Heart of Destruction: Part 14

Part 14: The Plan
>Twilight is still sniffling a little as she, Shining Armor, and you make your way back to the party.
> “Ah, good, you’re back,” says Princess Celestia, putting down her fork and slice of cake, “Twilight, I understand you are concerned about Anonymous, but you really must let me finish before jumping to conclusions. As I was trying to say, Anonymous’s death is the only surefire solution we have right now, but there are still other options we can attempt before resorting to that. All the other solutions, however, are dependent magic, but I understand that Anonymous is capable of casting spells on himself, am I correct?"
“Uh, yeah,” you murmur, still trying to process what she’s saying, “I mean, yes, your majesty. Well, maybe. We-we’re not sure.” You look to Twilight for some help explaining.
> “Your highness, as you know, he produces a field around him that destroys magic. Even the most powerful spell is broken down and its magical energy dissipated. However, it seems a small amount of the energy is absorbed by him. This means that no external spell can touch him, but we think he is capable of using the stored magic on himself.”
> “Has he demonstrated any magical ability?” asks Celestia.
> “Well, we think he may have teleported.”
> “You are not sure?”
“In both instances, I was asleep, your highness.”
> “Wait, both instances?” says Luna, “We understand that thou may have arrived in our land by teleportation, but what was the second instance?”
>Shit.
“Uh, yeah. A few weeks ago, I teleported into the…” you trail off into a mumble.
> “Sorry, could you say that again?” says Celestia.
“T-the library. I teleported into the library,” you say, your face burning with a blush.
> “You broke into my sister’s home?!” shouts Shining Armor. There goes the rapport you were building with him.
“I didn’t break in, I teleported-”
> “You’re sick!”
“Oh come on, what could I have done? Felt her up with a twenty-foot pole?”
> “If you come near my sister again, I’ll-”
> “Captain Armor!” interrupts Celestia, “Compose yourself! He did not enter Twilight’s home intentionally. You know that magic can manifest unexpectedly for unicorns who have not yet received training. I’m sure every unicorn here, including yourself, has had to deal with nocturnal incantations at one time or another.”
>As the other ponies stare at their hooves sheepishly, she turns her attention back to you.
> “Tell me, Anonymous, have you been able to perform any spells deliberately?”
“No, ma’am. Twilight has brought me a few books on magic, but I haven’t been able to do any consciously.”
> “Perhaps you need to absorb more magic to complete the spell,” suggests Luna.
> “Well, you and I are the two most powerful alicorns in Equestria,” says Celestia, “and Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor possess strong magic as well. If we all direct our magic at him together, then he should be charged in no time.”
“And then what?”
> “Hopefully being charged with magic will allow you to use it, and you can begin training with spells,” says Princess Celestia, “I’ve come up with three possible options. A: You use a teleportation spell to return to your own universe. Since you’ve apparently performed this spell unconsciously, you may have a propensity for that sort of magic. We will have to modify a standard teleporting spell to cross you into another universe, but if we do it right, we can get you back to your world.”
“And if we get the spell wrong?”
> “I won’t lie to you, this is a risky option. A miscalculation could put you in the wrong universe, or floating out in space, or some other hostile environment.”
“Alright,” you say, trying to shake disturbing images out of your mind, “What are the other options?”
> “B: we use a transformation spell. We can turn you into a pony, and your magic nullification will disappear.”
> “That sounds good,” says Twilight.
> “Don’t forget,” says the Princess, “Transformation spells are temporary. Anything transformed will automatically absorb and store magic until it can revert back to its original form. He’ll become human again and we’ll be back at square one. At best, it will only stall the growth of his anti-magic field.”
“And the third option?”
> “We remove the magic nullification field. It’ll take a lot of time and research, but if we can create a working spell, it will allow you to safely stay in Equestria.”
“Stay in Equestria?”
>Ever since you first arrived, you had always assumed you would find a way back to your home…to your family. It hadn’t really occurred to you that you could stay, and yet…
>You glance at Twilight. Her eyes meet yours, brimming with hope.
“I…I don’t know. I need time to think about this.”
> “Very well.” Says Princess Celestia. “All the options require that you learn magic first, so we do not need a final decision yet. We will need one soon, however, especially if you decide to remove the magic nullification field. I would like to have my researchers begin crafting a spell as soon as possible. Let’s adjourn for now. My sister and I have other business to take care of in the town. We’ll meet again tomorrow morning. I hope you will have a decision by then, Anonymous.”
“Yes, your highness. Thank you.”
>You retreat back to your barn. A moment later, you hear Twilight walk in and softly call out to you.
> “Anon.”
“Hey Twilight. Um, I’m kinda busy right now. I got some, uh, stuff to do.”
> “No. We need to talk. I need to know. What are you going to do?”
“Well, I was going to some reading and then make some dinner and-”
> “You know that’s not what I mean.”
>You sigh, and sit down on your bed.
“I don’t know.”
> “What do you mean, you don’t know?” she demands, “You’re staying in Equestria, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”
“Twilight, it’s not that simple.”
> “In the orchard, you said you’d do anything to stay with me.”
>You did. Did you mean it? At the time, you didn’t think you had a choice; you didn’t think it was possible for you to stay. But now…
“Twilight, I… I care about you. A lot. And I’d like to stay. But I have family back home.”
> “Oh, oh no, of course,” she stammers, her face reddening, “your family. I’m being selfish, I’m so sorry-”
“No, no, don’t do this,” you say, “You’ve done nothing wrong. The fact is, I-I feel closer to you than I do to my family. I love them, but I just don’t connect to them as well. I don’t really connect to anyone, really, except you. But it’s not about what I want. It’s about what’s right. They don’t know what’s happened to me. I know they’re worried about me. They don’t deserve all this uncertainty.”
> “Well,” says Twilight, “if it’s about contacting them, it may be possible to send them some sort of note. A piece of paper wouldn’t have a magical nullification problem. We just need to get a fix on their location in your universe and then Spike or I could teleport letters to your family.”
“That would let me tell them that I’m safe and happy, and give me a chance to say goodbye. It’s not as good as being face-to-face, but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing.”
> “So you’re staying?” says Twilight.
“Yeah, I guess I can.”
> “Good. That’s good. I guess I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow.”
“See ya, Twi.”
> After she walks out of the barn, you hear her start jumping up and down, chanting “Yesyesyesyesyes!”
>You smile to yourself. Maybe things will turn out just fine after all.

>The next morning, you tell the princesses of your decision.
> “I’m glad to hear that you plan to stay,” says Celestia, “but it will be difficult. We need to teach you to use magic, and we can’t do that until you absorb more.”
> “Luckily, you have some of Equestia’s most powerful magic users helping you,” says Luna, “if my sister, young Twilight, Captain Armor, and myself all use our magic on you, we can charge your body and begin your training sooner.”

>You are all inside the barn, you on one side, the princesses, their guards, and Twilight and her brother on the other side. Several feet to your left, an X is scratched into the floor.
> “You seem to have a natural affinity for teleportation,” says Princess Celestia, “so we’ll try to start with that. As we charge you with magic, try to picture yourself standing on the X. Don’t be surprised if you miss the target, though. Right now, we’re just trying to determine what level you’re starting at. Is everypony ready?”
>You nod your head. The princesses, Twilight, and Shining Armor all lower their heads, pointing their horns toward you. Light, golden, blue, and pink, emanate from their horns. As the beams strike the edge of your magic nullification field, they break apart, scattering sparks. Most of the light dissipates, but a small amount, like colored smoke, breaks through, drifting slowly towards you. It enters through your mouth, your nose, and even your eyes. You’re inhaling it, drinking it in.
> “It’s working!” shouts Twilight, “He’s absorbing the magic.”
>You can feel it filling you. Their power courses through your body, swirling through your veins and finally concentrating itself in your head. You feel a flaming line extending from the center of your brain to the center of your forehead. ‘The pineal gland and the parietal eye,’ a part of you thinks, ‘that explains the location of the unicorn’s horn.” Before you can scold yourself for not focusing on the spell, a sudden pain blasts through your head. Then another. And another.
> “Anon, are you okay?” asks Twilight, noticing your discomfort, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, I’m fine!” you grunt, before falling to your knees. The pain is growing more severe, pulsing with every beat of your heart. You start screaming, clawing at your forehead.

>The last thing you hear, before blacking out, is the screams of the other ponies joining your own.