After the month had passed, a solid month of not being able to use my magic properly because Python Plus had become entirely unusable for me during the month, I had decided to do some testing, and after a few days into the month, it seemed as though that my magic was stable for once; it stopped growing in output. Now, I could use regular spells kind of competently, though not without the drawbacks of not having enough magic to contend with Sunset Shimmer for long periods of time without getting overpowered.

The only good thing about Python Plus was the fact that spells such as Phoenix Fire were tied to Runes, so it wouldn’t brick; I have a failsafe. DragonFire was designed to be used by everypony regardless of how much magic is used; it just uses excess magic put into it to power it or speed it up. Light Shield worked on my apparently exclusive Diagnostic spell, and thus was essentially tied to me; basically I always will have access to a spell that uses DiscordOS to keep me from getting my ass drilled by stronger ponies. Basically the three core spells that I made were still something I will just have access to.

Meanwhile, the entire rest of Python Plus, and even Python were not usable for me without either casting a spell in Python Plus and doing nothing, or I cast a spell with Python and I’ll get a pretty mean hornache in return for my efforts. I’m mad. My magic literally grew too much for my own creations over the last month. Now, I probably rank about the same as the average unicorn attending Celestia’s school; basically I was above average, but not Twilight level. Not even close. Strong enough not to get domed by the average pony, but not not enough to actually… Win in a fight against somebody without a custom spell system to help me contend.

“Fuck!” I narrowly avoided a spell from Rarity. It turns out Rarity was a good sparring partner, because like me, she wasn’t exactly a powerhouse. If she wanted to, she could easily contend with some of the lower-end students in Celly’s school, but she wouldn’t win in a duel against them any time soon. Rarity could get by purely based on how fucking precise she was; she could cast spells relatively quickly even if she may not have the power to actually cast them.

I was writing notes as I casted spells in turn, using my diagnostic spell to essentially read just how much magic I have now. While I casted a spell, parried a spell, or narrowly avoided Rarity’s very precise usage of stun spells and telekinetic blasts, the only offensive spell that she actually knew, I was testing a new spell system framework that I was dubbing ‘Bedrock’. Essentially, it’s a shitty spell system based on a shitty version of a video game from back home. Basically it’s a prototype for what I’ll be calling Java.

I caught one of Rarity’s spells mid-air, as Rarity was starting to get tired. The bright side for me, is that I was also fucking tired. Using traditional magic spells to slowly build up Bedrock from the ground up, while using Levitation to keep notes, was a pain in the ass. Rarity had her mane and tail tied up in buns to keep them from getting dirty. Despite us sparring, neither of us actually hit each other. I didn’t wanna hurt Rarity by accident, and Rarity wasn’t really a master at fighting with her magic.

Something that I learnt about Rarity is she’s good with martial arts, but not exactly a good magical combatant. “That’s enough for today, Rarity; you’re tired and sweaty and I know you could use a bath. And I’m tired and sweaty and can also use a bath, and maybe a basket of fries.” I stretched before teleporting next to Rarity, one of the first spells I converted over into Bedrock. Bedrock itself was essentially built off of WME, just made to be less complex, still requiring the same level of precision, but required less Runes, Equations, and overall just less magic to cast. I decided to use WME as the bass while incorporating Python’s efficiency into it. Essentially, you need to be precise as fuck, which is fine because I can do that easily.

Python required a similar level of control and I used that stupid WME spell a lot in order to train my magic precision. I think I’m going to make Bedrock more universal, like the thing it’s named after; that way if I end up using too much magic, or have another magical spurt, it won’t be catastrophically devastating. After all, not being able to properly use my magic properly is not a good thing.

Rarity stretched and undid her mane and tail as she made her way over to me. “I must say, I am not one for sparring, but it is doing wonders for my figure; it’s quite the workout, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, it is. You’d probably give a few ponies in my wife’s school a run for their money; your precise, controlled usage of your magic tripped me up more than I expected.” I waved my Bedrock notes. “Thanks for helping me start field testing this; after Python Plus started being a piece of shit, I’ve been needing to make a new spell system, one that isn’t so linear when it comes to how much magic goes into it. Now, I have a spell system that’ll work like a piece of shit, but it’ll be a less stiff piece of shit.”

“Well, darling,” Rarity nuzzled up beside me. “I believe this should be an eye opener; you’re bouncing back rather quickly from having your entire magic going haywire.”

“Eh, it’s not perfect; still gotta work out a few bugs with Bedrock, but so far, it’s working. I’m still not going to use it for a while without further improving it, adding patches and ‘updates’ to it, all that fun stuff,” I lowered the journal into my hooves and said. “It is nice to be able to use a custom version of Levitation that’s more efficient than normal Levitation again; something that I can manipulate easier.” I nuzzle Rarity’s cheek and add. “Thank you, Rarity, seriously. I know you hate getting dirty and sweaty, so thank you for doing this for me.”

“Of course, dear!” Rarity giggled. “I will admit, the workout is fun and I get to see your… luxurious body-”

“Okay, we are not going there, my friend. No. Bad Rarity, control thy horny before I tell my wife,” I pulled away from Rarity. “But uh, yeah, keep those comments about my apparently sexy body to yourself, thanks.”

“Oh darling,” Rarity giggled as we walked off to get ourselves cleaned up. “I’m not certain you fully understand; I know you’re completely taken by Princess Celestia. I know better than to overstep into somepony’s ‘space’ when I know they’re married and uninterested. It doesn’t stop me from appreciating the view at least.”

I shrug. “Meh, just glad we’ve come to an understanding.”

I set my notes aside for the rest of the day because Katie decided to spend the day with me. Button was perched on my back, happily chatting with her. Today, my sister decided to put on an extra adorable sundress, one a nice, orange one that went nicely with her yellow coat. Her boots ‘clicked’ with every step. “So this is what me, Dan, and Dave are working on,” Katie pulled out a crystal, one that Twilight had been helping them with. She proudly put it in front of me, before tapping her hoof on it a few times as a Memory spell started playing.

So crystals tied with Memory spells can replay memories, and the crystal was replaying the memory of Katie’s, of her watching an animation she made in one of her notebooks. From the looks of things, it was a lot like Shaun the Sheep, but with a herd of ponies instead. They all lived on a farm, in pastures, doing what ponies back on earth did, mixed in with their own usual antics. She proudly smiled as I followed along with the schemes that the herd in the ‘show’ were getting into. Button happily watched and giggled.

“Why are they walking on their hindlegs while dressed like that?” Button asked as the ponies all stood on their hindlegs, dressed as humans. With a majority of their clothing covering up their snouts, only revealing their eyes. When the ponies started speaking with humans, in seeming gibberish, I snorted, and Button laughed at how stupid said humans were. Button didn’t know what the humans exactly were, despite knowing what they are, as he’s never actually seen one in person if you can imagine. He did love how the ponies tried fitting in human society, from how they struggled to use a cell phone that was described as a ‘flat, glowy brick’ by the animation.

“I can tell that Dan and Dave worked on the humor,” I said as one of the ponies bucked a poor guy in the crotch.

“No, they didn’t add that, I did. We all worked on the physical jokes, though,” Katie eagerly smiled and asked. “So, is it good? Dan did a majority of the storytelling and storyboarding; I just helped actually touch it up and make… this.”

“Katie,” I chuckled. “This is what you wanna sell to Equestria for entertainment?”

“Yup! We’ve got a payment plan; ten bits a crystal over twelve months. You get twelve crystals and it’s a ‘whole season’ of Ponies on Earth. It’s good, right?”

“Katie…” I snorted. “You three are going to be rich as fuck,” I chuckled. “Holy shit, that’s awesome.” I hugged Katie.

“Wait, so what was that?” Button asked. “It was really cool.”

“It’s a motion picture, a movie in a longer format, but in a twenty minute format like that?” I pointed at the crystal. “I’d say it’s like a show.” I held Katie as she was a giggly mess. “This is why I’m jealous of y’all; Dan’s smart enough to tell a story without words and you’re good at doing shit like animation and drawing. What am I? A good mage? And not even that-”

“Kodi,” Katie nuzzled me. “Quit being hard on yourself. You may not believe it, but you’re a good guy. You’re my big brother; I’m the one looking up to you, you know.”

“I know… but I don’t know how else to say I’m fucking proud of you. Get Dan and Dave together, I’m going to need to tell all three of you how proud I am. If you need help with the Memory Spells, or inscribing the crystals to meet the demand y’all are gonna have, let me know. Because Twilight can easily do this hundreds of times in a day, but I think y’all are going to go through thousands of these things in the first year.”

“Okay, Kodi…” Katie squealed. “I’m getting Dan and Dave; Celestia’s getting us in contact with a marketing team to market these things to everypony.” I chuckled and ruffled her mane. “Kodi! I spent forever on that!”

“Katie! You’re being adorable!” I chuckled and used my magic to start rearranging her mane to how it was before I had fucked with it. “I’m just proud of you three, y’know? You all have done something and will achieve something more than what I can do. You’re gonna go far, sis. You’re gonna go far with Dan and Dave…”

I decided to head down to Ponyville for a few hours so that I could have an emergency meeting with my students. You see, after being exposed to how painfully shitty Python can be for growing magic, which would be very common in foals that are learning how to use their magic, I decided to start up on teaching them again. Dinky, Sweetie Belle, and Button were all sitting in front of me, underneath an apple tree, as I explained this to them. The four of us were reading over the new Bedrock textbook I was throwing together.

“Okay, I have an assignment for you three; I want you three to work on this magic system and modify it for your needs; it should be really really easy given who you three are. I want you to learn this, modify it to your own needs. It has ‘checks’ and ‘balances’ in it that you can turn on and off in spells as needed, so that none of you will struggle again.” I said as they read through the first few pages.

“But isn’t Python good enough?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“It’s good until you get a ‘growth spurt’ for a lack of a better term. Basically, if you use your magic for more than just Levitation, your magic pools may grow. As a result, they can grow to a point where Python just stops working; I got clubbed in the head with a log recently because that’s what happened to me; my magic, because of my reliance on Python Plus, has been going haywire. And this,” I tapped my own textbook. “Is meant to be more malleable to your magic; it won’t get you killed or won’t screw up on you as you grow.” I shook my head. “As your tutor, I want you three to learn this for your own benefit, not my own. Especially you, Button; I know you worked hard on Cobra, but you’re still a foal; your magic’s growing and it will continue to grow. Cobra might eventually stop working and I do not want to see the repercussions of you relying solely on that spell system; I’m still dealing with the consequences of being a one trick pony…”

“Okay, Dad,” Button nodded. “I suppose I should listen to you. Is… this as easy as Python to mold to your needs?”

“It should be; I used Python as the base work for Bedrock. Which is real funny since the thing that Bedrock is named after was made with something called C++. either way, you three should be able to pick this up, and I will begin coming to tutor you every week in order to help you both.”

“So that means we get to spend more time with you?” Dinky asked.

…

My fucking heart. Dinky is such a sweetheart. “Yes, you and Sweetie Belle will be seeing a lot more of me in the future. I’ll be helping y’all mold your magic as you grow. Y’all can visit Canterlot outside of my lessons, if your parents let you, to visit, Dinky; I’m your teacher, but I’m somepony y’all can trust. Plus, Celly and Lulu would probably like to have two fillies to dote on while you visit. Y’all have clearance for the castle.”

“Really?” Dinky asked.

“...Dinky, you need to stop being so fucking sweet, I swear to god; you’re one of the most endearing fillies I’ve ever met.”

“...Is that bad?”

“No. That’s a good thing.”

“So what happens if we can’t use Bedrock?” Sweetie asked.

“That’s why I’m here. I’m here to help y’all.” I ruffled Sweetie Belle’s mane. “And you’re always welcome to the castle too; I know my son has a thing for you!” I chuckled as her cheeks started turning pink, and Button hit me in the back of the head with a stun spell. It didn’t stun me, but it was more of a small ‘shock’.

“Dad, you’re doing too much.” Button said as Sweetie Belle giggled behind a hoof. “Quit embarrassing me!”

“Nah, I’m going to keep embarrassing you, kiddo. It’s my job to embarrass ya..” Button rolled his eyes and groaned. “Love ya, Button…”

“I love you, Dad. Even if you make me hate you sometimes.”

I was told that the duke and duchess of Maretonia were going to visit the Crystal Empire to help ‘welcome it’ back into existence now that we all made sure that King Sombra wasn’t coming back. Well, after we guaranteed that King Sombra hit the Sun after I threw his horn in a box and tossed that into space. I’m looking forward to this because all I have to do is stand next to Celestia, be ‘attractive looking’ and say nothing. Despite them wanting to, Ma and the family had to stay in Canterlot, and it was probably better if they stayed in Canterlot.

Since the Duke and Dutches were literally only staying for a day, it wouldn’t be worth the effort to mobilize the whole family, get them to the Crystal Empire, and then leave before we can even get unpacked. Just me, Luna, Tale, and Celly were going. Button wanted to stay home and keep working on Bedrock. I was sitting in our traincar, ours as in Celly’s. There was no point in grabbing Luna’s train car when we were going to be leaving the Crystal Empire on the morning train back to Canterlot.

“So…” I hummed. “I seriously have to go?” I asked.

“Yes you do, dear,” Celly nodded. “You may not officially be crowned as a regular high prince, but you are a high prince consort; that means you have to at least be there while the Duke and Duchess are there. It’s proper for the royal family, as in each princess and their consorts, to meet the Duke and Duchess; it’s to make sure that their visit is important to us.”

“...So that’s why me and Tale are here?” I asked. “Because we need to make our allies feel appreciated somehow?” I shrugged. “Eh, fair enough. If they better not talk to me. I know they’re our allies, but aren’t these the ones you don’t really like all that much? The rulers, as people, kinda fucking suck?”

“No, that’s our allies in Maretime Bay. The Queen watching over that place really hates me and Luna.”

“...What the fuck?”

“Don’t worry about that, dear. That’s for another time.”

Luna decided to speak up. “You know, sister, we should tell him. Because I believe once we both retire, Queen Opaline will make a move-”

“If she comes after Equestria, I’m killing her.” I said firmly. “I don’t give a shit about what you say, or what you think of her; she hurts my home, she’s dying. That’s assuming Ma doesn’t kick her ass first.”

Luna giggled and said. “Source, Queen Opaline is a coward and a weakling; she won’t attack Equestria as long as she knows Celestia and I are still here. Now, if she were to try anything, I would fear for her safety. As you seem far, far more willing to kill somepony for Tia’s well being than I am. And that’s saying something.”

“Source, as much as I appreciate your willingness, and ability to, slaughter an alicorn for my sake, but please do refrain from murdering Queen Opaline. She’s… okay, she’s a horrible pony, but I’m certain we can talk her down.” Celly nuzzled me.

“Fine… she hits you and she’s dead. Fair?”

“...I suppose. But you best not kill her; she was a fillyhood friend of mine and Luna… at least until we rose the sun and moon respectively.” Celestia sighed. “I do hope to reach out to her one day, but she’ll likely burn any letters from myself or Luna.”

Queen Opaline sounds like a bitch.

Anyways, most of the train ride was pretty uneventful. I was beginning to get Bedrock into a state of actually being usable for field testing by the time I had to stop and pretend like I care about politics and care about being a politician. So that’s what I was doing when I got off the train. Twilight and her friends were walking up to the Crystal Spire, or the Empire’s castle, by the time the Duke and Duchess had arrived. I teleported down to them to say ‘hi’. Twilight apparently only got duties in smiling and waving. I blinked a few times and walked up to the girls.

“Howdy howdy,” I greeted Twilight. “How’s life going for you? The rest of you are doing okay, I assume? Discord’s not being an asshole?” I asked.

“Oh, Discord’s been behaving,” Fluttershy said. “He’s been really sweet to me.”

“Rainbow Dash nearly sold Fluttershy for a book,” said Apple Jack. “Ah had to stop her from being an idiot.”

“Oh c’mon! I learnt my lesson in the end!” Rainbow snapped back. “And I felt awful for doing it!”

“Dashie, I love you, but yer a moron sometimes.” AJ nuzzled her marefriend. “What about you, Source?”

“New magic system, it’s called Bedrock. I’m still working out bugs and shit, so I’m still not exactly ‘ready’ for anything. But hey, I’m making progress to being slightly more useful than a sack of fucking potatoes. So, let’s talk about you, Twilight. Celly’s not given you anything? No day court, nothing? No paperwork?”

“...No. I just show up to smile and wave,” Twilight sighed. “I feel useless.”

“Hey, you feel just like I do a lot of the time.” I pat her back. “You’ll get used to it. But… I bet I could get Celly to teach you how to run Day Court on your own; it’ll be a win-win for both of us. Celly gets more time off, which would make me happy, and you get to do something actually princess-y. How does that sound?” I asked.

“...Okay. That actually sounds kinda fun. I want to contribute.”

“You will… I will warn you, though, you and I are going to be doing a lot of smiling-and you are doing more. You get to smile and wave. I only get to smile and look pretty. I can do the first thing pretty easily. The second thing? That’s a huge maybe.”

Twilight giggled. “I suppose I do have that. Don’t you hate not having… Any responsibilities? You’re Princess Celestia’s husband!”

“That I am. But I don’t mind. I can focus on my family.” I nuzzle Twilight. “C’mon, let’s get this shit over with. The sooner we do, the sooner we can hangout before going to bed, alright?”

“Okay,” Twilight smiled. “You best get Princess Celestia to let me handle Day Court; I can handle it.”

“Of course, of course. Just make sure you look pretty; you’ll be picking up a lot of slack from me in that department.”

“Get a room already!” Rainbow said.

“Nah. Also Rainbow, quit watching Twilight’s butt, you pervert.”

“I-uh, er, What!?” Rainbow asked. I chuckled and waved. “The buck do you mean by that, Source?”

“Oh, nothing. I’mma head back to where Celly, Lulu and Cadance are. Gotta get ready for the ceremony.”

I laid down next to Celly for the night. The Duke and Duchess of Maretonia were long gone and it was time for us to go to sleep for the night. I took a deep breath as I rested my head on her neck. “So the Duke and Duchess really came all this way just to meet the ruler of the Empire, Cadance, say a few words, and then leave?” I asked Celly.

“I suppose that is one way you could sum up this dignitary meeting. I told you it would be a short one; neither you nor Twilight had to do anything beyond smiling and waving.” Celly giggled.

“You really gotta give Twilight some more Duties, Celly. She wants to do more than smile and wave; she could easily handle day court and you know it.

“I suppose you are correct. I could grant her a trial run of running Day Court. If all goes well, she can start doing that herself…” Celly started licking my ears. “We’ll be heading back to Canterlot tomorrow, so we can’t stay up too late, even if I do want to try for a foal right about now.”

“Hmm…” I chuckle. “We could try again anyways; you’d figure by now you’d be pregnant by now.”

“Well it’s because my little stallion barely touched me in such a manner when we first started dating and when we married. Mr. ‘I want to respect my wife’s personal space’. It’s endearing, dear, and I love you. But…” Celly sighed, nuzzled me and said. “Can we start actually trying? I do want you to sire a foal for me. I’d love to raise a little filly, or a little colt that we made. Button would get a little brother or sister if we do…”

I kissed Celly’s cheek. “We’ll start trying more often. I promise.”

“...I should not have pressured you into that Source-”

“Celly, it’s fine. I’m raising Button, I helped raise my siblings. I’m ready to be a biological father to a kid. I’ll do it for you.” I kiss her on the lips. As I pull away, I stare Celly in the eyes. My wife stared back before we laid our heads down next to each other, with Celly laid her head in my mane, took a deep sniff and soon we were off to sleep.

Me and Celly woke up in a fright, and soon after we woke up, Luna came bursting through. “Sister!” Luna yelled.

“...What the fuck did I just dream about?” I asked.

“What… did you dream about?” Celestia asked.

“...A centaur stealing a pony’s magic.” I whispered. “What the fuck is going on?”

“...He’s returned.” Celestia said.

Not too long afterwards Cadance and Twilight were woken up, and we were all brought into a room with a round table. Sitting on the table was a book that we were all reading so that me, Cadance, and Twilight could be properly educated on Tirek. You see, I was told about Tirek, but I wasn’t ever properly educated on him. Apparently he and his brother appeared in Equestria one day to take Equestrian magic for himself, while his brother befriended Starswirl the Bearded and told the Princesses what the fuck Tirek was doing.

Tirek, according to Celly, got out of Tartarus while Twilight was fucking with time travel for no reason…

“So you’re sending me after Tirek, right?” Twilight asked. “Maybe me and Source? The two of us could take down Tirek no problem-”

“No, I am sending Discord.”

Meanwhile with Katie

I was happily skipping down the street with a bag of candy floating in my magic. I had just popped a piece in my mouth when I heard something going on. I looked around, before seeing… a centaur. I blinked a few times, thinking that maybe it’s just Equus. Kodi told me that there were griffins, minotaurs, and even sea serpents here. The centaur had a black, humanoid torso that almost looked like he was wearing a tank top, but I could tell that it was hair of some sort. He had a beard and a face that clearly wasn’t humanoid with a nose piercing in his nostrils. The black ‘shirt’ slowly gave out to a dark gray horse body with light grey hooves and a light gray tail.

I don’t think I should be here… Oh my god what is he doing?

I watched as he walked right up to a unicorn and started draining them of magic. He was literally eating it… I started backing away as the unicorn fell to the ground, thankfully unharmed even if he was now missing his cutie mark, as the centaur turned his gaze onto me. I stared at the centaur as I backed away.

“What is this? A unicorn with quite a bit of magic just for me…” The centaur started walking towards me.

“W-wait… please don’t hurt me!” I started looking around… where’s Ma or Kodi when you need them? Where’s Dave? Anybody?

…

I’m alone. “C-can’t we talk about this?”

“Oh, I believe talking is for the weak-” he grabbed ahold of my neck. My bag of candy dropped to the ground and spilled its contents all over the ground. “-I am taking what is mine. And nobody will stop me…” His mouth opened up and I felt my body begin to weaken as he sucked the magic out of me. I was ceremoniously dropped to the ground on my side, I could barely move my body. I can barely feel… anything. I stared ahead as the centaur walked away from me.

I don’t know how long I’ve been laying there until I felt a hoof touch my shoulder. I lifted my head to see Ma. “Katie, are you…” Ma started looking me over and let out a sigh of relief. “You’re not hurt… thank fucking god. What happened, dear? Why are you laying on the street? Who hurt you?” Ma asked as she lifted me up. “Can you walk?”

“I can… barely feel my body, Ma.”

“...Who did this?”

“A centaur…”

“...I,” Ma nuzzled me. “We’re getting you to the castle, okay? You’ll be safe. We are holding up with your brothers until Kodi and his wife come back, okay? We’ll fix you… and when that bastard fucking shows his face again, I’m feeding him his own fucking flanks. Okay?”

“Ma… he ate my magic.”

“...He what? That’s possible?” Ma asked as she laid me on her back and started trotting away.

“...It is apparently. I feel weak, Ma.”

I felt Ma take a long, deep breath. “If that bastard touches Dan or Dave, I’m feeding him his own heart.”

I stared down at the letter Ma had just sent me with DragonFire. I stared at it for a good, long minute, and took a long, deep breath as I looked at my fellow alicorns. “Tirek got to Katie. Katie’s not dead, but I know Tirek’s going to fucking die…” I brought my hoof down on the table with a resounding crack. “Why did my magic have to fuck itself now?!” I yelled. “Why!?” I looked Celly in the eyes. “Celly, I know you said I shouldn’t since Discord is apparently already on it, but… that asshole’s in Canterlot. He’s in that city with my family. When’s the next train leaving for Canterlot?” I asked.

“...Today at six in the morning, Source.” Celly walked around the table and draped a wing over me. “I know you’re worried-”

“Celly, Tirek just hurt my little sister. He’s in Canterlot with Button, Ma, Dave, and Dan and he’s already hurt my sister… I’m DragonFiring my way back to Canterlot, Celly-”

“Source, don’t. Don’t you fucking dare,” Celestia growled. “You could possibly get killed! Tirek hates me and will kill you just to make a jab at me, Source. Even if you think you can beat him, you won’t be able to. Trust me… Tirek gave me and Luna problems. A lot of problems when we fought him.”

“...Celly-”

“No, Source. Do not go face Tirek alone. He wants power; he wants to rule over the world. He cannot do that with dead subjects; your family will be safe. There’s entire battalions of Canterlot at all times; they will keep your family safe, and Discord is already on it. Just listen to me on this, okay?”

“...Okay.” I sigh. “I’ll listen to you Celly. If he hurts Button, I’m not holding back.”

Celestia nodded. “And neither will I; I’ll sooner resort to murdering Tirek than let him hurt Button.”

Author's Note

No, Ma isn't kicking in tirek's face in. if she did, i wouldn't be able to set up what I have planned for her and Starlight Glimmer.