Knight of Equestria – Gabriel the Wanderer
Chapter 8: Lesson Number One
(Entry 20)
As I had anticipated, another strange dream. This time, I was an agile hunter darting through the forest with a pack of Timberwolves. This seems to confirm a theory I've had for some time; These dreams seem to be visions of the creatures I have slain.
What compels these nightmares? I had begun to think that the sword has some magical properties, but even if it had any, my human biology would cancel it out. The few times I've dealt with enchanted objects, dispelling their effects seemed trivial.
Is it guilt? Am I more effected by what I've done than I thought?
Regardless, the pain in my eye grows worse and worse every day. I asked Amethyst to look it over and she said there were no obvious injuries. I know what I felt. I know what I saw. My blood still stains the very cover of this book.
Gabriel sighed as he closed his journal. Part of him wondered why he even bothered writing in it to begin with, before deciding that writing out the things happening to him offered some solace. He ran a hand through his hair, taking note that it had definitely grown longer since last he bothered to check. He sat on a large rock nearby he and Amethyst's campsite. Amethyst herself was placing various piles of their supplies together, each pile of a different weight.
The mare wiped the swipe from her brow with a hoof. "Phew... that should do it! Ready when you are!" she said happily.
After her fumble during the Timberwolf job, Amethyst had decided that she wanted to improve her magical abilities. Unfortunately for her, the scarcity of Unicorns outside Equestria meant she didn't have anyone to learn from, and any books about magic were very expensive. So, she figured she'd get the next best thing; Gabriel.
She had known he spent months in Equestria before his exile and despite being unable to cast magic himself, seemed to know more than she did. He agreed to help her to the best of his ability.
"Right, so... I'm far from an expert, but I guess I'll start with the basics I know of." he said. Amethyst was beaming, calmly waiting for explanation. "Despite what it seems, magic technically isn't unique to Unicorns." his audience of one tilted her head. "As far as ponies go, Earth Ponies and Pegasi have innate magical properties. Earth Ponies have a connection with the earth itself. Pegasi, on the other hand, have the ability to manipulate weather and interact with clouds as if they were solid objects."
"Ooh, I guess that makes sense. What about the other winged creatures? Like Griffons?" Amethyst asked.
"I'm not sure, I've only ever met one and didn't have the time to ask her. I would assume it would apply to them as well. Either way, the only pony species capable of casting magic is a Unicorn." Gabriel explained.
Amethyst snapped back to attention now that he was getting to the meat of the topic.
"From what I understand, Unicorn magic depends heavily on concentration and effort applied." he elaborated.
Amethyst looked somewhat disappointed. "What? That can't be all there is. I swear I tried really-"
Gabriel raised a hand as if to interrupt her, which he managed to do. "Of course that's not all. Practice makes perfect, as they say. Much like exercising a muscle, using your magic more often will refine your use of it."
"Ah, I see!" Amethyst exclaimed. "That's why you had me make these piles!"
"Correct." Gabriel confirmed. "Now using magic to telekinetically lift objects is as basic as it gets. So, you've organized these piles according to weight; you're going to practice two things." he gestured to first pile in the line of three. "Starting from over here, practice lifting these lighter objects. When that gets too easy, try lifting multiple." Amethyst looked at him unsure for a moment. "I knew a dressmaker in Equestria, she could snake a thread out of a cloth while sewing something else entirely. Her control was incredibly precise."
Amethyst's expression changed to a determined one. "Alright! I understand!" she said while beginning to gently lift the items at the top of the pile.
Gabriel sat back and watched her efforts. Her form was unrefined, and her grip was shaky. After a few attempts of moving multiple small items from the top, she settled on just one at a time.
"There you go, one at a time until you get the hang of it. I don't expect you to lift everything instantly." Gabriel commented, taking a sip of his cider bottle.
Amethyst remained silent, deep in concentration. Gabriel noted how truly unpracticed she was, deciding that growing up as the only Unicorn in her orphanage probably didn't give her much opportunity to learn what her magic was capable of.
"Do you feel the strain?" Gabriel asked, only receiving a nod in response. "That's good. A few months of practice, and this will be no problem for you."
Amethyst suddenly dropped the few things she had successfully levitated. "A few months?" she asked.
"Did you expect the change to come over night?" Gabriel replied, raising a brow.
"Well... no... kinda? I didn't think it'd take that long." Amethyst answered with a huff.
Gabriel shrugged. "I'm not an expert, like I said, but I was... close with one. She would describe schools for gifted Unicorns that could take years to finish. She herself didn't spend too much time in one."
Amethyst groaned in response. "Schools? Ugh, lame. How did your friend get ahead so fast? Maybe I can try that."
"I doubt it." was his response. "She had a strangely high potency from a young age. Hard work can only get so far. She was... very special." he said, a wistful look coming over him.
"Are you saying I'm not special?" Amethyst replied with snark.
"I'm just saying you're not especially talented." this drew a wounded look from the Unicorn. "T-that is to say, your sheltered upbringing, isolated from other magic users, has put you at a disadvantage. You might have to work harder than average, but the results will be something to take pride in."
Amethyst seemed to perk up at that. "Sounds like a long way to go. Guess I had better get started!" she said, going back to lifting the piles.
"That's the spirit."
…...
"Alright, that far should be good." Gabriel shouted, using his hand to shield his vision from the midday sun.
Several hours of telekinesis practice later, Gabriel had thought of another thing Amethyst would undoubtedly need to know; how to shoot beams of magic.
"Are you sure you want me to shoot these at you? Aren't concussion blasts supposed to hurt?" she called out, just about twenty meters away from him.
"Concussive blasts, and it depends on how much energy you put into them." he replied. He had neglected to tell Amethyst about human magic immunity, but decided it didn't matter either way. Her first attempts more than likely wouldn't hurt him, regardless.
As Amethyst focused her magical energy in her horn, she closed her eyes in strain and tried to fire the blast. Her horn sparkled brightly, but nothing else happened.
"H-how does this work...?" she muttered.
"Try thinking aggressive thoughts. If magic takes intense concentration and effort, projecting the energy as a physical force probably has something to do with aggression." Gabriel replied.
As she began charging again, she used Gabriel's advice and pictured herself shooting the beam at the Timberwolves from yesterday. To her surprise, she felt a beam of energy leave her horn, impacting into the human's shoulder.
"See, there you go. Keep it up." he said, somewhat relieved to find that her blasts didn't cause any pain as he predicted.
…...
A few hours of shooting practice and the sun began to set. The winter chill crept upon the pair quickly as they retired to their tent. Amethyst collapsed, face-down on her pillow as her human friend began to yawn.
"That... was... exhausting." Amethyst said, clearly drained.
"Indeed. I knew it was possible to be exhausted from magical exertion, but seeing it happen in real time is interesting."
"Glad you found it so educational." Amethyst replied snarkily. She tried to light her horn with magic, finding it painful to even try. "Feels like I'm completely out of juice... how long is this gonna feel this bad?"
"You'll adapt, I'm sure of it. You did well."
"Thanks." she replied with a smile. "Maybe one day, I'll be better than your Equestrian friend."
Gabriel chuckled. "Wishful thinking."
"You said she studied for years, right? She sounds amazing."
A somber look fell over the human. "She is..."
Amethyst noticed his expression before noticing something else that was significantly more distracting. "What is that smell?!" she exclaimed.
Gabriel sniffed the air lightly and noticed what she meant. "Timberwolf breath...?"
"I swear I got the smell out of my cloak yesterday. Where is it coming from...?" she said, opening the tent and going outside for some fresh air.
Gabriel tried to discern where the smell originated from before he noticed a trail of the vile green breath leading back to his own mouth.