Chapter Two: Magic

“Well…you could try, I guess…” Celestia told Maya uncertainly, giving her permission. Did the unicorn actually think she could do this? A single unicorn couldn’t lower the sun…unicorns weren't that powerful...right?

“Cool!” Maya trotted over to Celestia and nudged the alicorn with her elbow. Did ponies even have elbows? Well, she nudged the princess with whatever a pony’s elbow was called. Celestia stared at the unicorn. “What in Equestria are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

Setting her hoof back on the floor, Maya gazed at the sun. The glow that shone around her horn was the exact same shade as Celestia’s had been, and the sun resumed its descent. When the sun had left the horizon and all was dark, the moon began to rise. “Is someone else doing that? Because I know I’m not,” Maya frowned.

“Yes. My sister Luna is,” Celestia replied, staring at the pony who was definitely not an alicorn. “How in Equestria did you do that?!”

Maya smiled smugly. “Because of my talent.”

“Your talent is to control the sun?” the alicorn asked incredulously.

“Noooo…Look at my pretty spot.”

“Cutie mark.”

“Yeah, that.”

Celestia glanced at Maya’s flank, seeing two stars. One was silver, the other gold, and the silver one overlapped the other.

“Hmm…you can control the whole sky, then?” Silver would be the moon, gold the sun, and the stars were obvious. Well, it was a bit of a stretch, but it was the only thing she could think of.

“Not even close!” Maya giggled.

Ben grinned. “Her talent is –”

“Don’t spoil it!” Maya pouted.

“Maya can copy anyone’s talent. Exactly,” Ben said quickly, getting it out just in time to avoid being muffled by a silver hoof. Not that it didn’t cover his mouth, but he managed to finish talking first.

“She has to touch them with her elbow to do it. We don’t really know why, but I think it’s because if she just had to touch them at all, it would be way too hard to avoid getting someone’s talent if she didn't want - mmph!,” Eve added, not finishing in time to avoid Maya's hoof.

“Well, that’s certainly interesting. But Eve…You said your talent was teleportation, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, now you’re a unicorn. I don’t know if there are unicorns in Zanth–”

“Xanth,” Eve corrected for the second time. “And yeah, there are, but I doubt they’re quite the same as here.”

“Right, Zanth, but here in Equestria, unicorns can use all magic. Of course, some are stronger than others at it, and some magic can only be done by an alicorn – although Maya seems to have disproved that – but a unicorn is not limited to one thing. I’m sure that, now you’re here, the same rules apply.”

“…I kinda doubt that.”

“How about you just try lifting this quill,” Celestia suggested, raising it to hover in the air. “Focus on it, try to keep it up by yourself.”

“I’ll try…” Eve said doubtfully.

She concentrated on the feather in mid-air. Although her horn glowed, purple did not join the golden glow around the quill. Concentrating harder, she teleported on top of it, and both she and the quill fell to the floor. She looked up at Celestia, getting back to her feet.

“Told you,” she sighed.

“That’s so strange…” Celestia frowned. “I’ve never seen anything like it…In the thousands of years I’ve ruled Equestria, all unicorns under my rule have at least been able to lift a feather…”

Eve glared at the princess. “Hey! I’ll have you know that in Xanth I’m Magician-level talent. Teleporting is really powerful, ’specially when you compare it to some other people’s talents.”

Maya stuck out her tongue at Eve. “Hey! You’re not Magician level!”

“Yeah I am!”

“No you’re not! I’m a Magician and you know it, Prince Andrew came to North Village to find Magician people and he said so! And he didn’t say you were!”

“You know I was off exploring that day! And you would’ve been too, if you hadn’t gotten in trouble!”

“Yeah, well, I’m a Magician, and my talent is more powerful than yours is!”

“Is not, but even if it was, I would still be a Magician ’cause some Magicians can be weaker than other Magicians!”

“It is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe these two are friends…” he muttered.

“Well, my talent is like yours and everyone else’s combined!”

“Yeah, but you need to touch them with your elbow first, and then if you touch ANYTHING else with your elbow, you get its talent and lose the first one!”

“So? I at least have more talent than you!”

“You aren’t even as strong with people’s talents as they are! That’s why your cute thingy is the silver one over the gold one! Gold is better than silver and you’re the silver!”

“Well, you’re the stupid!”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Does too!”

“Does not!”

“Does too!”

“Does not!”

“Does too!”

“Does not!”

Celestia’s eye twitched.

“My talent is still way more powerful than yours is!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“ENOUGH!” Celestia yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice, bringing their intelligent discussion to an immediate halt.

The two fillies looked up at Celestia, startled into silence.

“Look. I don’t know what a Magician is, as you mean it, and I’m not sure I want to know. Let’s just drop this topic of conversation, all right?”

The fillies nodded slowly, eyes wide.

“…So…your talent is copying others’, yours is teleportation,” she nodded to Maya and Eve respectively, “and neither of you can use other magic, although I assume Maya can, when she has copied someone who can…So what’s your brother’s talent?” Celestia asked, half curious, half wanting to relieve the tension in the room.

Silence fell, each passing second leaving her more confused and the others more terrified. Finally, Maya broke the silence with a fearful whisper. “Oh no…”

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait. Homework and stuff. Hopefully I can get the next one out sooner :)