A Shallow Pool

by RunicTreetops

Rating: everyone
Tags: Second Person, Spike, Comedy, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Anon, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5723

While getting adjusted to your new life in Equestria, you take it upon yourself to learn how to use magic. As it turns out, this is harder than it sounds, especially considering you're a human.

One day while taking the long train ride home from Canterlot, you began to wonder what it would be like to use magic. According to your dear friend Twilight Sparkle, this should be physically impossible. From your perspective, pretty much everything in Equestria is impossible. Sounds like it's time for Equestria's resident human to get cracking.

Published 2022-07-03 07:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-07-03 07:00:00 UTC

A Shallow Pool

Author's Note

Hello! This story takes place sometime during Season 3 of Friendship is Magic, and although it is technically a sequel to my previous story, "Royal-Tea for Two," it is not necessary to read that story before this one. I appreciate any and all feedback!

A Shallow Pool

A Shallow Pool

The Equestrian landscape was as beautiful as ever. The sunset was on full display, coating the already vibrant autumn landscape in a gorgeous collection of yellows and oranges. You briefly considered the possibility that Princess Celestia was trying to impress you. It wouldn't be the first time.

Your train car rumbled slightly as it navigated the mountainside. This had become routine for you as of a couple of months ago. Your "arrangement" with the Princess of the Sun meant you spent your Sunday mornings on a train bound for Canterlot and your Sunday evenings en route to your home in Ponyville. You would never complain, of course, as these weekly meetings with your royal compatriot were not only something you looked forward to, but they were also your idea (so you're somewhat stuck doing it whether you like it or not out of social obligation). At least the view made the trip home more bearable.

Princess Celestia (or just "Tia" as you had come to call her behind closed doors) actually mentioned something about your transport during your previous meeting. Apparently she was looking into some sort of teleportation that might work for you. Something to do with runes and a magic circle or something. She was a little vague, probably in an attempt to keep it as simple as possible for your feeble, magically ignorant brain. You'd miss the view, but that would certainly save you having to dedicate a whole day to afternoon tea.

Teleportation, huh? You leaned back into your seat. It was pretty uncomfortable. Equestrian furniture wasn't made for humans, so leaning back meant that the upper quarter of your spine reached over the back of the seat. You had the car entirely to yourself, giving you a rare moment of quiet away from the endearing yet extremely talkative ponies of this land. You've adjusted to your new life in Equestria by now, but that doesn't change the inescapable truth: You're very different from these ponies. From everycreature in Equestria, actually. Not just in stature, but in culture, in perspective, even in biology. Indeed, leave it to you to be the only living creature in the entire world to not operate using magic.

It was a theory proposed by your good friend and housemate Twilight Sparkle that your body possessed no magic whatsoever. You believed this of course, as until your sudden appearance in Ponyville one day, you had thought that magic didn't exist at all. Then you inadvertently proved this theory by remaining unaffected by a creature that functioned off of draining magic from others' bodies. Props, Twilight. You can't exactly gripe about your "normalcy" seeing as it's not only the only way you've ever lived, but it also saved your skin from the aforementioned creature. Still, you can't help but wonder what it must be like to manipulate magic.

Twilight explained this all to you months ago, and you're gradually learning more as you occasionally help Twilight with her research. Every creature in Equestria runs on magic. It isn't a tangible thing, and it can take many forms. It's practically undetectable unless manually manipulated, but very few species are capable of such manipulation. Thankfully, unicorns are one of said species. Creatures like earth ponies and pegasi passively utilize their magic through the use of physical force and flight respectively, while other creatures such as dragons with their magical fire breath are a sort of middle ground. You, however, have no such magic. It's actually a bit worrying, as there is no data on what magic may do to your body, so Twilight tries to keep any spells cast on you to a minimum.

...Imagine casting a spell to reach a book on a high shelf, or shooting an energy blast from your hand, teleporting to your afternoon tea with the princess, levitating, flying, kicking a tree so hard it drops its fruit. Cute though they may be, these ponies are cool, man.

By now the sun has set, and the dim lanterns at the train station guide you on your path to town. Not that you really need them. Light pollution is almost nonexistent in Equestria outside of places like Manehattan, so the moonlight fills the verdant fields and rolling hills around you with a pleasant blue hue. Looks like Princess Luna is working hard, too.

Ponyville was fairly quiet. It wasn't completely deserted, and you gave a slight wave to Berry Punch as you made your way to the Golden Oak Library. You gingerly opened the door, noting that Twilight thoughtfully left it unlocked for you. Creeping inside as quietly as you could, you made your way to the staircase leading to Twilight and Spike's upstairs living space. Peering up, you saw the faintest candlelight giving the wood a slight glow. Either Twilight was up late studying again, or Spike was being particularly sneaky and reading the latest Power Ponies issue past his bedtime. Either way, you decided to leave them be and turned around with a slight smile, this time making your way to the staircase on the opposite side of the room with a bit less concern about your noise level. You descended into Twilight's laboratory, a spacious room filled with gadgets and instruments big and small, the walls charmingly lined with the roots of the hollowed out tree this building was made from.

You help Twilight with these machines from time to time. There is the occasional scale or oscilloscope, but where you're from, almost all of these devices would be considered pseudoscience. Of course, working on them with a magical purple pony girl tends to change your perspective on what is "pseudo" and what is "science."

Gently working towards the far side of the room, you stopped to admire one particular machine. Twilight put you under this one not long after you learned of your now-permanent residence in Equestria. She asked you to sit down and strapped a huge helmet-looking contraption to your head, trying to figure out what "makes you tick" so to speak. Apparently she had tried this before with another of your new friends, Pinkie Pie, though that endeavor ended quite embarrassingly for Twilight. For you, though, it just provided the evidence that sparked Twilight's theory about your relationship to magic. The machine was apparently supposed to show how one's magic responded to outside events by monitoring said magic's patterns in the subject's brain. Whereas Pinkie's results were completely unreadable, yours were completely blank.

A small chuckle escaped your lips. Truly, no thoughts, head empty. You reached the other end of the lab and faced a recently installed wooden door. A door that is much taller than any pony could ever need, but a comfortable fit for a human like yourself. There is no lock on it, and you let yourself in. You lit an oil lamp resting on a nearby table and take in your surroundings. A small room, but at least large enough to accommodate you. What was once no more than a particularly large closet became your particularly small bedroom. A dresser, a mirror, a small desk with a wooden chair (that actually does take your height into account) and a wall-mounted shelf were all that adorned the room. Your bed was nestled into the wall on top of a curved root that formed a sort of spherical cranny. All in all, it was cozy. Helps that Twilight doesn't make you pay rent.

You still insist on doing so though. What are you, a monster? You get comfortable and nestle into the incredibly soft bed. Staring at the ceiling, you begin to think about what tomorrow may bring.

...Huh. You're off tomorrow. The whole week, actually. Your boss, Mr. Davenport, was going out of town this week. You're not really qualified to run a business, and seeing as you are his only employee, he decided to close "Quills and Sofas" for the week, granting you ample free time. How will you use it?

Let's see. Twilight and Spike will be heading to Canterlot tomorrow for Twilight's annual report to her teacher, who just so happens to be Tia. Rarity is busy finalizing her new line of seasonal dresses. No, not fall dresses, winter dresses. You'll never understand fashion. Applejack will be equally busy preparing for cider season. Fluttershy is on a trip with Dr. Fauna and won't be coming home until next week. Dash is back in Cloudsdale visiting her parents, and Pinkie is doing the same at her family's rock farm (seriously, how does that work). So, it looks like you're on your own.

You haven't really had much free time to yourself since coming to Equestria. You've spent most of your time adjusting to your new life, either studying, working, or getting acquainted with the many creatures that inhabit this new world. You've never put much thought into what you would want to do given time to yourself. In truth, it's kind of hard to think of things TO do. There is no internet, and most of your comforts from your old life are equally absent. You could go to the spa, but Aloe and Lotus tend to have a hard time figuring out how best to approach the relaxation of your foreign body. Bowling, maybe? Eh, you'll figure it out tomorrow.

Oh, you forgot to turn the lamp off. Dang, and you left it on the table next to the door. You stare longingly at the flame, and reach a hand out to it. You flex the muscles in your arm and imagine what it must be like to be a unicorn and have the ability to magically turn it off from the comfort of your bed. Alas, you are magic-less, and you must leave the warm sheets to turn off the dim oil lamp. If only.

Wait.

You sleep in the next day. Why not, right? After eventually motivating yourself to get up and get ready for the day, you take a step into the library. Twilight and Spike awoke hours ago, and were now going over what seemed to be an excessively long checklist of things before departing for Canterlot. Twilight noticed your presence and greeted you with her usual adorable smile. "Oh, good morning! You certainly look like you slept well. How did your meeting with the princess go yesterday?"

You rubbed the back of your head. A nervous habit you're slowly becoming more aware of. "Ah, well, you know. The usual. Just talkin' about human stuff and how different it is here."

Twilight let out a knowing chuckle. "You know, you two seem to talk about 'human stuff' a lot. Ever think about changing it up a little?" Sharp as ever, that one. You both know you're lying. Your tea sessions with Tia revolved around her venting her frustrations about being the ruler of Equestria, perhaps with a bit of slight flirting thrown in to lighten the mood. You were the great Princess Celestia's confidant, though you swore to tell nobody about what goes on in that small tea room. Not even her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

Spike finally looked up from the ridiculously long piece of parchment. "Alright, we've got it all covered. For the sixth time." He gave Twilight a slight glare before noticing you and giving you a wave. Twilight switched her attention to the dragon assistant. "Alright, sounds like we can get going." She looked back to you once more. "Is there anything you need before we head out?"

You were about to give her your usual "I'm fine, you two have a nice trip" before remembering your idea from last night. "Actually, there might be. Are there any books in here about where magic comes from?" Twilight's eyes immediately began to sparkle (heh) and she excitedly dropped her saddlebag and ran to a nearby bookshelf. Ignoring the impatient glance from Spike you followed her, and she levitated a small handful of books into your arms. "This one covers general information about how magic exists in the universe, this one explores theories about how magic takes its form in individual creatures, and this one is a personal favorite of mine, detailing how unicorns first learned to cast spells!"

She was certainly worked up. You thanked her for her help before seeing your friends out. Lugging the books to a nearby reading table, you plopped down into your seat. You wanted to use magic, darn it. This world has proven that nearly everything you have ever believed to be impossible was in fact possible, and you won't allow your lack of magical ability to be the exception.

Unfortunately for you, your excitement drained quickly. You have nothing against reading, but this first book is way too technical for you. Minutes turned to hours as you poured over the contents of the book with as much energy as you could muster, until you eventually found yourself waking up from an unintentional impromptu nap on top of your reading material. That was enough for one day.

The next day you started on the second book, and found this one much more interesting. The general idea was that the author proposed a theory in the form of a metaphor. While magic exists on its own throughout the universe in countless forms, each creature has access to their own "pools" of magic that they can draw from. Things like flying or casting spells pull from this pool at different rates, and individual creatures can have vastly different pool sizes. Meanwhile, things like casting numerous or particularly powerful spells may drain the pool entirely. This wears out the creature in question, but their bodies will naturally still have enough magic in them to function properly. They will simply be tired, and their pools will "refill" as they rest. On top of this, frequent manipulation of magic can allow a creature's pool to grow, much like exercise. You can't help but make comparisons to mana in a video game or muscles in the human body.

The natural conclusion to draw from this would be that you don't have a pool at all. At least, that would be the case if Twilight's machine is to be believed. It took you a couple of days to finish that book, and tomorrow, you would start on the third. Reading is tiring, darn it.

The story of the first spell turned out to be simultaneously extremely interesting and shockingly boring. The first spell itself was an interesting read, but the dated writing style and the author's fixation on seemingly trivial details made it a slog. You can't help but wonder how much of this is fictional, but if Twilight recommended it you figure it has to be at least a little accurate. Ultimately, the unicorn in question was obsessed with the purpose of her horn, and constantly strained herself to use it. It was too fragile for anything physical, so much like you tried in vain to turn off the oil lamp from a distance, so too did this unicorn point her horn at anything she could think of and strain herself to make anything happen. Finally, while lounging about one day, she wanted to reach an apple on a table across the room. She once more strained herself and focused on her horn, and to her surprise, the apple lifted off of the table slightly. This birthed her exploration into the world of magic and led to the society of unicorns that we know today.

There's only one problem. You aren't a unicorn. You do not have a horn, and you don't even know if there is any magic pool to pull from. Still, you were adamant about this. No matter what, you had to try.

At least, you would tomorrow. You were tired.

Tomorrow came, and you feel stupid. The apple has been sitting comfortably on that table for hours, and you didn't think you would get so worn out just focusing. Your arm was sore from being outstretched so much, and your neck wasn't much better (hey, if unicorn magic comes from their horns, maybe yours comes from the same place?), leading to an ultimately uncomfortable afternoon.

You took some time to make yourself a late lunch. The vegetarian lifestyle took some getting used to, but you didn't really have a choice after your arrival in Equestria. You still remember how freaked out poor Fluttershy got when she "examined" you and saw your canines. Thankfully these ponies have some banger recipes. And tofu, the original impossible burger. If your readings are to be believed, you were likely refilling your magic pool at the moment. If there was any magic that needed refilling, at least. Or a pool in the first place.

As you were preparing to return to your seat and get back to looking like a fool all day, you heard a knock at the door. It was unlocked, but whoever just arrived figured that out before you could say so. From the door emerged your good friends and housemates, apparently home early from Canterlot. Spike took Twilight's saddle bag upstairs while the unicorn happily greeted you.

"So, how has it been? I see the tree hasn't blown up, so I suppose you're at least doing okay?"

You were about to tell her about the past few days, but a sudden wave of embarrassment overtook you. Twilight already told you there is no magic in your body, and here you are, sore all over, trying to levitate an apple like an excited child who just finished watching their favorite sci-fi movie.

"Heh, yeah, I'm doing just fine. You know, just some light reading, that's all. I, uh, see you're home early. Something happen?" Excellent job changing the subject there, mate. She doesn't suspect a thing.

"Oh, you mean those books about the origins of magic? I hope you enjoyed them! Even in spite of the old Ponish, I think they're an incredibly exciting read and offer untold insight into the magical potential of ponykind! Speaking of, we're back because of a new spell Princess Celestia just came up with!"

"New spell? How does that relate to you coming home so quickly?" Wait a second, you might actually know something about this! "Did she finish that teleportation circle thingy?"

"Yes, actually! I see your conversations about 'human stuff' have gotten a bit off track. I'm surprised she told you about that, actually." You don't know the half of it, Twilight. Actually, if it wasn't for the fact that she made it for you, she probably would have just considered it over your head and not mentioned it. You decide to ask Twilight how it works.

"Well, to put it simply, using a specific combination of runes in conjunction with some powerful enchanting spells, particularly capable unicorns can create magical teleportation circles. Standing in the circle allows a creature to be transported to a specific location set by the circle without any need for input! On top of that, if a unicorn is familiar with a specific circle, they can cast an extremely simple spell to teleport massive distances without much effort! Isn't that fascinating?"

Ah. So without a second circle in Ponyville, only your return trip from Canterlot would be instantaneous. At least, so long as you couldn't cast an "extremely simple spell." It was at this point that you caught Twilight looking quizzically at the apple you had sitting out. Her gaze then shifted to the chair conspicuously placed across from the apple, and then back to you. A strange mix of joy and confusion was showing on her face, causing you to realize that you've been caught.

"Do you, uh, want to discuss the apple in the room, or...?"

No hiding it now, doofus. You decided to come clean with her. Something something Element of Honesty and all that. Though, you couldn't help but avoid eye contact. You were probably beet red in the face as well. All the while, Twilight simply listened with a completely straight face. After a bit of an awkward silence, she let out a small giggle and gave you a grin.

"You know, you're far from the first creature to try something like this. Attempting to cast a spell like a unicorn is basically a rite of passage for little earth ponies and pegasi. Heck, even Spike tried copying me not long after he hatched. It isn't anything to be embarrassed by, especially for someone as curious about this world as you."

"No offense Twi, but comparing me to a bunch of children isn't really doing much for my self-esteem here." She clearly meant well, but you still felt humiliated.

"No no, you're right. Sorry. I promise I'm not laughing at you if it makes you feel any better. If anything, I'm excited that you're so eager to become more ingrained in our culture. Here, I'll even give you a few pointers."

"Pointers? You think you can actually teach me how to do magic? I know magic is like your whole deal and you have the fancy butt symbol to prove it, but don't you think that's a little far-fetched?"

"To be completely honest with you, yes. All evidence so far has indicated that you have no magical pool whatsoever. But in spite of that, you're still in here trying, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't support your endeavors regardless of my personal reservations? It's not like it's harming anyone, so why not give it a shot?" Dang. The support and friendship of these ponies never fails to surprise you. "And by the way, can you PLEASE not call my cutie mark something so vulgar?"

"Nope. You're stuck with it forever, purplesmart. Still, though, where do I even begin with this? So far I've just been trying to replicate that book."

The rest of the evening was spent with some strict instruction from Twilight, as well as some mild jeering from Spike. You didn't have to strain yourself as much, and Twilight tried her best to get you into the mental state necessary for a simple levitation spell. It's more mental than physical, so your stiff and sore muscles were thankful for the break. However, it wasn't quite clear what your form should be, given that you are both bipedal and horn-less. As wonderful as the instruction was, it seemed fruitless.

"I'm sorry. I can tell you really care about this, but there's not much else I can help you with. I would encourage you to keep practicing, but without even a spark to identify some sort of reaction to your magical pursuits, I can't say in good faith that you're making much progress."

"I understand, Twilight. Thanks for all your help anyway, I'm sure you had plenty of other books to read or papers to write today. I may just give up this whole thing. It was really informative, and I don't necessarily regret it, but it's hard to stay motivated when there are no signs of anything working. I think I'm just going to go to bed for now and give these weary arms a rest."

"Well, goodnight for now! If you need anything at all, you know where to find me." Bless her heart, she tries so hard for everyone around her. Hopefully one day the rest of Equestria will get to see how wonderful of a friend she is. But that's a discussion for another time, as you were exhausted in spite of not actually doing much.

You didn't know it at the time, but one floor above where you slept in the dead of night, an antsy boy crept out of the little dragon's room. With no light to direct him to the stairs that would lead to the soft heaven known as his bed, he failed to notice an apple laying conspicuously on the ground. A trip and a yelp later, he placed the apple back onto the desk it was laying next to and headed to bed.

True to your word, you stopped your intensive efforts to levitate an apple. The days went by as they had done before. Your friends returned to Ponyville, you went back to work, and all was peaceful. Every now and again you would make some small effort to move something in your room or grab a kitchen utensil with magic, but to no avail. You did feel a little tingle in your hand once, though. You attributed it to the strain of moving both quills and sofas all day long. Then, one day, you decided to help Twilight with her monthly library re-organization.

Why did you agree to do this? There are like, thirty-eight quintillion books in this tree, and she's so particular about how she wants them. The Pony Decimal System is something else, though Spike seemed to understand it just fine. He glided along the upper shelves on his wheeled stepladder in an obviously unsafe fashion, earning him frequent scoldings from Twilight. Boring though it should have been, Equestria never fails to put a smile on your face.

All was going perfectly fine, when a sudden yelp from above got the attention of both you and your purple colleague. Spike was fighting to reclaim his balance, as he seemingly stumbled backwards on the ladder. He lurched forward, grabbing the bookshelf for leverage. Unfortunately, all he managed to do was throw off the weight of said bookshelf, and the next thing the three of you knew, an avalanche of books as well as a baby dragon were about to crush Twilight and yourself. With only an instant before impact, there was pretty much no time to react. You threw your hands out in front of you to hopefully save yourself from the literary onslaught. To your surprise, impact never came. As you looked up, you realized that the books were levitating in the air, surrounded by a purple glow.

...Wait a second. You're doing it! You used a levitation spell on those books! You couldn't help but let out a laugh of joy and relief as you looked to Twilight. She turned her head to look back at you as well. Huh, that's weird. Her horn is glowing.

...Oh.

The books (and Spike) were gently laid on the ground. "Spike, I told you to be more careful! Somepony could have been seriously hurt!" It was at that point both she and you noticed that you still had both your hands facing skywards. "Oh, uhh, hehe. Sorry if I got your hopes... up...."

Twilight's jaw slowly dropped as she looked upwards. Confused, you followed her bewildered gaze. There, in the center of the room, about four feet above your head, was a single tome. The story of the first spell, one of the books you had read just weeks prior, was levitating above you, encapsulated in a lime green glow. Your eyes shifted focus from the book to your hands, which emitted a near identical glow. You gasped, and the book promptly fell directly onto your forehead.

Ow.

Silence filled the room as all three of you simply stood there in astonishment. It was Twilight who broke the silence first.

"I... You did it. You did it! You cast a spell! You CAN do magic! Oh, this is so exciting! You can be like my student and we can study spells together and we can research how different species effect spellcasting and eeeeeeee!" She did an adorable prance in place and hugged your waist.

Spike spoke up next. "Frankly I think this is a little unfair. I tried just as hard as you did, you know. Ah, well. You'll still never be Twilight's number one assistant! And, you'll never be able to do this!" Spike followed up his retort with one of his iconic burps, producing a scroll that landed softly in his claws. "Wait, this is from Princess Celestia!"

Twilight almost instantaneously let go of you and broke the royal seal binding the letter. Being the speed-reader that she is, she looked up at you and Spike only seconds later. "She's on her way here! NOW! This is too soon, I'm not ready, we HAVE to get ready!" She grabbed Spike and rushed upstairs, apparently eager to prepare for the princess's arrival. After your first few tea sessions with her, you stopped trying to look particularly formal around the princess. Still, you decided that you should still be presentable and joined your treemates in getting ready for the visit.

Unlike her usual grand entrances with a regal chariot, Celestia simply apparated in Ponyville, right outside the town hall, with a couple of royal guard escorts. She had thankfully warned you that she would be doing so in her letter, so the three of you had ensured that the area was cleared out beforehand. Twilight and Spike gave a courteous bow, and though you did bow as well, you threw in a playful wink, earning you an amused smile from your royal friend. She looked at Twilight and began to speak.

"It is as wonderful as ever to see you doing well, my student. I know you have said as much in your letters, but I take it the teleportation circle worked properly? No injuries or unfortunate accidents, perchance?"

"Of course not princess! It worked perfectly, because why WOULDN'T one of your spells work perfectly!? You, um, wouldn't happen to have the runes on the Canterlot side inscribed anywhere, would you?" Smooth, Twilight. Still, you were curious as well. To your understanding, so long as a unicorn knew the runes, they could easily teleport themselves to a teleportation circle.

"Actually, Twilight, that is exactly why I am here." One of the guard stepped forward and presented a regal-looking scroll with a circular drawing inscribed upon it. "I figured my star pupil should be able to reach her mentor a bit more easily. Plus, I will gladly take any chance I can get to visit my favorite subjects." She gave a wide smile that you recognize as a genuine one. Her attention then went towards you. "I must apologize to you. I know I must have gotten your hopes up when I last spoke of the circle to you. I can get you home just fine, but I am afraid it's impossible for you to use the circle to get to Canterlot without any magic."

Frankly, today turned out way too good for you. What were the odds that you not only managed to learn how to do magic, but also that you would immediately be able to apply it in front of your two closest friends? "Actually, Princess, I may just be able to do it after all."

You took turns with Twilight explaining your escapades in learning magic, from reading old Ponish to messing with apples to catching falling books earlier that afternoon. Celestia listened intently, apparently completely absorbed in your story, before she spoke once more.

"I must admit, I am quite impressed that you managed to accomplish any feat of magic, especially without a magic pool. Still, this is indeed wonderful news! Not just for what you may accomplish, but also because you can use the circle in both directions now!" Okay, your excitement was starting to turn to anxiety. You accidentally levitated a book, and now she expects you to teleport halfway across Equestria? "Don't worry, it's a very simple spell. Here, Twilight and I can walk you through it."

After what was indeed a brief explanation, you found yourself standing alone. Every other creature took a step back and waited. In that moment, it seemed that time stood still. No one dared to take a breath as you looked downwards at the floor and closed your eyes, imagining the runes on Twilight's new scroll in as much detail as possible. You tried as hard as you could to block out all other senses, focusing entirely on those runes. The feeling of others around you melted away as the only thing left was the image burned into your mind and the mild heat upon your skin, though that too began to fade. After a few moments, you could feel yourself losing focus. There was no way this was going to work. You allowed yourself to open your eyes, and for a brief instant, you saw a green light dissipate around you.

Around you stood a beautiful vista. You were no longer in the center of Ponyville, and instead you looked down from the balcony outside of Princess Celestia's very own bedroom. Against all odds, you had done it. Not long after, Twilight, Celestia, and the guardsmen followed, with the latter pair promptly leaving the Princess's personal quarters. You gave the mares an excited smile before being overcome with a wave of fatigue. If you had to describe it, it was like jet lag and a migraine hitting you all at once, and you fell to the ground. Celestia helped you to your feet (poor, short Twilight wouldn't stand a chance if she attempted to do so), and looked at you with an expression of excitement and pride.

"You really do have a magic pool. You had nothing, and yet you created a source of magic for yourself. A shallow pool, perhaps, but even the mightiest oceans began as nothing more than a small indention in the ground." Twilight seemed just as excited and began speaking of the possibilities. She wanted to teach you illumination spells, shield spells, short-range teleportation spells, even object transformation spells. Though at the moment, you just wanted some rest.

You were right from the beginning. Anything really can happen in Equestria. So long as you have friends willing to support you, you really can do anything. This marked your second major victory in this new world, and as far as you were concerned, cemented your place as one of its citizens. Still, though. You will miss that view on the way home from Canterlot.

...Probably.