Dreams of Alicornification (ATTN: Novaburst All others PM to join)

[Lux]

Art Credit  Also first Twilight thread! WOOT!

 

The doors to the Royal Ponyville Castle opened as out stepped a rather sleep deprived looking Princess Twilight Sparkle as she squinted in the sunlight like a mare who hadn't seen the sun in a while. Of course while trying to study the bioluminessence of certain rocks and plants one had to be in complete darkness which made for having to conduct experiments late at night with dark curtains. Well now with that out of the way it was time for her to  rejoin the land of the sun in Ponyville and reconnect with some ponies in town. 

 

As she made her way down the streets though, she couldn't help but feel watched. She was used to now being seen as a curiosity being a newly minted Alicorn, one that was a passing thing once ponies got used to the idea, but this was a feeling like a pony wasn't just giving her a passing glance. This one was studying her like she was some specimen. 

 

"Hello there," she said to the stallion in question, "Is there something I can help you with?" 

[Novaburst]

"Yes, you can actually.  How exactly did you do the spell that turned you into an Alicorn? Were there any particular items you needed to cast it or was it something from your horn? Also, have you ever had problems controlling your magic?"

 

Nova Burst asked this, because he was curious about how Twilight a Unicorn previously had transformed herself into an Alicorn. If she could do it, and do it pro-properly perhaps there was a way he could become an Alicorn as well. If he could become an Alicorn maybe there was a way he could potentially put an end to surges from his horn, something he desperately needed to do.

 

"In addition, would you be willing to help me learn to control mine, and eventually turn me into an Alicorn? My name's Nova Burst."

 

Nova's horn surged with uncontrolled energy once more, like it did on a routine basis without his horn cover. Fighting the energy, Nova was attempting to block it from doing anything. But it did more than he wanted and fired a low powered blast in Twilight's general direction.

 

​"Sorry Princess, I can't control my horn's power that easily." ​

[Lux]

Princess Twilight tried opening her mouth to speak, but every chance was stopped by the stallion's questions. This wasn't the first time that she encountered a pony asking how she became an Alicorn, and it probably wouldn't be the last. After all, it wasn't every day that a pony became one! At first it was strange for her to address the questions, as hearing ponies ask them was like them asking her why she had a purple coat or why she was gifted with magic. But now she seemed more open to talking with others. What interested more than the stallion's questions though was the flares of magic that seemed to appear while talking. Perhaps this line of questioning was less about her and more about helping him.

 

"Pleased to meet you, Nova Burst. I see that you seem to know me already. I'm not sure about the entire process but I can help you to Gah!" 

 

Twilight suddenly put up a magical shield as a blast from Nova Burst's horn fired directly at her! It was an automatic reaction, formed from her many battles and a little help from her brother teaching her his talent years ago. 

 

​"Sorry Princess, I can't control my horn's power that easily." ​

 

"Hmm... I can see that. No need to apologize though as these thing can happen. I know they did with me. Now then, perhaps we should find a place to talk, one maybe one where it's less crowded. Follow me." 

[Novaburst]

"Hmm, do you have any ideas where? Typically I avoid places with well anypony, anydragon or any other creature because the power of my horn is dangerous, as you've just seen. I'm exerting phenomenal levels of effort in order to bring my horn's power under control, and even that doesn't help sometimes. I built a device called a Horn Cover that forcibly repulses the magical energy back into the horn, but each time I use it the surges when I take it off are...worse. I'm even addicted to coffee as when I sleep sometimes I surge, and the Horn Cover starts to burn when I wear it all night long, waking me up. "

 

Nova started to follow the Princess,  known as Princess Twilight.  Hopefully they'd arrive somewhere he could learn to control his horn, or become an Alicorn or both. If he could do both, then there was a chance the Alicorn race eventually could become less rare and a part of every day life. But right now he cared about stopping his horn from being a danger to anyone else. Her shield spell was one he didn't even have in his arsenal.

 

"Would you be willing to tutor me in magic? It might be one way we could potentially bring the surges under control."

 

A yawn proceeded out of Nova's mouth, as his eyes drooped a little. But he forced himself to stay awake. Fixing this issue was more important than a few hours of sleep. His issue was a danger to well...everyone. There had to be some way to contain it.. Some pendant, or gem,  maybe even a forgotten element of harmony? No. There were no Forgotten Elements of Harmony as all had been put into that tree, the Tree of Harmony.  What he needed was a solution, regardless.

[Lux]

Well, the stallion certainly was very forthright in his opinions as the two of them continued walking down the road. It was clear that his issue with his magic was a problem, to the point that he crafted a rather ingenious system meant to dampen the effects of his magic. Even his best efforts though only could suppress the problem rather than fix it. It was debilitating enough that the stallion avoided ponies and other races. Going to meet her was a risk for him. Still she wondered what her being an Alicorn had to do with helping him. Did he think that becoming an Alicorn would help his issue? 

 

"Would you be willing to tutor me in magic? It might be one way we could potentially bring the surges under control."

 

"I'm not sure if I can tutor you or anypony at this time, but I will try to help you as best as I can. As to where we are going, we are actually here." 

 

The two were now on a hillside overlooking the town of Ponyville. It was a beautiful place and perhaps to the stallion's relief open and free of ponies at the moment save for Twilight. 

 

"This is my favorite place to go when I need time to myself. My friends and I also like to come here for picnics as well. Now then, you have two things you're asking me, although I'm beginning to think they're interconnected. One is asking me about how I became an Alicorn and what it is like and the other is how to help you with your issue with your horn. So, which one would you like to tackle first?" 

[Novaburst]

"So Princess Twilight,  what I did wasn't considered treason?" asked Nova Burst more out of concern for any of the Unicorn, Pegasi or Earth Pony Guards who likely would be required to arrest him for the attack that he hadn't meant to do on Twilight Sparke.

 

As she was an Alicorn and a Princess it was a treasonous act basically to attack her, but in his defense he hadn't had full control at that time. It would be some time before he did have full control over his horn. Stopping the surges was only part of the battle, because once he did he'd have to broaden his knowledge of magic.  There was a lot Nova Burst needed to accomplish.

 

"We need to focus on the most dangerous issue first. The issue of my horn, to be exact. I wonder how we could bring it under control. The horn cover's something I whipped up. I normally love inventing, but with all the moving I've been doing lately to avoid contact with every race so that I don't accidentally surge and cause problems, I haven't had time.."

[Lux]

"So Princess Twilight,  what I did wasn't considered treason?" 

 

"Treason?" Twilight said looking at the unicorn with an awkward glance until it dawned on her, "Oh you mean your magic. No Nova, what you did was an accident, not an attempt against my welfare. Oh I'm sure some of the guards might be a little nervous, but don't worry, I'll explain to them what happened." 

 

"We need to focus on the most dangerous issue first. The issue of my horn, to be exact. I wonder how we could bring it under control. The horn cover's something I whipped up. I normally love inventing, but with all the moving I've been doing lately to avoid contact with every race so that I don't accidentally surge and cause problems, I haven't had time.."

 

Twilight nodded in agreement at Nova's decision. There was time to talk about her being an Alicorn later, and the pony would be happy to do so. But now came to helping Nova feel more comfortable with his magic and being around other ponies. 

 

"I agree. Your safety and the safety of others is the most important. You acknowledge the problem which is the first step to having it solved, yet your creation though admirable and very ingenious, is just a temporary solution. Now then, I'm going to ask a few questions to help reach a way to help you. So first, how long have you had this issue and when did you first remember experiencing these magical bursts?" 

[Novaburst]

"You see, I was raised by Earth Ponies as my parents. Thus, I never had the training. So I'd honestly have to say all of my life I've had this problem. I don't know how the surges happen, or why they happen.  I do know they need to be stopped so I can be around others without risking injuring them. "  

 

Nova Burst was more than a little nervous about the pwoer possessed by him inside of his horn. Once he'd even tried to build a battery or storage unit to contain some of the power of his horn, but that had been a complete and total failure of an idea and hadn't worked. 

 

"Eventually in order to keep them safe from the influence of my horn and it's destructive power, I struck out on my own. Eventually I made amends for blowing up their house about 2 times, with my horn Princess Twilight Sparkle. So you can imagine I want this problem solved. I've tried siphoning some of the energy from my horn off, and that didn't work either. I've tried the horn cover but every time I use it the surges are worse the next time. You know, I don't even have any friends because I'm afraid...of hurting them with the power inside my horn. It's a worry that makes me avoid other ponies because I don't want to risk injuring them."

 

 

[Lux]

One of the first things that Princess Twilight Sparkle learned from Princess Celestia as a filly was that listening was just as important than talking, maybe even more. The Alicorn took copious mental notes outlining the extent of the unicorn's issue. This wasn't something new but instead happening many years. The surges were very powerful, enough to cause damage to his family's residence. The device he made, though ingenious only made him dependednt on it, and when he took it off Nova Burst experienced worse flares. As the Princess of Friendship, what troubled her the most was hearing that because of his magic and the fear that it would go out of control he had few friends. 

 

"Hmm... most unicorns experience magical flares as a foal when they are experiencing their first projections of magic, but once they gain control these surges go away. Your magic seems to have not advanced beyond the initial surges despite your power increasing. While it may be because you were raised in an earth pony family, there may be more to this. How often do you have these surges and how long typically do they last?" 

[Novaburst]

"As far as I can remember, all of it. And typically it varies dependng on the amount of magical energy within my body."  Nova Burst didn't like the surges of his horn at all. If he had his way the surges his horn did would be dealt with.   "As to why the surges get worse, I may have a theory on that. You see the purpose of the Horn Cover is to 'bounce' the magical energy back into me before it can leave my horn, preventing the surges. This in turn causes the energy to build within me even more than it normally would. I've never been trained to do magic properly, Princess. So I don't have many spells I can cast, which could be part of the problem.  Perhaps if we were to broaden my knowledge of magic and you were to do something to me, a spell to prevent the surges we might be able to solve my issue. Maybe then I could have friends, but now I can't until this problem is resolved."

[Lux]

"Well you certainly put much thought into your plight," Twilight said reviewing in her mind what Nova said, "I agree that the horn cover does more damage than good bottling up the energy to dangerous levels like that. That is why foals have such a hard time controlling it until they are taught. What seems to be the problem is that you weren't taught how to use magic properly and as such your body just keeps accumulating such energy until it releases in a flare."

 

Twilight thought about the next course of action for the stallion. Right now she couldn't have a permanent student, but maybe a little impromptu lesson could work. 

 

"I don't think a spell will help you to suppress your surges as that is what your horn cover is for and you know what happens with that. So I think the best way is to learn how to use magic practically so you can use it more frequently which hopefully will reduce your surges. What kinds of spells do you use regularly and how often in a given day do you regularly use magic, besides the random flares which you have no control over?"

[Novaburst]

"Well when I'm inventing, I tend to have about 3 barrier spells ready in case my inventions should for whatever explode. I also make use of the telekinesis spells quite frequently when working with machinery as well, but I've never been taught how to do them properly. The spells I use now aren't spells, but techniques I've created that work similar. They're not very efficient,  and they don't drain nearly enough energy probably when I use them, Princess Twilight."

 

Nova Burst paused for a moment, considering how to word this question.

 

"So, do you honestly think it will be safe for me to be around other ponies?"

 

Nova Burst was afraid, not for himself but for the other ponies. Of course when you had a problem like he did, you worried about others getting hurt by it.   This worry was what kept him away from any species because he didn't want to risk hurting them,  at all.   "Or should I keep running, and hoping not to hurt any pony with my powers even with the lessons?"

[Lux]

The spells that Nova Burst mentioned using frequently were very basic ones that many unicorns first learned. While this gave the Princess an idea of the limits of his training, there was one last thing she needed before she could even attempt to help teach Nova Burst. 

 

"Ok, so I'm starting to get a sense of the limits of your magic, and you're right I think that your lack of training has a big part in it. Before i begin though, there's one last thing that I need to know. Every unicorn has a baseline when it comes to their magic. This is where they are and where training will start from. So, let's start with telekinesis. It seems you can lift small objects for your projects, but let's see if you can move something big. Like... that." 

 

The Alicorn pointed with her hoof at a boulder resting on the ground that was big enough to reach her chin. 

 

"So try to move that boulder, but first you'll need to remove the horn cover. As i said bottling up your magic will do nothing to help you in your progress other than cause problems. Don't worry if your magic surges as I'll keep a shield up." 

 

"So, do you honestly think it will be safe for me to be around other ponies? Or should I keep running, and hoping not to hurt any pony with my powers even with the lessons?"

 

"Running from this and being without friends is definitely not the answer. I may not be able to help fix your magic entirely, but I will with instruction and practice help you to use your magic to lessen the excess. Then you'll be free to meet other ponies with confidence!" 

[Novaburst]

Nova nodded and removed the horn cover.  Power surged forth that had been repressed within him and he did indeed manage to lift the boulder. Yet unfortunately his magic chose that moment to surge,  hurling the boulder despite his wishes at the person who gave off magic nearby that wasn't his, in this case the Princess Twilight Sparkle. When Nova saw the boulder coming at the Princess he concentrated and attempted to do a spell he had never done before. The spell was a beam of energy, a beam of raw magical energy that cleaved the boulder in half before it could even come near the princess. Yet this wasn't your normal spell but one that Nova Burst himself had made up.

 

"I'm sorry Princess. I'm trying my best to get the surges under control. I did succeed at lifting the boulder, so at least we can chalk that up to progress. You're right though. I will need to learn how to use magic properly. At least one day I won't have to worry about nearly hitting people with boulders when I try telekinesis."

 

For a moment,  Nova Burst was stunned. What he had just done was something he'd never believed to be possible. An offensive spell. True it wasn't one in the books, but it was still progress.

 

"My first ever offensive spell."

[Lux]

Twilight prepared herself for whatever Nova would do with his telekinesis. He could potentially not be able to lift the boulder, but the Princess didn't imagine that this would happen. Nova didn't seem to lack power but control. She smiled as the boulder was held aloft but then she watched as surges of energy suddenly sent the stone at her! She charged her magic, prepared to reduce the boulder to a pile of pebbles, but then to her surprise the boulder split in to, falling on the side of Twilight harmlessly. 

 

"I'm sorry Princess. I'm trying my best to get the surges under control. I did succeed at lifting the boulder, so at least we can chalk that up to progress. You're right though. I will need to learn how to use magic properly. At least one day I won't have to worry about nearly hitting people with boulders when I try telekinesis."

 

"No, it's ok," Twilight still a little stunned at the events, "What was proven here that you have the ability to cast the spell and with great power. The issue I think is two-fold: control of the spell and your body's regulation of magical energy. But what amazes me is your offensive magic." 

 

"My first ever offensive spell."

 

Twilight could hear the surprise in the stallion's tone, and the Princess was surprised to. 

 

"That was your first time using an offensive spell? I'm impressed. You cleaved the boulder almost perfectly in half and without hitting me in the process. Have you studied such a spell from a friend or in a book?" 

[Novaburst]

"No on both counts, Princess. I just concentrated, and thought of what needed to happen to save you. In this case, a beam of energy that was like a knife that could cut through the rock, easily."   It was bad that he didn't have more of an array of spells, because doing his magic improperly encouraged the surges as he had little control. The energy of his horn started to surge, but not in the ways it normally did. The normal ways it did were harmless enough and could be stopped if he put enough effort into controlling them. In this particular case, his horn fired a beam completely identical to the one he had shot at the boulder...directly at the Princess and yet he couldn't control it.  Of course given the spell was one he had made up on his own, little control was something to be expected.

 

"Watch Out..."   This was shouted by Nova as he tried with all his might to rein in the magic from his horn, to prevent it from firing, to do something to stop it. But yet in the end, he could do nothing to halt it.  "I've done my best princess, so I'm sorry if my control isn't good enough."

[Lux]

Twilight was fascinated by the response Nova Burst gave her as to his magic. Most unicorns, including her before being a Princess, learned either by trial and error using a spell in a book or under the guidance of a more experiences unicorn or in her case Princess Celestia. But before she could respond Nova's horn flared again as a shot similar to the one that broke the rock fired out. She had moments to react as she teleported away, the blast missing her by an inch before striking a branch of a nearby tree, reducing it to splinters.

 

"Phew! That was too close," Twilight said upon reappearing, clearly looking nervous, "But I think now we're getting somewhere. I want to test something. Try thinking of casting a shield, but don't actually cast it."

[Novaburst]

Nodding his head,  Nova Burst thought about a shield. There were a lot of ways that one could create a shield spell but he had no formal education,  like a Unicorn should normally have. Instead what he'd have to do was think of the what he wanted his shield capable of doing, and the how said shield would function properly.  With that in mind what he had thought of was a bubble made out of air around him that spun at high speeds, thus capable of blocking attacks that came against him, even magical bolts of energy. Yet as per the instructions of the Princess he didn't cast the spell, and thus nothing happened.  His horn didn't surge because he hadn't even allowed a single bit of magic to go, and activate the spell he had come up with.

 

Honestly Nova was a bit scared of his own potential power as a Unicorn. Becoming an alicorn may not be a wise choice but he had considered things. Hopefully if he were an alicorn the strength of an Earth Pony would flow through his veins allowing him to reign in his magic, with the help of the speed of the Pegasi. Yet it was only a theory of his, not something he remotely knew where actually to begin on at any time either now, or in the future.  Though maybe he could engineer some high tech gadgets that ran off of his magic, in order to help him prevent future surges.

 

 

 

[Lux]

Twilight braced herself for the test she gave Nova, but even when he thought about the spell nothing came of it. This certainly debunked her theory that if the stallion thought of a spell that he would automatically cast it. Still there was something she wasn't quite sure. 

 

"Alright, so when asked to resist casting a spell you are able to do so, but this doesn't account for what happened with the boulder or afterwards. One was certainly an unconscious decision while the other incident seems to be an echo of the previous spell. Does having the same spell happen twice a common occurrence for you?"

[Novaburst]

"Sometimes it does Princess. It can get annoying when you lift multiple things. Given I didn't even know the basics of what a Shield Spell is,  I had to come up with design for one, how it would function, what it would look like, all of that.  In short,  I had to come up with the spell's Functional Blueprint if it were a machine before I could cast it. Due to that,  I think some of the glitches might be caused by faulty designs of the spells I cast. Like lifting that Boulder, for example. I simply created a beam of 'anti gravity' that shot from my horn, lifting it into the air. A simple enough design, but inherently flawed in that you can't control anti gravity that easily, unfortunately."

 

Nova Burst sighed for a moment.

 

"As for the other attack,  I'm not sure. It could have been an Echo, but I really don't know. I apologize for the attacks that keep coming in your direction."

[Lux]

"Well, magic is complex, but you don't have to overthink it like creating a blueprint for it. Still given what you know, and don't know, I can see this as somewhat effective. But what I've seen is that your magic, minus the attack spell aimed at me last, has a purpose. You used your telekinesis to lift the boulder and then used the spell blast to protect me."

 

She thought about asking Nova to demonstrate him making a spell shield, but she thought against it seeing what happened before. 

 

"I think now we can move onto you learning magic. But here isn't the place since the materials i need aren't here. Are you willing to head to my castle? If you're uncomfortable travelling through town, I can try and teleport you there." 

[Novaburst]

Nova burst looked at her. "I'll be willing to go through town, Princess. But I'll wear my horn cover until we get there to prevent any potential discharges. " Nova Burst was tired of his horn bursting forth uncontrolled magical energy. "  Sighing, Nova Burst levitated his horn cover and re-attached it over his horn blocking any of his spells from working, and causing the magical energy to once more build up within his body. It was painful, sure. But it was better than the alterntive of nearly killing someone with the power of his horn.  Nova Burst knew that he had to do something about his horn in the mean time. Training with the princess would help in that regard, and perhaps she could help him with a few of his technological ideas.

[Lux]

Twilight sighed but didn't stop Nova from using his horn cover. The Princess knew that Canterlot wasn't built in a day, nor would his issue be fixed immediately. She could understand that the stallion didn't wish to cause destruction to the town or harm to the ponies living there. While the hill was a good place to test his spells, all her books and other things needed for practice were back at the castle. She could bring some to her, but the castle brought him to her realm where she could control more things. 

 

"So Nova, I understand that you haven't had much teaching from unicorns," Twilight said as she led Nova through town as the castle grew larger, "How much have you studied on your own?" 

[Novaburst]

"Very little. I normally prefer to work with mechanical devices rather than use magic, however I'm learning.  Yours is actually basically the extent of my knowledge, other than making up the spells as I need them."

 

Nova Burst sighed, annoyed at the lack of knowledge he had in the area. This was one of the reasons he had the surges, cmplete lack of understanding of his magic. Sure he could use it, but he didn't understand HOW he was doing it. Knowing the how and properly casting his spells would go a long way to making him more confident.

 

"I have a few basic spells, levitation, energy blasts,  energy constructs to grab things... not very much."

[Lux]

As Twilight suspected, Nova Burst didn't focus his efforts in using his magic which hearing his plight made her understand why. It was interesting thought that he made up spells to suit his need, which showed that he he possessed some talent for memorizing some spells. 

 

"I have a few basic spells, levitation, energy blasts,  energy constructs to grab things... not very much."

 

"Well, everypony has to begin somewhere with their magic, and i find it interesting that you can cast spells that are new to you without have to memorize them much."

 

At last the two entered the castle foyer, their hoofsteps echoing off the crystalline floor. 

 

"Welcome to my home the Castle of Friendship," Twilight said as she let the stallion take it all in. Even though this was her new home, even she still had moments where she couldn't believe she lived here. 

 

"Right now will be heading to the basement. I have a space there that I use to practice magic, and I think this will be a good place for learning magic." 

 

She then led the stallion through one of the many hallways connected to the foyer and turning a corner they descended a spiral staircase that ended in a dark room where it was difficult seeing how big the area was. With a flicker of her horn several crystals attached to the ceiling and pillars holding up the castle illuminated, showing that the place was one big open room save for the pillars.