Burning as rocks and sticks
May was the best month of Equestria. A snow was going away, and the sun was warming the earth. Flowers were blossoming on trees, and their pleasing smell was everywhere. If you didn't want to leave your home, it would be a nice reason to do it. Also, there was amazing baking's smell, which was gone from Cugarcube Corner. There was only one customer, who was a grey unicorn with blue mane, sitting at round table and eating his banana cake. Meanwhile, Maud and Mudbriar decided to visit Maud's sister Pinkie in Cugarcube Corner. They sat next to counter, where the pink pony baked pies and cakes. When she saw sister and her special somepony, Pinkie distracted and began tell them about candies and parties.
"... And this is how I organized the party for Little Feather on the top of mountain! She wants to become a climeber. So it was a little piece of her dream, which had become true". Pinkie ended her story.
"I'm glad she liked her party. Well done, Pinkie". Maud calmly said, a bit hugging her sister.
"Technically, it was adorable story. It's so good I'm not Little Feather. I wouldn't like a party on a mountain". Mudbriar shaked a little.
"Why? Mountains are great!"
"Maybe, but not for pony, who has acrophobia".
"What-what?"
"An acrophobia is a fear of height, which includes..." Mud wanted to start a lection about it, but Pinkie closed his mouth with her hoof.
"I see. Don't worry: I'll rid you from this silly fear!" Pinkie tried to catch Mud, but he started brush off.
"No, thanks. Technically, I came here to eat a pie in calm atmosphere, not to clime on roof or mountain. If I need your help in fighting with my fear, I'll let you know." Mud a bit sarcastically said, but Pinkie retunded to her place. The grey stallion breathed out and continued eating his pie.
"I swear you won't have this silly auerophobia anymore!"
"Technically, it's an acrophobia".
"Whatever. I'll be fly like a Pegasus, I mean".
"Technically, I am not a Pegasus, so..."
"Just eat already!"
The dialogue of Pinkie and Mudbriar finally ended, and ponies continued eating their pies without talking. When bakings didn't lay on plates, three ponies wanted to walk around Ponyville. Suddenly the grey unicorn, who was mentioned in the beginning, timidly came to our characters.
"Excuse me? I hope you are not hurring anywhere. I think you do. And then you'll tell me to go jump in a lake..."
"What? We are not hurring! And we won't banish you. We would like to listen you, mister! Right, guys?" Pinkie asked her friends. They nodded.
"If so, let me introduce myself. My name is Silver Bell". After those words Pinkie, Maud and Mudbriar gave their names, too. Silver nodded with wide smile.
"What do you think about our banana cakes?" The pink pony asked Silver.
"I think it's one hundred banana filling of ten!"
"Nice! I'm glad you like it!"
"It's her best baking". Maud added.
"I'm sure in this. By the way, I am the magician".
"Wait, you work in musical instruments shop in Ponyville, don't you?"
"I do, but, also, I like magic. It's really interesting as music and something else, too. But I wasn't going to talk about it. The reason of my appearing is: I... I really need help. I really need some kind ponies as you are. Others even didn't listen me. Plea-a-ase, help me. If you want, I'll pay you!" Silver made sad muzzle and put his hooves in pleaing.
"How can we help?" Maud asked.
"With your presence and support. You can help me, if you follow me. You don't risk anything, I thought about everything, including the smallest details. If something goes wrong, it will only be my fault. But this won't happen, because I worked hard, I swear on my life! So will you help?"
"Of course, it will be really fun!" Pinkie exclimed.
"If it is so important to you, Mr. Bell..."
"Technically, we agree to help you".
"Call me just Silver. And thank you so much!" Silver hugged them. "Come on, my home isn't so far. Everything will be fine!"
Our ponies followed Silver. After twenty minutes they stayed next his house, which was usual and even cosy. Even if the grey unicorn was a bit weird, his home didn't look different. Pinkie didn't think about it, but Maud and Mud were afraid of Silver's weirdness. Mudbriar was sure: if Silver tried to attack, he would stop him, while girls would find help. Maybe, the grey stallion looked lean, but it didn't mean he didn't have some muscles. Maud was sure, too: if the grey unicorn tried to hurt them, she took big rock and hit Silver's head. Of course, our stick-and-stone couple would do it only if circumstances forced them. They really hoped Silver was good pony.
"Wellcome to my home!" The grey unicorn said. Our ponies looked around. There were books, drawings, posters of musicians and papers, which were scribbled by researches. They saw a lot of facts about creatures who had signs of pony and dragon. The Kirin were there. Also, there were Kirin's anatomy, Kirin's favourite food and Kirin's culture.
"There is a lot of Kirin! Hey Silver, you like them, don't you?" Pinkie asked. Silver smiled and blushed.
"Yes. I am their biggest fan! The Kirin are cute, lovely, interesting, kind, nice..."
"They are great". Maud stopped Silver's words.
"He-he, you right. I visited their village a few months ago, and it was awesome! They told me everything about themselves, especially paying attention on vow of silence. Do you want hear this story with drinking tasty tea?"
"Of course!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Everypony went to kitchen, where Maud, Pinkie and Mudbriar sat at big table. Silver poured tea into their cups. Instead of tea, he poured coffee in his own cup.
"Once upon a time Kirin sang, talked and laughed, they lived very good. But one day they really quarreled and became the Nirik. This is how their fiery versions of themselves named. And that's why the Kirin burned their own village! Their leader, Rain Shine, sent all Kirin to the Stream of Silence, because of which Kirin stopped talking and showing emotions. Do you know the continuation?"
"Oh-oh, I know, I know!" Pinkie squeaked. "Later the Kirin named Autumn Blaze had found flowers, which returned her speech ability".
"Ye-e-es..." Silver held out his words and started using his horn, but our ponies didn't notice it.
"But others didn't accept as talking one. Rain Shine made her choose: Autumn could live with all Kirin without speech or could live with words lonely, in other forest. She chose the second one". Maud continued.
"Technically, later Applejack and Fluttershy found Autumn Blaze and convinced Kirin that anger isn't bad within certain limits. Kirin started talking again". Mudbriar ended the story.
"Great!"
Silver's horn lit up the entire kitchen. Poof! Blue haze covered the whole space, surrounding Pinkie, Maud and Mud. The grey unicorn waved his hooves, getting rid of the smoke that had evaporated after a few seconds. And then Silver began to squeak no worse than Pinkie, though a little lower in tone. He is a boy, after all.
"Oh my Kirin, it worked! I did it, I did it, I did it!"
And happy Silver began to jump in the kitchen, unashamedly. Pinkie, Maud and Mud looked at each other and froze: each had long manes, curved horns and big ears, scales on their backs with muzzles and long fluffy tails. Silver made our friends the Kirin.
"Wow, guys, you look amazing!" Pinkie said.
"As you do". Maud answered. "Silver, this is why we are here, isn't it?"
"Yep, I create the spell of becoming Kirin. You need to drink the special tea decoction, which you just consumed, and cast the spell. And yes, it worked!" Silver began to examine them, unceremoniously touching their horns and manes.
"Technically, I would ask".
"Well, Mudbriar, sir, I have to make sure this is not a dream. Try to experience the magic. Take your cups with your horns".
Pinkie strained her new horn, and her cup soared like a rocket and crashed into the ceiling with a piercing crack.
"Wow, this is truly the space cup! It probably hung out with Princess Luna when she was imprisoned on the Moon". Pinkie laughed.
"Wait, I'll write it down now! How amazing!" Silver wrote this unusual phenomenon in his notebook.
Now it was Maud's turn. To everyone's surprise, the magic came easily to her, and her cup moved smoothly to the opposite end of the table.
"That's how, smoothly and slowly, basalt lives". Maud said . Silver as a diligent student wrote down it.
Mudbriar didn't manage his horn very well. The cup flew, but then collapsed to the other side with a quiet hum. And it didn’t want to get up anymore.
"Don't be upset, sir, magic is hard to control. You just need some practice".
Mud didn't appreciate the comment and looked away involuntarily. It was a shame that he was the only one, who could not cope with magic.
"So, now the last touch: you have to pass the test of your ability to create fire". Silver continued. "Try to get angry".
"But how can I get angry? Kirin form is so great I don’t want to be angry!" Pinkie laughed. And then Mud had an idea. He smiled slightly.
"Technically, I can prove there is nothing good here". And then Mudbriar, as a wound-up one, began to give arguments against the Kirin, supplementing them with his many "technically". Pinkie lost her temper.
"CAN YOU NOT SPEAK "TECHNICALLY" AT LEAST FIVE MINUTES?!?!?!" Pinkie the Nirik was all on fire. Mudbriar immediately fell silent, and Silver, setting a fire fighting spell on his house, began frying marshmallows over Pinkie’s burning mane and happily chewing. After a couple of seconds, the pink Nirik calmed down and became the Kirin again.
"Sorry, but Mud was too loose".
"I needed it. And wow, that was great! It was the first time I fried marshmallows on Kirin's head, hooray! Mudbriar, you are next".
Mud sat without moving or feeling any emotion, as always. Can he be angry at all? And then Pinkie whispered Silver something in his ear, making the unicorn grin. With magic he took Mudbriar and dragged him out into the street.
"It's time to get rid of acrophobia!" The grey unicorn began to lift the grey Kirin up, higher and higher. He twitched and tried to resist, but nothing. The earth was moving away, and Mud was getting worse and worse.
"Enough! Technically, enough!"
"Nope, now let's launch you into space! You will be the first Kirin-cosmonaut, sir. Great, huh? While you surf the space, I'll hit some pinatas by your sticks!"
"Don't you dare!"
Mud didn't completely become a Nirik like Pinkie, but his mane was slightly smoky; and fangs grew in his mouth. Silver wanted him to be completely transformed, so he din't lower him. But Maud, being dissatisfied with his behavior, burned unicorn's sides. She could not let this stallion mock her special somepony. Silver cried out and lost control of the magic, and Mudbriar fell down with screaming. Maud caught him directly above the ground. Poor Kirin was trembling all over.
"Oh ... t-thanks, Maud. Technically, I would have crashed".
Maud hugged him, reassuring. Mudbriar's trembling subsided.
"Sorry, Silver, but you left me no choice".
"No-no, don't apologize, it's my fault. And yes, the fiery ability works. Super! Thank you for your cooperation!"
Our Kirin nodded fairly. Suddenly, a grey unicorn poured himself special tea and drank it in one gulp, after which he performed a spell. The blue haze that vanished so quickly enveloped him.
"Look, now I am a Kirin, too!" Silver again happily squeaked and jumped.
"Ya-a-a-ay!" Silver hugged his new friends tightly, not restraining tears of happiness. "I'm sorry, but I'm so happy, but I cannot help sobbing! When I visited Kirin, I was so imbued with them that I wanted to become a Kirin, too. And finally, my dream has become true!"
"Don't worry, you can cry. It is very good when you cry with joy!" - Pinkie hugged Silver, who didn't stop crying.
"We are glad to help you, Silver." Maud smiled slightly.
"Technically, it's adorable. But Silver, may I ask you?" Mud distracted Silver from entering into final ecstasy.
"Yes, sir. What?"
"Could you turn us back into ponies, please? I didn't say we didn't like being Kirin, but still".
Silver's smile fell immediately, and then grimaced; eyes squinted to the left. He brushed away the tears and hesitated.
"Oh, how would I tell you...It’s very hard to understand...It’s very difficult and not good...You see, I haven’t made up the spell of becoming back, yet. He-he".
Maud and Mudbriar didn't change in the faces, but deep down they made facehooves. And Pinkie found a trumpet from somewhere, losing the sound of failure.
