Product of Friendship (My Little Pony)

16 Magic Lesson (1/3)

"Move it gently, now" Starlight advised at Wist's side. Starlight had invited Wist to a shiny library to begin their magic tutoring. Wist did not hide her distaste, complaining about the place being as gaudy as she remembered. However, her words did little to blemish Starlight's routine. Wist found the mare to be specially prepared for today.

Wist adhered to Starlight's guidance and retained a yellow apple suspended in the air, coated in her green aura. Wist strained her face, deploying the utmost concentration she thought had unleashed in her life. All for a simple fruit of all things.

"You're too stiff, Wist," Starlight said. "Relax your body. Move it smoothly as if it was naturally swaying your hoof."

"I got it," Wist gritted. She never imagined a practical magic lesson like this would prove so difficult. Her vast tank of magic was working against her. Something she prized as one of her greatest strengths was failing her in her pursuit of everyday spells. When she first lifted an apple, she immediately shot it up to the ceiling, splattering its contents on Starlight's crystalline wall.

Starlight witnessing Wist's dramatic failure served as a prick to her ego. She didn't hope for it, but Wist expected to stun Starlight by blowing through these basic spells. She experienced the worst-case scenario.

Retaining the apple's place in the air proved difficult for Wist. She could feel the untouched portions of her magic encroaching on her horn, tempting its freedom to be spurt out. Wist heaved her mind to put a cap on them, but at every turn, it would try to pop out.

"I..." Wist shivered at the pain thumping her head. It was like her magic battering within her skull, now demanding to be let out. "I can't keep this up."

"That's good enough," Starlight said. "Now lay it down gently." Wist felt Starlight's hoof suddenly brushing across her mane. The love dampening over her head made her forget the qualms she suddenly had. She would like nothing more than to bask in this rapture for hours. "Gradually cut the flow of your magic."

Wist tried her best to follow Starlight's instructions. She couldn't risk failure after Starlight went this far to calm her. Wist's struggle was so blatant to notice, and it infuriated Wist of the doubts it would seep into Starlight's mind.

As Wist lowered the apple near a table, a spark from her horn startled her and within a nanosecond, the apple shot up to the ceiling at hi-speed and splattered its contents on the wall.

Wist dazed at the stained wall. Minutes of deep concentration ended yet again in grotesque. "Why can't I get this right!?" Wist roared. "I thought this was supposed to be easy!?"

"You're making progress," Starlight warmly added, despite the ire glow in Wist's eyes. "It wasn't too long ago when you would punt an apple in a millisecond."

"It shouldn't be that way! Years of scavenging and studying to become a witch and I can so much lift a single apple in the air without turning it to paste?"

"And I gather as a witch that you've only trained with hex spells. Not the typical magic that can sprawl into the fundamentals. Quite the opposite, in fact. Hex spells are curses hinge upon negativity."

"You seem to know plenty about dark magic," Wist said, gazing curiously at Starlight. "You wouldn't happen to practice the dark arts, would you?"

"Well," Starlight shifted her gaze away from Wist. The stink of shame mantled over the sweet scent Starlight discreetly relished in. "It was something I thought I needed in the past. But I have put that behind me."

"Now this is a shock," Wist purred. Her wicked grin apparent and vexing to the now regretful Starlight. "The esteemed headmistress of the School of Friendship had partaken in the dark arts. Now, what would your precious princess think about that?"