulted up by the back of the sled.

I landed face first in a nearby pile of snow...

Despite being buried upside down in the snow, I could still faintly hear the others getting up. Shaking some of the snow from my face, I gave a couple quick yips to get their attention. After a moment I felt someone bite down on my tail pull me out, making me roll slightly before landing on my back as Scootaloo’s face came into view.

“Are you okay?” she asked. In response I rolled over onto my feet before shaking any extra snow from my fur.

“Yeah, just… cold.” I glanced over to the rock pile, seeing Sweetie Belle and Sapphire pulling the broken sled out. “Guess we won’t be riding on that anytime soon.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo muttered, before looking at everyone else. “Any ideas on what to do now?”

We could get some hot chocolate at Sugarcube Corner, Sapphie offered.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I said, making my way back up the hill to the wagon.

“Can you even eat chocolate while you’re like that?” Sweetie asked.

I paused and put a paw to my chin in thought. “Sort of. I can eat it, but much less than a human can while I’m in this form. A single cup of cocoa shouldn’t be a problem, even in my current state, two might be okay, but three or four would likely make me sick.” I quickly turned and started running up back to the top. “Race ya there!”

---

“Hot chocolate, no marshmallows, and a candy cane,” I said as Mrs. Cake turned to take my order. “Oh, and as always, can you please put this all on my Dad’s tab?” She smiled and nodded as she continued writing down everyone’s orders. We waited in silence, everyone content to let simply let the heat in the bakery wash over us and fight back the cold air from outside. After a few moments the scent of sugar filled my nostrils, signalling the arrival of Pinkie Pie with our drinks.

I glanced over at the girls as they gripped their mugs with thier hooves, then looked down at my paws. ‘Yeah, that’s not going to work.’ Calling on a bit of magic, I willed my tail to stretch out and wrap itself around the mug before bringing it to my muzzle and carefully taking a sip.

“Um, how are you doing that?” Spike asked, staring at me wide-eyed. A quick glance at the girls showed them with similar expressions.

“It’s a form of kitsune magic. I never really figured out the exact reason for it, but nowadays it’s normally used to make up for a lack of hands while in our true form,” I explained, taking another sip of my drink. “Also found out a couple years ago that our tails don’t have any bones in them, it’s all muscle. So, with a bit of magic, we can make them not only prehensile, but extend them to a certain degree.”

We drifted into a silence for a few minutes, before Sweetie Belle spoke up. “So Fei, did you enjoy your first time sledding?”

I bit a piece of my candy cane off and turned to her. “It was… pretty fun. Except for for the part at the end. That I could have done without,” I said over the crunching of the peppermint fragment. “Shame the sled’s broken.”

“It’s not that bad,” Apple Bloom commented. “Just some dents in the metal and couple cracked boards, ah should have no trouble fixin’ it in a couple days.”

I nodded and took another bite of my candy. “Guess we’ll have to find something else to do for the rest of the day.”

We could just work out our plans for tomorrow, Sapphire suggested as the others finished off their snacks and began making their way out.

“Better than nothing I suppose,” I muttered as I jumped down and headed towards the door, giving Mrs. Cake and Pinkie a quick farewell as I passed by them.

---

“We’re home,” I called as Spike and I entered the library. ‘And I should not have stayed in human for as long as I have,’ I added mentally as my stomach growled off third time since leaving the clubhouse. I looked back at the setting sun one last time before closing the door.

“Welcome home,” Dad said as he stepped out of the kitchen, holding a piece of cloth. “Dinner’s almost ready, we’re having fettuccine alfredo with shiitake mushrooms, kale, and sun dried tomatoes, eggplant steak, and I’ve got a few slices of cod in the oven.”

“Cod?” I said in mild disbelief. “But… you hate fish.”

“I don’t hate it, I just can’t eat it without being sick to my stomach,” he corrected, holding up the cloth. “Frankly I can’t stand the smell in there, but I remember you love fish, so I thought I’d bake some for dinner.”

I stared at him for a moment, before running over and hugging him. He hesitated for a second, before lifting me up and returning the hug. “You’re a great dad, y’know that?”

“I’m glad you feel that way, but I doubt a simple meal justifies that,” he replied.

“Not just that. It’s… ” I paused, trying to find the right words. “It’s everything you’ve done for me. Adopting me, helping me build a life here, everything back in Cardia...” I stopped and placed a hand on the sigil, a few tears sliding down my cheeks. “...And saving my life,” I added quietly, tightening my grip around him. “I love you Dad.”

“I love you too, Fei,” he said, holding me for a few more seconds before letting me down. “I should get back to cooking, go find something to do, dinner will ready shortly.” I nodded and made my way over to the couch, noticing a misty eyed Twilight sitting there with a smile on her face. ‘Guess she was watching us just now.’ I tried not to blush as I picked up one of the books she’d been using for my studies on Gaian history and opened it to where I placed my bookmark. ‘Chapter 5: The Cardia-Elfheim pact...’

Author's Note:

in case anyone forgot, Fei speaks using a form of telepathy while in her true form.

Abou the dishes used: pasta was just something I found while looking for vegetarian dishes, Eggplant was technically provided by DiscordsAdvocate, and the fish because the idea that Fei's village were primarily fish eaters has been onmy mind for a while now