Once per Day

I shot to a sitting position with a scream before leaning back on my hands and letting out another scream. I flopped over and clutched my right arm, looking at my twitching, freakishly pale hand which was currently sparking with pain.

"Hey, the goober's awake!" I snarled and looked up to see one of the ponies who grabbed Sneaky, the orange one specifically, smiling at me through a set of iron bars that went from wall to wall of my cell and sat about three inches off the floor. "Hi, Goober!"

"Whu?" I muttered, looking between him and my hand.

"Lieutenant Honeysuckle said we should stitch that back on and use some of our healing salve on it so you don't bleed to death," he replied as his two cohorts trotted into view. The other guy was a dark red, while the girl was a very light blue. Other than that and their voices, their armor made the three fairly identical.

"Oh, how nice of her," I grumbled, wincing as I noticed that I couldn't actually move my fingers or feel them. "Why can't I.."

"It got cut off, Goober. It'll take a month at least before it starts working right again," the girl explained, fixing me with a concerned look. "You got off pretty lucky with her, you know."

"What'd I do?" I groused.

"Aiding and abetting a criminal, for one," she replied. I threw my hands up.

"I literally just met her! How was I supposed to know?"

"And you threatened the Lieutenant with magic of an unknown, possibly illegal, nature," the red guy added, earning a nod from his comrades. I gulped and shifted my eyes left and right.

"I just thought it'd be funny to pretend to be a wizard for a little while!" I cried. "Is that a CRIME?"

"You threatened to blow up an officer!" The girl screamed. I stammered and gasped.

"I.. thought she was just pretending to be a guard!" I screamed back. "I thought we were all in on the joke!"

"Imbécile," a french sounding voice spat. I recoiled and turned to see Honeysuckle shaking her head again as she trotted in with Sneaky and.. Some kind of lean, jittery-looking dogman in tow by a pair of ropes. Sneaky had a muzzle locked on her and shot a desperate look my way. I glanced from her to Honeysuckle.

"You're French?" I grumbled. She paused and turned her head at me, but said nothing. I grunted and crawled to the bars and reached through in a pleading gesture. "Hey, listen-"

Her horn lit up, and I heard her sword gently click from its sheath. I scurried back from the bars with a nervous laugh.

"Okay, I know we got off on the wrong foot- Hoof!" I held up my hands, but she said nothing. "But you gotta believe me, this is all just a misunderstanding!" She stared at me through her hair for a hard minute before turning and pulling her captives along.

"What, you don't-"

"Non," she immediately declared.

"I don't speak French!"

"Imbécile."

"Oh, but I got that one," I hissed. She whipped around and slammed her hoof against the bars.

"Get this one as well. Be quiet, or the next thing I cut off will be much lower and far more precious," she declared with a subdued sneer. I shivered and scooted back from the bars. She withdrew from the bars as well and humphed. "Good boy. Behave until we can get you to Canterlot in a few days."

"Where-" I cut myself off and clenched my jaw with a wide frown. She actually smiled at me and snorted.

"It is the capital, where you shall be questioned about those illegible magic books and then given to the unicorns for study," she explained drawing a shiver from me. "You are quite the unique specimen. This is largely the only reason you are alive." I swallowed hard as she turned and tossed the rope she was leading Sneaky and the dogman(Oh my God, stealing that band name) with to one of the other ponies before trotting out of sight.

The other pony pulled the pair to two separate cells across from mine, where she removed the rope from around their necks. The dogman was perfectly amicable and just sat down once in his cell, but the second the rope was off her, Sneaky attempted to bolt only to be tackled by the other two guards.

After a very brief scuffle, she was thrown into her cell and the door was locked.

"Alrighty, we'll be back later with your dinner you three," the girl guard chirped as the three slipped out. There was a metallic clatter and then we were left in silence. I crawled to the bars and peeked as best I could down they came before turning to my prison mates. Sneaky shot me a hateful glare, while the dogman just stared at me with his beady yellow eyes.

"Hi there," I said with a wave. He waved back and I weakly smiled. "What's your name?"

"Nettle," he replied in a thick, rumbling voice. "Ponies arrest me because I beat rich pony's head and take his suitcase."

"Hi, Nettle," I greeted with a wave of my right hand, immediately regretting it. I massaged the point where it was reattached and inhaled sharply.

"Hope it snaps off!" Sneaky spat. I turned to her and she ground her teeth. "What the heck happened to your magic?!"

"I need my books for that," I grumbled, drawing an angry whine out of her. "Look, I'm sorry, alright?"

"Oh! You're sorry, are you?" She humphed. "If I hadn't bumped into you and you hadn't cursed me, I could've seen Honeysuckle's ambush coming!"

"I panicked!"

"MEH-MEH-MEEEEH!" She mocked before pacing in place and curling up on the floor. "Hope they vivisect you." I moaned and rubbed my stomach at the thought.

"What that?" Nettle asked.

"They cut him up while he's alive like Griffins do," Sneaky replied.

"Gross simplification, but not what I mean," he pointed into my cell. "That." I raised an eyebrow and turned to see my books piled on my cell's floor. I gasped and swept them up.

"What the hell?! I thought she said she took these?!" I squawked. Sneaky jumped to her hooves and at the bars of her cell.

"Do something!" She demanded with a squeak. I clicked my teeth and looked up at her.

"How long was I out?" She frowned and fixed me with another glare.

"Why's that matter?" She smirked and snorted. "What, can you only use your magic once per day?" She laughed aloud until she saw my face.

"I hate you so much," she moaned as she buried her face in her hooves.

"That very inconvenient," Nettle added.

"You're telling me," I murmured, scanning the book until I heard the door rattle open. I quickly slipped the books under me and sat with my hands folded.

"Dinner!" The girl guard called as she and the others came trotting in with a plate each. They slid the plates under the gaps of our bars and managed to fit a mug of water between the bars themselves. I was suddenly reminded of how little I'd eaten upon spotting the warm diced potatoes they offered. I quickly pulled my plate to me.

Or at least, I tried to, as I grabbed at it with my right hand and instead just limply dragged my hand across it, drawing a giggle from the girl.

"Need some help eating, Goober?" She asked sweetly. I frowned and grabbed the plate with my good hand.

"No, thank you," I replied, looking up at her as I collected and sipped my water. "But could you tell me your name? And maybe how long I was knocked out?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm Snowpea, that's Turnip, and that's Incredible Violence."

"Hi!" Turnip, the orange one, greeted.

"Sir," Incredible Violence, the red guy, hummed.

"And you were out cold for a couple hours there," Snowpea continued. "We had enough time to haul you out to Ponyville as a matter of fact!"

"As well as recapturing the thief, who escaped during your transit, and bringing in this brigand," Violence added, nodding his head at the other prisoners. I hummed as I stuffed a few potato pieces into my mouth.

"Sho, mhat tim-"

"Ah-ah! No talking with your mouth full!" Snowpea chided.

"Mm," I grunted and swallowed. "Sorry. What time is it?"

"Much better," she replied with a nod. "It's going on six now." I rubbed my chin and glanced at Sneaky and Nettle, but before I could ask anything else, the door slammed open. Honeysuckle came stomping in and immediately drew her sword and leveled it at me through the bars.

"Where are they?" she spat.

"Huh?" I squeaked with my hands up as she hovered her sword up to my face, forcing me to lean back.

"Fils de pute!" She snarled. "The books, you dog! What have you done with them?!"

"Insensitive," Nettle grumbled.

"What are you talking about?" I quailed, which only drew another angry snarl out of her. "I've been locked in here and unconscious for hours!"

"Lieutenant?" Snowpea interjected, drawing the sword pony's glare her way.

"He's done something with them. The magic books," Honeysuckle spat, still with her sword dangerously close to my flesh. She began gently twisting it at me, drawing a nervous murmur out of me. Snowpea shared a look with her fellow guards before humming at the angry pony.

"I thought you said his magic came from the books? How could he-"

"I don't know!" Honeysuckle screamed, snapping back to me. "And he's going to explain!" She jabbed her sword at me causing me to fall onto my back.

"Lieutenant, maybe they just got stolen while we were tracking down Sneaky or the bandit?" Violence asked, causing her to frown. "Besides, if he had access to his tomes, wouldn't he have used them already?" She tilted her head up in thought and actually withdrew her sword for a moment, before baring her teeth and thrusting her sword at me again.

"Unless he can only invoke their power once per day, and is just waiting for dawn," she hissed. I croaked in shock.

"HOH," Sneaky barked.

"That silly," Nettle laughed.

"You hear that, Lieutenant? Even the diamond dog knows that's ridiculous!" Snowpea laughed. Honeysuckle inhaled through her nose and then partially blew her bangs out of the way, before locking a single hazel eye with mine. I shivered under her gaze, but after a moment her hair sagged into place again and she lowered her sword. I let out a sigh and relaxed as her sword drifted away.

Tink

Then blinked and looked over in horror to see she knocked over my mug with a flick of her sword, spilling my water all over the floor. I looked up at her aghast to see her wearing a smug smirk as she sheathed her sword.

"That wasn't very nice, Lieutenant," Snowpea murmured as her superior trotted past her.

"Nevermind. We must find those books. Come!" She barked. After a moment, and a shared look, the three marched out after her. As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, my eyes drifted to the dark, moist patch on my cell floor.

"Sword pony very scary," Nettle assessed.

"You have no idea," Sneaky replied. I humphed and pulled out my books.

"Don't worry. I've got something in mind for her."

"Breakfast!" Snowpea chirped as she and her cohorts came trotting in with plates. I glanced up at Nettle and Sneaky before standing up.

"Hey, Snowpea?"

"Yes, Goober?" She replied before gasping and dropping the plate balanced on her back. "Where did you..!"

I shrugged and leafed through my books. "Magic." She whimpered and whirled around as her cohorts looked on in terror.

"LIEUTENANT!" Snowpea screamed. After a moment, the door slammed open and Honeysuckle came stomping in, immediately casting a hateful glare my way and pausing when she saw what I was doing. I smirked at her.

"Enfoiré," she huffed and drew her sword as fast as lightning. My brain was faster for once, though.

"SLEEP!" I roared, thrusting my hand at the whole group. The runes galloped off my arm, stampeding forward like little sheep and then vanishing into their heads. Snowpea and her friends immediately dropped, but Honeysuckle let out a feral snarl and clenched her teeth so hard I heard them creak.

Her horn flickered and then dimmed, at which point her sword dropped, but she stayed upright. She began panting and hissing and stamping her hoof. I flinched and looked at Sneaky who wore a horrified expression. Returning my attention to the seething pony just outside my cell, I winced and swallowed before enacting my plan b.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep~," I sang, slowly creeping close to her. Miraculously, despite the look she shot me, her movements slowed and she began to droop. "Close your big bloodshot eyes~." She huffed and slowly slumped over. I smirked and crouched just at my bars.

"You're a dope, and you're a nut~. And I hope you don't wake up~," I added and then tilted my head to hear her softly snoring along with her subordinates.

"You did it!" Sneaky quietly cheered.

"How's that for magic?" I smirked and reached through the bars, managing to grab one of their belts and- "UH."

"What?" Sneaky asked. I scanned the group and then looked at her in dread.

"They don't have the keys on them." Sneaky blinked and her ear twitched, but she managed a big happy smile. She hummed happily and slowly sat down, rolling her head back and forth. "Sneaky?"

"Mhm?"

"You good?"

"Mhm!" She took a deep breath and her face contorted to an expression of pure rage. Just before she unleashed whatever vitriol she had planned, Nettle stepped forward.

"Scary sword pony asleep. We go without fear," he declared and then burrowed into the floor of his cell, vanishing from sight. Sneaky and I shared a look before I heard a scraping under the floor of my cell and Nettle suddenly burst through. He waved me in and then burrowed back down. As I stared in wonder, a similar scene occurred in Sneaky's cell. She was less bewildered and shot him a glare.

"Why didn't you do that before?!" She hissed, at which Nettle shrugged.

"Scary sword pony very attentive, not sure when she sleep. Hear her throughout night. Now, she very asleep," he retorted, scratching at his ear before hopping down the hole he'd made. After a moment more, he suddenly popped up through the floor between our cells. "We go."

He pulled himself out of his hole and went waddling away out the door. Sneaky and I stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment before she bolted down her tunnel and popped out, bolting for the door and making a show of leaping over and sticking her tongue out at Honeysuckle as she escaped.

I stood up, double-checked that I had all my books, and followed suit, crawling down the surprisingly smooth tunnel Nettle had made and then standing up at the exit, discovering it came to about my waist.

After hauling myself up, I looked down beside Honeysuckle and saw her fancy sword. With a smirk, I tucked my books in the back of my belt and scooped it up with my good hand before running for the door.

Immediately outside the jail hall, I found Sneaky and Nettle rifling through a set of chests alongside one wall beneath several racks of spears in a wide flat office. Nettle glanced up at me and pointed at the wall.

"Sword nice, but spear easy and good. Maybe better for wizard," he declared. Sneaky poked her head up from the chest she was half buried in.

"Sword?" She murmured before noticing the sword I'd taken. She gasped and then adopted a sharp grin. "Nice~, that outta fetch a real tidy price!"

"Really?" I replied, glancing down at the sword. "I was just being petty. How much you think it's worth?"

"It's an heirloom sword from one of those hoity-toity Canterlot families, so a couple of thousand bits, easy!" She declared, at which I whistled.

"Wow. I don't know how much a 'bit' is, but that's-" I blinked and scanned the room, which was now flashing all sorts of colors.

"Wizard scary, too," Nettle grumbled, drawing my attention to the pair, both of whom were looking back at me in shock.

"What?" I asked as the flashing subsided.

"Why were your eyes doing that?" Sneaky murmured. I furrowed my brow and looked around.

"So, that wasn't just me, huh?" I quietly asked. I continued to just scan the air for a moment when realization hit. My eyes darted to the sword which Sneaky had just appraised as being pretty damned valuable, which reminded me of the last thing I read in my book before we were captured. Setting it down, I pulled out my book and searched for my list of spells. I found the sleep spell again and tried to memorize it. After just a moment, I saw the runes lock in place around my hand as normal, at which I beamed.

"Victor?" Sneaky called and my eyes snapped up to her.

"Two a day, bitch," I declared with a sinister smirk. She recoiled with a look of cold fury, while Nettle just shook his head.

"'Scuse you?" She demanded in a tone that caused me to wilt.

"N-no, I mean, uh.."

Crack

"Huh?" The gardener pony peeped, looking up and whipping his head around, searching for the source of the noise. He frowned and scratched his head under his flat cap before snorting and continuing to water the flowers around the ugly statue housing the perfectly sealed-away Spirit of Chaos.

That is until, by chance, he glanced up at the statue and noticed the thin, but still noticeable crack forming up the statue's right leg, the sight of which made him set his watering can down with a frown.

"Whuh-oh."