14.5: How to **Really** Meet Your Stallion

***Extra A/N: definitely some parts of this chapter may be considered NSFW***

**Buttercup's Apartment, Baltimare, Equestria**
**Evening, 001 Summer CC**
**Silly the Colt**

That applesauce was a banger. I could eat that sh!t all day, but mom and... what's his name? Mac-something? I was busy with the mush and missed them. Must have gone somewhere. I don't know. I feel awake.

Kevin's books are in mom's bags by the couch. I was able to fetch them easily enough. Now, if I could only concentrate a bit on the reading.

I can hear them through the walls. Wherever they are, they're definitely doing it right now; and I don't think it would be a good idea to go find them.

She sounds like a harbor seal trying to pass a kidney stone except somehow deriving guttural jubilations from the experience. And it is most definitely her in the driver's seat. Is it normal for stallions to take the passive role in the bedroom? Or in general? Not sure that's for me.

I'll have to think about that, because there is a certain freedom having someone else shoulder the bigger responsibilities as opposed to being the one free to make the hard decisions.

One of the first things in Kevin's books:

Mares are dominant. Deal with it.

He has a big ol' chapter in there about it, but I'm not looking for sociology right now. I want something a little more fun.

Doesn't appear he has any objections to mom taking the lead in their activities. He? Dad? I don't remember ever having one of those. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with one. But then, I don't really remember having a mother either. I do remember a story about some children having to pay a Parent Tax. D@mn. I don't have a job. When do they collect that around here?

"Ung~! "

If the moans weren't coming from his voice, I would have mistaken him for one of those foreign fictional schoolgirls -schoolfillies?-from Before... What were those called? Anime-toons? ... No, that doesn't sound right. Meh. Doesn't really matter.

From what I can gather without seeing, it seems that the actual act doesn't seem to take very long. I can't tell if his refractory time is pretty good or not; I'll have to take some notes at some point and compare the data a little down the road.

After I get a better grasp on the language, I'm going to have to put 'biology' on my list of things to research. I want to think ponies have documented the clinical evidences given how Kevin's notes seem to be put together.

One of the biggest sections in these books here are vocabulary. That's good.

He was always a smart guy and not as sterile as some of the Others -if the shadows of my memories are anything to go by... I think. So, it is possible he summarized and condensed a lot in his own words, but I think it's more likely that he was just being efficient with what was already available.

I don't really know why, but the sounds they're making are not weird or uncomfortable. Instead, I get a sense of reassurance from their extremely healthy affection towards each other. It almost motivates me to want to live up to their eager and... voracious example.

No reason to rush puberty, though. Being a foal is way~ too fun right now. ... I kinda miss Spitfire already.

"Ung~ " That is dad.

"Hrawh~!" That's... mom.

Okay, maybe there is a little bit of weirdness. I just cannot imagine how such a volume of splashing is coming from a room without any running water... unless they busted the wall? They really might have. The bathroom is right next to mom's bedroom, after all. There is no way it isn't raining downstairs either way. The neighbors below will probably complain... If they don't, they're weird.

I am going to assume it is coming from broken shower pipes.

***Possible NSFW***

**Pear Butter**

He's panting as hard as I am. That's right, big guy. I might be small, but I can still make you work.

... I don't remember it ever feeling like that before. Until just now, I thought Granny's stories about her late stallion were just that: stories. Who ever heard of a stallion actually lasting this long before? I don't even know how long it's been now.

And there is absolutely no way I will ever complain about that.

"Ah think," he huffs, "you really missed me."

Me laying on his chest and he on his back, I speak into the crook of his neck, "Same," oh, it's been a long time since I've been so out of breath, "can be said about you," I pant, "Sugarcube."

"Wh-?" He gulps some air and tries to control his air, "What was that? There at the end?"

"Ah'm~" I start to answer but notice that his taste is still quite strong. Oh! My tongue's lolled out. Wow. It hasn't done that since pear cider season last year. "Ah'm not sure. But Ah do remember mah fillyfriends from summer camp mention somethin' a while back. It's... it's a little embarassin' though."

He raises an eyebrow in question.

Yeah, I suppose I should tell him. "You know how when you toss a stone into a still pond little waves go all over the water?" I ask.

He nods, "Of course. You and Ah've done so many-a-time."

I take a few licks of his chest and neck, "Well, they said something like that happens when mares roll around in the hay with each other."

He furrows his brows in confusion and tilts his head, "Huh?"

"Well," Sweet Celestia, he tastes good, "Ah think most stallions just don't last long enough to make that happen. So mares won't learn about it without another mare. You see?"

He thinks for a moment, looking off at nowhere, before concluding, "Ah don't think Ah know too much about any of that, but Ah do know Ah've never done three times in one day before -let alone within one hour."

Nibbling and nuzzling, I say, "And Ah don't knows Ah can rightly express how thankful Ah am for that."

"Does," he slowly starts to ask, "does it feel good? That ripplin'?"

I can answer that right away, "Oh~ yes. Ah don't think Ah quite have enough words for it." I do have to ask this, "Might -uh- might you be up for some more?"

Speaking with more clarity than he seems used to, he answers, "Ah do feel... more today than Ah ever have," and then adds after a moment, "Ah wonder if this is how mah Pa felt with Ma. Ah ain't callin' her false, but some of those stories seemed a mite stretched... till now, anyhow." As much as she doesn't like the Pears, Granny does always seem willing to recount her fond memories of her late husband's 'mounted expeditions.'

Oh, if he awoke his daddy's rumored vigor-! Yup. I have to tell him. Now.

"Bright Mac?" I ask.

"Hm?"

I start, "When we get back home," I have to swallow. I really am nervous about this, "Ah plan to start gettin' things ready to ask you to marry me," his eyes widen, "all official-like." His breath seems to hitch, and I can feel that familiar pressure that only my stallion can make that I love so much. "Seems liker yer Little Mac likes that idea."

Smirking, Bright Macintosh replies, "He ain't so little." I am more aware of that than any other mare.

Laying on his back, I scoot down just a bit and get it set then sit straight up so he has full view of me, and I reestablish my grip on his lower half with my hind legs. His eyes go right down there and seeing just how full he's made me. It's also nearly time to feed Silly by the feel of'em.

Oh, just the thought of Bright Mac dragonboating me! I wonder if he really would?

"L- let me rephrase," I say, "'Ah think yer Big Mac seems to like mah idea.'" His eyes are hungry -that's good- and he nods as he reaches over with his forehooves to my thighs. "Oh! That-"

With a flash of worry, he lets go, but I quickly correct him, "-That- ah~ k- keep rubbin' mah -ah- Cutie Marks." He nods and resumes tentatively. "Those ripples- Ah can feel them s- startin' again!" He smiles wide, and we both resume in earnest like two ponies in a desert who just found a life-saving oasis.

**Silly the Colt**

I haven't witnessed either of those two display any true nature-pony strength; but every time I hear some furniture cracking in mom's room amid bellows of primal pony precussious pronunciations and entirely enthusiastic and ecstatic exultations, I gain renewed respect for how gentile they have been with me so far. They could probably squish me with little effort.

I will be surprised if there is anything left of that bedframe but sawdust. How they haven't busted through the floor and on down to bedrock will remain a mystery for future generations to fathom for it shall ever be beyond my ability to reason.

"Hrr~rahw~!" That roaring is definitely mom.
"Ng~ung~!" The more demure purring is... definitely not mom. I just... I don't know if I should feel proud for him or embarrassed. Regardless of who is pitching or catching in there, they both sound like they're dealing with it like a pair of champions.

Maybe it's not normally like this, and they have merely been pent up? One can only hope.

Another bit of biology I should take note of when I find it is: anything on mating cycles. I have no idea if their echoes of brutal euphoria will result in Big Macintosh. Oh! That's a name I remember! Hooray for me!

... Hm~ I wonder if I can infer his great future-stature as a result of the intensity of his beginnings. I'll have to conduct more research.

Window's open. I should probably close it. There's a little shelf under the sill. Hopping up is easy enough.

Looking out the window, I can see most of the neighbors in the building next to this one sitting next to their open windows. What? Some of them are looking up thisaways and everypony's ears are turned up towards here.

...

None of them seem particularly shady, creepy, or nefarious. They're just seem to be enjoying the music mom and dad are making -some more than others. I haven't seen any radios. I guess this is what passes for entertainment when all you have are books.

They should get a friend like Spitfire and play tag and wrestle... Yeah, I miss her.

That mare over there is totally getting her clop on. No shame over there. Is that normal?

Well, that's that. The parents sound like they're in-between passions at the moment. Might as well check out Kevin's books.

Alright. Let's see... Section on vocabulary, some culture, some history, a few hard warnings, too:

Avoid the Everfree; seriously, it's nightmare fuel.

Sh!t. That's not ominous at all... He did say plagues exist in this world. I guess there are worse things out there, too.

The majority of the books seem to be about magic, though. That is very good for me.

Even better, I think he did something to the text. When I touch it with my hoof, the words change from Equish to something I can read. Ballin'. I wonder how he did that.

I'll have to send him a 'thank you' note. Looks like one of his drop-box addresses are in the inside cover. That part is in Equish, but I think it kinda looks like an address...

One cannot just cast a spell.

Right. So, the first spell any unicorn usually learns is Telekinesis. It's usually a natural extension of one's mind -or Will- and as a spell does not act the way most spells work, because most spells have various requirements.

One of those requirements is: Knowledge. One cannot have mastery over most spells without knowing about that certain thing. Kevin goes into a lot of detail on this, so I suppose it's important.

Don't just start casting things until you understand a spell completely.

For example, the most basic Fire spell requires the caster to know the chemistry of fire. Ponykind do not have knowledge of the atomic or subatomic; but they do know about many elements I would associate with the Periodic Table, and they have the mathematical base to understand and express the change of matter which includes the release of an energy in a thermal chemistry equation.

Therefore, if I were to try to cast the basic Fire spell -or Fire I- I would need to know about the substance I am igniting, the spark I am creating and manipulating, and even the resulting materials from the combustion.

Fire I is only the size of a small spark and barely strong enough to light a candle should one not pour enough magic into it, and it's usually only ever learned and used to ignite the driest kindling like hay or lint -stuff that is very easy to start a fire with. It's comparable to striking a flint with a piece of iron.

To make a spark with Fire I, I would need to know about the thing that is originating the spark and the thing that I'm passing the spark onto which I intend to accept the chemical reaction. Because fire is fundamentally a type of chemical reaction. Kevin makes this distinction in his book but notes that ponies don't generally make that distinction without going really deep into studies -like college-level or beyond.

Some of the most common things a pony might spark with Fire I are Oxygen or Hydrogen; and these won't spread through the air when sparked, because the air is naturally saturated with various other things. However, a spark in an Oxygen or Hydrogen-rich environment would be a very different story.

It is reassuring to me that at least this much of the world's fundamentals Here are similar to the world from Before.

Most volcanic regions are dominated by Dragon-folk, according to Kevin, so ponies have not been able to study the various fumes which might surface from geological activity. However, ponies are aware of a few other easy-to-obtain combustive materials like methane and sulfur though they do have different terms for them. It is possible that natural gasses exist in those areas, but no pony wants to go and find out.

He writes that Hydrogen and Oxygen are commonly found in organic matter. So, most unicorns try to study about at least this much, because Fire I helps ignite the fuel in their homes' hearths. He writes that Carbon and hydrocarbons exist.

I suppose that means DNA is probably a thing in this world, too?

Basically, the caster 'sparks' some 02 or H2 from the air by willfully manipulating the electron bonds and moves that reaction onto the dry hydrocarbon fuel source which then starts the chemical reaction.

While these are Kevin's conclusions with his knowledge from Before, the bulk of a Fire I spell book would describe this with far different terms and more vague notions -almost like a lofty philosophical concept- by invoking the process as just 'magic.'

I suppose he was right when he said I used to be a gardener and had some experience as a field medic. Both of those things require some form of knowledge organic and inorganic chemistry. It would explain why I think I feel a little more comfortable with Kevin's addition of the chemistry.

In addition to detailing Knowledge of the chemistry and mathematics in the example of Fire I, a spell book would also enumerate Safety concerns: how to behave if a spark got out of control, putting out small fires, what to do if the fire becomes bigger than one can handle, stop-drop-and-roll, and how to treat various burns, etc.

While those things are not necessarily a part of the spell itself, it seems that Equestria's spell book system builds Safety requirements into the magical study: thaumatology. Somehow, one cannot skip past the Safety section in a spell book and be able to cast the spell.

Kevin does not mention it, so I'm not sure if this Safety Control is natural to the world around us -possibly installed by Harmony, some other being like Harmony, or if it is a natural law set into the creation of this world- or if it was somehow intentionally written into Equestria's spell book system.

He describes how some spells have other requirements such as Emotion to balance the caster's inner Molding, Manipulating, and Maintenance of one's internal Mana Pool. For those types of spells, complete Knowledge does not guarantee one will be able to cast. The caster's Level -an expression of one's external ability casting a certain spell- and Experience -an expression of one's internal ability with inner mana skills for a spell- are also mitigators of failure and facilitators for success.

Geeze, this is getting complicated... Let's see... Knowledge, Safety, Spell Book System, Emotion, Casting, Casting Experience, Casting Level, Mana Pool, Molding, Manipulating, Maintenance.

Casting failures have a range of results that can go from 'nothing except some wasted time and energy' all the way across the spectrum 'to include the destruction of the caster and possibly those nearby' -but those are with bigger and more complicated spells. Failing something simple like basic Telekinesis or Fire I would not do that.

There seem to be a lot of variables involved with the success or failure of spells -especially as they increase in complication:

If the caster's Mana Pool is too low or small, then the cast will fail.

If a Mana Pool is large enough but is not Molded -extracted from the pool- correctly, the cast will likely fail.

If a Mana Pool is large enough and Molded correctly but is not Manipulated -flowed from the pool to horn- correctly, then it will in all probability fail to cast and a small chance to rebound.

If a Mana Pool is large enough, Molded and Manipulated correctly but not Maintained -regulated the flow at the appropriate amounts- correctly, then the spell has a higher chance to rebound.

If a specific Emotion is required, and the caster uses too much or too little, then the spell might fail or rebound.

If a specific Emotion is required, and the caster uses a different Emotion, then the spell could fail or do something it was not intended to do -like go wild. Wild can be as bad if not worse than a rebound.

I could almost liken these Rules of Failure to those of a combustion engine. If the fuel, air, and oil mixture is wrong; the fuel injection timing is off; high, low, and idle speeds aren't properly adjusted; throttle improperly regulated; then, the engine will not work properly.

Although, a small engine would normally just shut off or seize rather than explode or do something unpredictable.

I don't think I want to mess with complicated spells. Exploding sounds like an undesirable thing. I would rather just risk a spell failing and fizzling out.

According to Kevin, casting an unknown spell or making a spell on one's own is a prime way to experience the worst kinds of casting failures. The fact that Star Swirl the Bearded lived as long as he did -let alone reached an old age- is a testament to his skill.

I think I have a fuzzy memory of some purple pony mixing her friends' Cutie Marks with an unfinished spell. As I read Kevin's warnings, the relatively benign outcome from that purple pony's unfinished spell was extremely lucky. She or any of them could have easily just turned into a red Rorschach blot.

That pony was -or will be- really lucky that she met all of the other requirements of that spell: Emotion, Mana Pool, Molding, Manipulation, Maintenance, etc. Holy buck. I hope my presence in the world doesn't throw any of that off. I'm pretty sure that is supposed to be an important pony -her and her friends.

I will need to get some basic spell books... There aren't any actual spells here. Kevin writes that most basic ones should be available in any library.

So, foundational Knowledge is different than the instinctual usage of basic Telekinesis in that one does not need to study or understand the various material components and effects just to pick something up. No pony needs to know much about a pencil to lift, move, and manipulate it.

Telekinesis I, Fire I, and Fire II are a part of a group of spells known as Utility Spells. Fire II is better for candles, because it will generate more of a steady but very small flame akin to a match. A lot of basic spells are in the utility category.

... ... Mom and dad are starting up again. Good for them. They must be young.

Anyway, since Knowledge is a key factor to proper casting, it also appears to be a key control of it. Spell books are tiered like how Fire II is higher than Fire I.

Fire I makes a small spark that one can use to start a camp fire or heat one's home. The Fire I spell is widely available.

Fire II is not quite as easy to find and is not as easy to perform either. Kevin wrote that it is generally kept this way so only older and more responsible ponies will seek out Fire II. No pony needs young and impressionable foals lighting candles or other things willy-nilly -or without proper supervision- especially when a lot of houses are built from things that burn.

Also: flint, tinder, and matches exist; so, not too many ponies seek out either Fire I or II, but that seems beside the point.

Fire III requires a very good reason to learn, according to Kevin. There are classes with certified instructors and a renewable permit test to be able to use it. While Fire I and II are general utility spells that any unicorn can learn and use, the spell Tier quickly stops being utility after II. However, Fire II is not technically restricted; it is just tightly controlled.

It does not say what those reasons are.

Kevin writes that Fire IV is restricted. It's on the usage level of the Royal Guards. He has a little drawing of a brave unicorn standing between -what I assume is- a timberwolf and a family while unleashing a stream or bolt of flame from her horn with the caption, "Protect." That is all Kevin could find on it, apparently: a picture with no explanation.

"Hraw~! Yeah~ don't stop~!"

"Ugn~ !"

"Haw~!"

...

...

Right. Looks like he copied that picture from a recruitment flier. 'Join us and be bad@sses because we don't just stand around extravagant hallways all day looking fabulou~s,' while doing it.

I suspect there are more Tiers to the Fire spell beyond IV.

It also looks like one cannot skip Tiers. Learning Fire I is a requirement to Fire II. According to Kevin, no pony could just start at Fire II and then go back to learn I. This is also a Safety Control that is built into the spell book system.

If I were to come across a Fire IV spell book, I could not cast it without first learning I, II, and III. Further, the controlled and restricted spell books are not mass produced. For the most part, those are copied by hoof or horn. This greatly reduces the chances of one of those floating around the marketplace or a library where anypony could find them.

Some spells require other books of magical theory to be read and understood before attempting them.

If a foal does not naturally express Telekinesis, the Foal Magic Theory I books are available to help the pony learn Telekinesis I. There is an adult-version. Also, Foal Magic Theory II is helpful to progress with Telekinesis I master and Light I.

Not every spell becomes dangerous or combat-based at Tier III. Some are that way at Tier I. If a Tier I spell book is completely unavailable or restricted, then no pony could cast any of the higher Tiers. For spells that are entirely dangerous or destructive by design, this acts as a tight Safety Control.

I wonder if there is a market for hard-to-find spell books. Value of those would be rather hard to calculate, I think. Kevin writes that punishments are steep.

This explains why attendance at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is so highly sought: it is the best place most controlled and restricted spells can be learned legally and safely. It is also why admissions and matriculation requirements are so high at CSGU.

Kevin doesn't seem to be going into any details of any spells in his book. He just gives an overview. Nuts. I'm going to have to get to a library when I want to get the Knowledge for some spells... I suppose this is why ponies who specialize in magic have to read so much. One really cannot just cast a spell.

... They're starting up again? No, I cannot be upset or weirded out at all. That's just impressive. I hope I can do them proud when I grow up.

*yawn* Getting sleepy... I think I'll show them I can use the toilet all on my own. That'll make'm proud, too!

Author's Note

When I first learned of Bright Macintosh's name, I thought, 'Huh. That's quite similar to Big Mac's name. That seems somewhat unusual.' Now we know why.

Lots of world building in Chapter 14; I put most of those notes in a blog post.