Sweetie Belle worked her hooves in slow circles as she looked over her intricate magical circle. It had taken most of the afternoon, but at last it was complete. Her nose tingled with the strange smell of fresh ink. She grinned to herself as she took a few steps back to admire her work. "Finally." She nodded at it with satisfaction. "Time to make myself a true wizard!"
She trotted over to a nearby table and leafed through the thick book, glancing over the large words and intricate diagrams. "Now, to turn myself into a real wizard! Let's see..." She stopped on a page and scanned over it with rapid flicks of her eyes. "All true wizards have a familiar, and to call one, you need one of those." She pointed to her recently completed inkwork.
"A real wizard has to create her own; there's no borrowing from your friends." She hummed softly to herself as she mixed various ingredients in a cup, following the recipe precisely. When the ingredients were properly combined, she walked back over to the circle and dipped a hoof into the mixture.
She started writing a new part onto the circle, moving carefully so as not to make any mistakes. Soon, it was complete.
"There! I'm all set now." She put the bowl aside. "Everything's right!" Her voice squeaked as she checked the sky, giggling with excitement. "All I have to do is conjure a passing magical spirit to be my familiar!"
Sweetie Belle looked down at the circle and took a deep breath, clearing her thoughts. Her horn began to glow with magical power, which rippled around her in a delicate manner. "Familiar, I call on you! By the power of a wizard, you cannot ignore my plea. Come forth! Be bound by my hoof and my horn!"
Her beacon went out in a powerful wave that penetrated the folds of what was there and not, reaching even beyond the reach of Equestria, to worlds far removed from her own. In that moment, she sealed her fate.
There was a brief sparkle in the air, like silver stars tumbling in an inky night sky. It grew in size, widening and expanding until it reached twice the height of a grown mare. Sweetie Belle gaped at it with her hooves shivering, wanting to clap but not quite getting her arms to react properly.
With a dramatic whoosh, the light flickered out and Sweetie was left staring at a green-colored, blue-haired creature standing in the circle. It was female with four legs, a pair of long, furry ears, and two long tails covered in fur.
"Uhm, hello." She smiled awkwardly. "I'm Sweetie Belle. Do you have a name?"
The fox-like creature stared at her for a moment, blinked twice, and then fainted.
It had been in the process of dying, its soul wrenched free of its mortal body. Unfortunately for it, that meant its soul wasn't tied down, and it went where the beacon drew it. What should have been the end of its life was the start of something new.
Sweetie Belle gathered the limp form of her new familiar. "I'm not certain that's the way that's supposed to work. I should check the book again." She considered her options and decided she would find somewhere for her new familiar to rest until it woke up. "Maybe she'll tell me what's wrong when she wakes up," Sweetie said as she left the circle, carrying her familiar out of sight.
She set her new familiar down on a soft cushion. "You're kinda cute." She smiled at the fox-like creature, reaching to brush one of its two tails. "Also a little odd, but still cute. Maybe we can be friends, once you wake up. Or maybe you can teach me about magic. Either way, I'm sure we can get along." She continued stroking the furry appendage, smiling softly.
"Mmm." The fox cracked one eye open, just the jump back. "A horse!" The statement came out in a squeak from the fox, both tails lashing in fright.
Sweetie smiled gently. "I'm a pony, actually. A unicorn, to be more specific. And you're a..." She tilted her head. "I'm not certain what species you are."
"Oh... okay." The creature blinked slowly. "My name is Cindy. Of all my problems, I guess it doesn't matter if you know it." She sat up, then tried to stand up, just to fall back to all fours with a soft paff. That was when she began to examine her paws. "I didn't have these before? Did I really die?"
"Dead? Oh no, you're very much alive." Sweetie waved a hoof in the air. "But yes, I did summon you from somewhere else."
"Really?" She looked around. "I think you're my afterlife, and I'm really not sure how to think about that." She turned back to Sweetie. "Hello, um. Nice to meet you?"
Sweetie's face brightened. "So you aren't mad at me for dragging you into a different world? I've heard some of the other students at school complain about spirits getting upset when they're summoned by ponies."
Cindy wrinkled her snout. "If you knew that, why did you do it anyway? That's a bit rude. But, no. I was about—" She took a shuddering gasp. "I was dead, very dead. I could see it coming. Now I'm not dead. I can't get it in me to be mad at the thing that made me not dead, even if I have paws now?" She lifted one of those paws. "I used to have hands."
"Oh, um." Sweetie averted her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't think about that part. The book I was following just said I had to summon a magical spirit to act as my familiar. It didn't say I had to bring them over from another world."
Cindy inclined her head at Sweetie. "Oddest thing. I feel like I should be really mad at you, but I'm not." She pressed a paw against Sweetie's nose. "I think being your familiar is warping my judgment a little. You better not take advantage of that, little wizard."
Sweetie made a face and swatted Cindy's paw away. "Stop it. I'm not a little wizard. I'm just... well, a little unicorn."
"As you say." Cindy stood and began to pace the room, taking in its features. "But I feel certain. You are a wizard. A little one. An untrained wizard that poked her nose into things she shouldn't have, and got lucky." She sniffed at the air. "By the way, I smell bacon."
Sweetie grinned. "That's great! That means we can be friends."
Cindy scratched an ear with a hind leg. "Friends, sure, but bacon. I seriously smell it. Do ponies eat bacon? I'm legit surprised right now. Take me to your bacon. Appease your familiar!"
Sweetie pointed to the ground firmly. "Sit!" Cindy sat with a loud thump from how quickly she did so. "I don't want to be mean, but you're my familiar, not the other way around. You have to do what I ask. And stop demanding bacon. You're making me hungry, too."
Cindy covered her face with her paws. "I cannot. I have a bacon problem. Bacon is delicious. Help."
Sweetie giggled at the problem. "Are summoned familiars made hungry?" She gathered up her summoned fox familiar gently. "Let's go see what's ready for us. I smell it too now that I'm thinking about it."
They entered the kitchen, where the scent of frying meat filled the air.
"Breakfast." Cindy was nearly drooling at this point, panting softly. "Lunch. Dinner. What time is it?" She saw a window. "Evening. Dinner, yes." She seemed to calm with being sure of that. "But why do I smell bacon? Are you just normally cooking it?"
Sweetie giggled, carrying her familiar over to a pot of tea. "We'll start with tea and see how that goes."
Cindy blinked as Sweetie poured tea with her magic. "I'm hungry, not thirsty. Why aren't we enjoying that bacon? Also, seriously, ponies eat bacon? Please explain this miracle."
"That." Sweetie pushed a cup towards Cindy. "Is Hay Bacon. I bet Rarity made some."
Cindy whined softly. "Hay? As in the stuff horses eat? What?" She sniffed at the aroma coming off the cup. She took a sip of it and sighed. "Mmm, not bad. Still hungry though, oh powerful little wizard."
"Hey, you don't need to call me that." Sweetie huffed softly. "You're making it sound like I'm a powerful magic user or something. That's just silly."
Cindy did not even glance at her as she continued to drink. "I'm not the one that just summoned life from a whole other world. That sounds like powerful wizardry to me, little wizard." She slapped a tail against the ground with a growing smile. "Little Wizard!"
"Oh, you just think you're so cute right now." Sweetie lifted her snout. "I had to look in the book for that spell."
"Cute?" Cindy raised a paw to her snout. "If you have a mirror, I can find out how cute I am. Am I?"
Sweetie reached to pet her familiar's head. "You're adorable. Now quit distracting me. Let's get you fed." She levitated a plate over to them, and onto it went a few pieces of Hay Bacon. Cindy was salivating as it hovered closer and closer. When it landed, she grabbed one with a paw and began chewing on it voraciously.
"Mmm!" Cindy let out a muffled moan. "It's so good! This is magic food!"
Sweetie giggles. "Only cooked with love, not magic. Rarity doesn't use fancy spells to cook food."
Cindy inhaled another strip of bacon. "It's the first I've had, so it's magic to me. What's a Rarity?"
"She's my sister." Sweetie pointed at where she imagined Rarity to be. "She's probably working on some clothes. That's what she does. She's a designer and a seamstress and she's great at her job. But she can get a little bossy sometimes."
"Bossy is bad?" Cindy took a sip of tea as she munched on the last strip of Hay Bacon.
"I wouldn't say it's bad." Sweetie patted her new familiar on the head. "Annoying, sometimes, but I love her. And now you can help me learn more magic. There's so much to see, and I want to learn all of it!"
Cindy watched with confusion. "I can try? But I'm at least as new to familiaring as you are to wizarding, sounds like. We're both going to have to learn together. Your fault for not summoning a better familiar. You got me instead." She pressed her paws together and closed her eyes. "And I am in the house of delicious bacon. This is an amazing afterlife."
"Are you still worried about that?" Sweetie floated the empty plate back to the sink.
"Not even a little." Cindy groomed herself with swipes of her paws. "This is a whole new life, and it's already looking interesting. Little wizard, I want to help you grow and master your craft."
Sweetie straightened up. "Yes, familiar! I accept you as my first magical ally, and promise to treat you well."
"Aww, that was cute. Thanks." Cindy gave Sweetie a smile. "And I am bound by magic to aid you as best I can, with all my heart and soul." She frowned and began to pace back and forth, eventually sitting on her haunches. "This body will take some getting used to. Seriously, got a mirror? I want to have a look at me."
Sweetie considered the request for a moment. "I suppose we can. I'll go get one. Wait here."
Cindy gave an exaggerated shrug. "Not like I have anywhere else to go right now." She sank into a seat, tails swaying eagerly. "Go swift, little wizard."
Author's Note
I did this on a whim. A patron could request it continue, or we can just enjoy this little slice as it is.
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2 - Welcome to Ponyville!
Sweetie trotted down the road with a big smile. "Welcome to Ponyville! It's a great little town full of amazing ponies who are really friendly. There's also a dragon, but he's friendly too." She gestured at the surrounding town. "It's been home for most of my life. I've learned all sorts of things here, and made a lot of good friends."
Cindy nodded at her mistress' words. "Clearly a place that's important to you." She kept up easily at Sweetie's side, eyes on the ponies they were going past. "I think some of them are nervous about me. If I'm your familiar, why don't they look happy?"
"Don't worry about it, they're just being silly." Sweetie rubbed her head against Cindy's in a friendly manner. "Familiars are a sort of new thing for probably all of them, excluding me." She paused. "Considering, technically also me. But I like you." She pounced on Cindy in a hug without warning.
Cindy squeaked in surprise, but melted into it with a little smile, even returning the embrace. "You are a silly little kid. Now, my job is to push you ahead in your wizardry, so when do we get on that?"
"We'll see what Twilight has for us at the library. She's really smart and likes teaching people things." Sweetie paused. "Plus, she's a Princess. That's a kind of ruler."
"Where's the queen?" Cindy looked about as if some pompous pony queen would appear at any second. "That's her mother, right?"
"Oh, n-no, I didn't mean..." Sweetie stared off into space, formulating how to phrase it. "Ponies don't have queens, not anymore. Just princesses. Twilight is the princess of friendship."
Cindy was still a moment, then snickered. Even that wasn't enough, growing until a full laughing fit that was half a vulpine yipping howl. "A princess of friendship? Not of a particular place or something? Friendship? She makes sure taxes are paid on friendship, or follows friendship regulations maybe?"
Sweetie colored even as she swatted at Cindy. "Stop making fun of her! She worked really hard to be that, and she's really smart and nice too."
"Alright, alright." Cindy advanced past Sweetie, rubbing against her on the way. "Lead on, dear, oh." Her eyes fell on the distant crystal tower that jutted into the air. "I'm putting in my guess as to where a local royal may be living."
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, girls," said Pinkie Pie as she came to a stop beside them, big grin plastered to her face. "I heard somepony welcoming to Ponyville! Oh, new creature!" She darted to Cindy, getting right up close and staring at her with wide eyes. "I don't know what you are, other than welcomed!" She threw her hooves wide. "Welcome to Ponyville! I'm Pinkie, local greeter and party pony. You're looking very cute and huggable."
"And I like hugs." Cindy fell into an embrace with the mare without hesitation. "I am Cindy, summoned familiar to Sweetie Belle." She pointed to her de facto owner. "I'm still getting used to that, but she's cute and I really want to see her become a super powerful wizard, so I'm here for it."
"I'm not really... uhm." Sweetie cleared her throat. "Actually, yes. That's kind of my thing now. I want to be a powerful wizard."
Pinkie nodded slowly. "I see." She stroked along her chin. "That means we have two reasons for a party. One to welcome a new member of our happy community, and the other to celebrate Sweetie finding a new purpose! Both a great reasons. Let's do both!"
Sweetie leaned back with eyes widening. "Wha—? We don't need to throw a party for every little thing, Pinkie. You know that."
"A party can never be too little!" Pinkie waved that objection away. "And parties are my thing. You don't have to worry. I'll tackle you when it's time, and I'll be sure not to do it during school, so don't even worry about it." She nodded several times. "You just do your studying with your new fluffy familiar and I'll throw you a big old party. Just as soon as I come up with a good theme. Both parties will be awesome, of course. But I need to bring them together."
She vanished in a cloud of pink smoke, away to get that done.
Cindy tilted her head and kept staring at the spot Pinkie Pie had been in. "Pinkie is special, right? Is she already a wizard? She got a familiar? It'd be nice to meet another." She flicked her tails with the thought. "We could be friends maybe?"
"Pinkie's not a wizard. She's just Pinkie." Sweetie smiled awkwardly. "I don't think we can keep her from throwing the party. Let's go meet Twilight before she comes rushing back."
The two trotted side by side up to the castle, arriving just as the door was opening. Spike emerged from within. "Oh, hey Sweetie." He waved at her before his expression shifted on seeing who was with her. "And you got a new strange pet?"
Sweetie huffed at that. "She's a familiar, not a pet. There's a difference."
"Yeah!" Cindy leaned in closer to Sweetie. "What exactly is that difference? Just so I know."
Sweetie shoved at her new familiar. "A pony and their familiar are bound together deep inside." She tapped at her chest. "With magic! You are a part of my magic now." She returned her attention to Spike. "Is Twilight in? I was hoping to read some magic books if that's alright."
"Books, sure." Spike turned back for the castle and poked his head inside. "Twilight? Sweetie wants to look at some magic books."
With a magical pop, Twilight was there, almost knocking Spike over as she threw open the door he had been leaning on. "Sweetie! I'm so happy to hear you—" She trailed off, eyes on Cindy. "You have a new friend?"
"Yeah, this is Cindy!" Sweetie bounced excitedly. "She's my familiar! Isn't that great?"
"Ah. I see." Twilight inclined her head a few inches. "Cindy, are you her familiar?"
Cindy sat up straight. "She just said that. Sweetie is my mistress, and I am her familiar. I am here to support her on the road to becoming a master wizard." She leaned in. "So, have anything that can help with that? I heard there were some good books about it."
Twilight turned back for the castle, not saying a word. She left the door open, and Sweetie happily trotted after her, Cindy at her side. Spike was in the process of closing the door, but backed up quickly to let them in.
Inside, Twilight walked towards one of her many libraries. "Sweetie, I say this as your friend and sometimes mentor, but how did you learn how to summon a familiar?" She paused by the door to the library. "It's a very complex spell, and has a considerable energy demand on top of that."
Sweetie waved at her familiar proudly. "And here she is. I just followed a different book and I did each and every step. I was careful, like you taught me." Her horn glowed with the promise of magic. "I think I performed quite well!"
"That's not the problem." Twilight approached her student. "We don't really know how familiars work, only that they do. They aren't your average magical entity, or even an animal with magical ability." She forced a smile for Cindy. "You seem nice enough. I don't mean to imply that you aren't. Hello, Cindy. As long as you come with friendship, you're welcome in this castle."
Cindy rested a paw on her chin. "Odd choice of words there, princess. But yes, I am very friendly."
Twilight entered the library, stopping at the center of it. "The fact that you succeeded does imply you've advanced past the foal I remember who could barely lift things with her magic." She paused, grabbing a book in her magic and laying it in front of Sweetie. "Pick that up, with your magic."
Sweetie blushed but complied. The thick book levitated from the ground, but it was trembling before she even got it up two inches. With a gasp, Sweetie's magic flickered out and the book plopped back down.
Cindy rushed ahead of Sweetie and up onto the book. She at on the tome with a glare at Twilight. "This book is heavy! You were setting her up to fail. So she needs to practice picking things up." She curled in a spin back to Sweetie. "Let's add that to your training. Master wizards can lift things right?" She reached out to tap at Sweetie's horn. "Using that built-in wand of yours."
Sweetie giggled at that. "Built-in wand? Don't call a unicorn's horn that." She stuck out her tongue at Cindy, eyes moving to Twilight. "But, like she said, I'll practice that. She'll help. She's like a coach."
"A familiar is more than a coach." Twilight hissed with breath. "When she's focused on the task, she will lend her magic to your efforts. She will whisper secrets of magic for you if you become good enough friends, or she decides to make use of you."
Cindy squeaked at that. "Hey, I'm not an evil familiar."
Twilight dared to place a hoof on Cindy's head. "Glad to hear it. You sound as if you aren't entirely sure how being a familiar works. Odd, being a familiar. You should just know these things."
"I don't think so." Cindy bit at Twilight's hoof, but without any real malice. "Can you tell me how you knew you were a princess? Did you know how to princess the moment you became one?"
Twilight colored at being called out. "N-no." She shrank back. "You have a mild point there. But a familiar is a magic construct."
"What's a princess?" Cindy had a smirk on her face, tails swaying behind her.
Twilight raised a hoof. "A princess is, um." She thought back to how she was made into one. "A, um, magical... construct." She flopped to the ground in defeat. "I guess we both need to learn more about being what we are."
Sweetie circled around the book, eyes running over the spines of the books on display. "There are so many of them. Which do you suggest I start with?"
Twilight lit up at the request for guidance. "You can pick whichever you want. This section is devoted to beginner's magic." She moved through the library, heading for one of the shelves in particular. "Over here is intermediate magic, and all the way over there is advanced magic. Not that I expect you to have a reason to go near those sections." She eyed Cindy in particular. "You got lucky, somehow, but I wouldn't rely on that happening reliably."
"Hey!" Sweetie lifted her snout. "If your doubt is another challenge, I'll take it! I'll become a great wizard just like you, so watch me!" She moved closer to the section Twilight was at, just to hit a wall of magical force.
Twilight pushed Sweetie with her horn glowing, nudging her back to the starting tomes. "Start here, kindly. With your familiar's help, you may just breeze past them, but do that before you move on."
Sweetie giggled. "You worry too much. It's not like I'm going to accidentally summon another entity from someplace far away."
Cindy scrambled onto Sweetie's back. "You better not. You already have all the summoned buddies you need, Little Wizard." She felt a wash of intense jealousy even as she battled it. "Let's focus on the start, like Twilight's suggesting. I'll do my best to help. I'm here to assist you in becoming a master wizard, and that starts with a strong foundation."
Twilight gaped at that. "Did she... did you really just say that?"
"Yes?" Cindy inclined her head at Twilight. "Was that an odd thing to say?"
Twilight grabbed the familiar in a hug. "I'm just so happy right now. Please, guide Sweetie responsibly, as you already seem to be doing." She released Cindy to the ground with a smile. "I don't know how she managed to call you, but you seem like a fine familiar."
Cindy folded her paws and averted her eyes. "Um, thank you? I'll try to do my best to that effect. So!" She twirled to Sweetie. "Grab a book! I want to see it. I want you to read it. Let's get this show on the road."
Sweetie floated a large tome out of the shelf and down to her front hooves. "There we go." She smiled at Twilight. "See? I can use magic. And my horn isn't even hurting." With pride, she flipped it open. "Magical Evocations for foals. How to create and mani, mano, manipulate! Manipulate energies." She nodded. "Sounds exciting. Let's start.
Twilight laughed nervously. "Try not to let any of that energy get to the other books. Cindy, please assist with that."
Cindy placed herself between the book and the others. "It should be safe now."
Sweetie started with a reading, tail flicking back and forth behind her as she took in each page carefully. A strange sensation ran from her horn to her mind, flowing in the opposite direction than when she used her magic. Her familiar was with her, supporting her even as she read. The words were coming more easily to her, which was an entirely new sensation. She didn't even know one could help somepony read, but it was happening to her.
"If you're tired, let me know." Cindy's voice intruded on her thoughts, despite not being heard by Twilight. "You're doing fine for your first day. Better than fine, but I want you to think you're doing well too. I'm with you." Cindy smiled with eagerly swaying tails. Her voice turned out loud, "I have a lovely wizard. She'll become a master wizard in no time."
Author's Note
A chapter was purchased by Tomredlion, so I went ahead! Though, reading back at their specific prompt, I did not go in the direction they were suggesting. I hope they enjoy the direction I did wander off in. Maybe Rarity times next? We'll see if somepony grabs a chapter.
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