Cold Edge Anon Part 4

> You collect your hard won bits and everypony adjourns to the treebrary.
> Twilight is extra jumpy around you, and Applejack isn't much better. You get the feeling that if Pinkie wasn't coming along, you would have to be bound and drugged for them to feel safe.
> Which is appropriate, you are a tigerpony.
> You still can't believe that is a thing.
> When everypony settles down, it turns out neither can Twilight.
"You just popped into existence, in the Frozen North, of all places."
> That's your story and your sticking to it.
"Eyup."
> Applejack glances at you, then returns practicing rope tricks.
> You think that it's probably her way of coping with stress, but it is rather distracting watching her hop and flex and stretch.
> You do have a question, though.
"So what are tigerkin?"
> Twilight gives you a flat look.
"What? I'm serious, I thought I was just some genetic oddity."
> Twilight is slow to respond, continually trying to verify that you are not in fact, pulling her leg.
"Tigerkin are very rare, territorial ponies. Not much is known, except that they all have cannibalistic tendencies."
> ... Maybe the others were also humans in their past lives... Or just a race generated for a persecution sue.
> You shrug.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?"
> Twilight holds up one of your mugs. It's gotten pretty thin, but the enchantment is still intact.
"How did you do this? Every anti-melting spell I know works on the whole object, not a select surface area."
> You realize that she's probably been studying that mug for a while now.
> Given that you think you saw her left eyelid twitch, this does not bode well for you.
"I just wish it, and it happens."
> Especially because that is your truthful response.
> Okay, definitely scoring a 4.0 on the eyelid Richter scale.
"You just WISH IT and it HAPPENS?"
> You know you are going to regret this.
> If you could travel back in time, you are sure future you would stop you from saying this,
>... Well, crap, that was your cue.
"Isn't that how magic works? I mean, aside from friendship."
> Eyelid reading is at a 7.3, I repeat, 7.3!
> Applejack tries to placate her.
"Now Ah'm sure Anonymous is jist protectin' trade secrets, same as I would do, 'cept for the lyin'."
> You shake your head.
"That's how I do magic, wishing and imagining it happen."
 > Eyelid tectonics has plateaued at 8.5, achieving resonance with individual strands of hair!
"To the lab!"
> Twilight nearly runs to her basement. You and Applejack follow at a more sedate pace.
"Now why'd you have to go and say that for?"
> You shrug helplessly.
"It's the truth."
> Applejack shakes her head.
"I can't rightly blame yeh fer that, but that's sort a thing decent folk keep to themselves 'round Twilight."
> You let her go down the stairs first, pausing on the threshold.
"Say, where's Pinkie Pie?"
> Applejack shrugs.
"Probably jus' hidin' in a potted plant."
"Ah."
> That would be Pinkie's MO.
> You catch up with Applejack right before the entrance to the lab.
> You can't quite place the expression on her face.
"Wishin' and imagining? Swear on your life?"
"So swear I that is how I perform magic."
> Applejack sighs.
"We may never get out of here."

> Things have progressed down here since Twilight tried to analyze the precognitive abilities of a eldritch horror.
> For one thing, it's larger and
> Is that a shark tank?
> Why is Applejack stationed at a wall full of levers?
> You know what, you are just going to look at the dubious array Purple Smart is setting up.
> A series of cables lead from the ceiling down to a metal cased machine, which reminds you of GLaDOS more than anything else.
> More wires dangle from that, leading down to a silver headband.
"This won't upload my mind into a robot, right?"
> Twilight snaps a dreamcatcher attachment into place, and turns to you.
"Don't be absurd. Now get over here and put this on."
> You end up sitting in front of a wooden table with a feather, a gem, and a potted plant.
> You peer closely at the pot while starbutt gets her note taking supplies in order. The pot is too small for a pony to fit inside, but you are pretty sure Pinkie could pop out of any container, provided it was sufficiently comedic.
> Of course, now that you are suspecting the pot, she'll pop out of somewhere else.
> Unless that's what she wants you to think...
> Twilight clears her throat.
"We'll start with some basic magic to get a baseline, then we'll proceed from there. If you would levitate the feather?"
> You nod and focus on the feather, and imagine it floating.
> It rises, oddly stiff and not surrounded by any magic sparkly aura.
> Weird.
> Twilight touches it with her hoof, then gives you a stern look.
"Without cryokinesis, please. After all, this is to measure your baseline magical manipulation."
"Er, right, let me try again."
> The feather falls to the table, and you take a deep breath.
> You imagine the feather wreathed in a sparkly blue aura and slowly rising.
>Wishy powers go!
> A small flurry of snow surrounds the feather, blowing it slowly upward.
> Twilight gives an exasperated look with a hint of confusion.
"Stop playing with it, just levitate the feather!"
"I'm trying! It's not like this body came with a manual!"
> You can see confusion overtaking exasperation, then converted to dawning horror.
"You are a fully grown unicorn with NO IDEA HOW TO CONTROL YOUR MAGIC!"
> Twilight freezes, hooves over her mouth.
> You feel obligated to defend your sweet sweet skills.
"Hey, what about all the ice stuff I do? I'm pretty in control of that."
> Twilight pats your shoulder, glancing around at all her expensive, delicate equipment.
"Yeah, that, um haha! How about we talk about this elsewhere? Somewhere far away?"
> Applejack stops dozing off and asks,
"Everything alright, sugarcube?"
> Twilight lets out a nervous laugh.
"Haha, yeah, Anonymous and I just need to talk, in a quarry on the edge of town. See ya!"
> You used to think that if you could teleport at will, you would gain so much weight from not walking.
> As you go from sitting in a basement laboratory to a bright and barren rock quarry, the nausea that hits you disabuses you of your previous prediction.

> On the plus side, Twilight seems much calmer and less likely to accidentally fry you.
"Sooo, what do we need to talk about in a quarry? Are you going to teach me to levitate pebbles or something?"
> Twilight encases herself in a shield bubble before answering, which makes you rather nervous.
"It's just a safety precaution. Normally, when a unicorn starts learning to control their magic, they don't have enough power to do much damage if the get upset or lose control. You, however..."
"I might summon a glacier sort of thing?"
> Conceal don't feel.
> Twilight nods.
"Or blast a hole through the ceiling. Now, first you have to learn to tap your mana pool. Concentrate on the feeling you got when you did accidental magic."
> You stare at her.
> You never really felt anything weird when doing magic, just wanting something to happen and it happening.
"Like what exactly?"
> Twilight face hoofs.
"I forgot, you're less than a day old. Okay here's what you do. Just stroke your horn like so."
> She starts running her hoof up and down her horn, a light blush on her cheeks.
> You no longer have the stuff that correlates to that imagery, but that doesn't stop you from being aroused.
> Tentatively, you start stroking your own horn,
> L-lewd
> And you get a funny tingle down your spine.
> Purple Smart stops her hornsturbation, but the damage is done. A mare is watching you hornsturbate and you like it.
> The spinal tingle extends out, and you become very aware of your belly.
> You stroke faster and faster, and now you feel like you're in free fall, that floating stomach feeling.
> Your breath hitches, and a large spark flies from your horn and lands on Twilight's shield.
> You put your hoof down shakily, and you blush deeply.
"Sorry about that, it just sorta came out."
> Twilight smiles.
"That's what I was looking for. "
> Oh sweet Celestia
> Twilight continues,
"Now hold onto that feeling in your stomach, that's your mana pool. Of course, it doesn't have a physical location, but that's how your mind interfaces with it. Now try calling on it to light up the tip of your horn, just bunch a bit of magic there."
> You focus on the fading feeling in your stomach. It comes back, and you syphon a part of it up your spine, then to the tip of your horn.
> You can see the blue light on the ground, even though it is still the late afternoon.
> Success!
> Twilight squints at you.
"Good, you've got the idea, now dial it down."
> It probably is rather bright...
> You syphon off some of the magic on your horn, stopping when Twilight's eyes are fully open.
"Keep that level in mind, it's bright enough to see by in the dark, but it won't wake up the neighbors."
"Will do. Haha, I can do magic!"
> Twilight gives you an odd look.
"But you already knew that?"
> You nod happily.
"This is nice, standard unicorn magic, though. That's different from being an ice elementalist."