Login

Gazing to the Ocean of the Sky

by David Silver

Chapter 52: 52 - Horny

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

It grew quiet. The crowd was gaping at the feat of magic performed. Faint whispers went from pony to pony.

"Behold!" cried Trixie, gesturing without directly looking at Berry. "Where once a mare, then a stallion!"

Berry blinked softly as she looked herself over. She certainly felt like a mare. "Are you sure it worked?"

"Of course it--" Trixie finally looked at the target of her spell. She had gained a horn, it just wasn't the sort of horn she was expecting. "Wha? I mean, behold!" She threw her forelegs wide. "Trixie has destroyed the barrier between tribes."

Berry's eyes went up and crossed to look at the curved and pointed spire jutting from her forehead. She was a -- "Unihorn!"

"Unicorn, dear assistant," corrected Trixie. "You are now Equestria's first ever sea unicorn. Everypony give a hoof to our brave volunteer."

The silence was broken with excited babble and stomps on the ground as curious ponies pressed closer to get a look at Berry's altered form. Had what they'd seen been true?

One stallion pointed up at Berry. "Can you do magic?"

Berry had no idea, dazed and confused. "I... can try?" How did it even work?! She focused on the stallion that had asked, grunting and heaving as she tried to access a muscle she didn't have minutes earlier.

Trixie softly patted Berry's shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself. Trixie will magnanimously offer to train you, or she can restore you to your lovely birth form. She is here to delight and amaze, not cause terror. She learned that lesson."

Berry relaxed noticeably at Trixie's word, letting out a sigh of relief. "You can turn me back?"

"It shouldn't be an issue!" Or so Trixie hoped. "For now, rejoin your friends." She pointed down into the crowd where Spike, Moon, Cherry, and Indigo sat watching with different forms of shock on their faces.

The show continued with a fresh wave of razzle and even extra dazzle.

Indigo reached up with a shaking hoof and lightly prodded his friend's new horn. "Are you alright?"

Cherry was leaning right in on it, staring intently. "You look like a narwhal." She flashed a bright smile and threw a leg over her friend. "At least she said she can fix it."

Moon Dancer applied a hoof to her face. "I find that less likely than I would care for it to be."

Berry turned to Moon. "What?" Her eyes widened a little. "She was lying?! Why?"

Moon squirmed faintly. "This is just conjecture, but she did not intend this particular transmutation. She simply wanted you to step aside so she could finish the show without souring it. I predict she will do her best, but it may take more effort than she casually implied."

Spike rubbed behind his head. "Uh, we'll get it fixed, for sure. Are you... alright?"

Berry peered at Spike a little. "No!" She looked up at the horn again. As functional extra pieces went, it had a lot of potential. It was also scary! It was also just not what she was. She was a sea pony. Sea ponies did not usually come with horns. She reached up and tapped it lightly. "I... It reminds me of my grandfather."

Moon blinked at that. "Your grandfather had a horn?"

Berry nodded. "Right in the middle, like this. Just... like a Narwhal." She tapped her horn again. "He's about the only pony I ever saw with one, and he didn't have any magic that I remember."

Moon Dancer frowned thoughtfully. "Your horned heritage may have interfered with the spell. Trixie is going to be upset to hear you are not an entirely new creation."

Cherry tilted her head. "I didn't know there were horny sea ponies."

Indigo softly clucked his tongue. "I've... heard stories." He sounded far from certain.

The magic show wound down and the crowd dispersed, leaving a fatigued but satisfied Trixie to clean up the mess she had made. She saw the sea ponies and two familiar faces and waved to them. "Come closer. Trixie is no longer performing."

Moon Dancer approached the stage. "It is good to see you."

Trixie nodded at Moon. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Moon forced a smile. Smiling was important. "We require your arcane expertise."

Trixie brightened like a light-bulb that had just been turned on. "You need an expert in magic and, of course, you came seeking the best? Trixie is delighted to hear you have such good taste."

Cherry thrust a hoof at her friend's jutting new part. "You made my friend horny!"

Trixie blinked at that, puzzling out the worrying potential meanings before she settled on the most obvious one. "Trixie will attempt to undo the magic, if you wish? Trixie notes that having a horn is a lovely thing." She tapped her own horn. "Trixie could not imagine life without it."

Berry looked to Trixie a moment, then spun on Indigo. "Am I ugly?"

Indigo froze. Did he really get asked that? He looked Berry over. He hadn't really given her that sort of appraising before. His eyes followed the lines of her figure and back up to her horn. "You're pretty." Not as pretty as Cherry, a petulant part of his brain complained, but no, she was a lovely sea pony. Horned or not.

Berry gave a soft smile of relief. "Then I will let it be. It reminds me of my grandfather, and he was a good pony. If you like it, Indie, then I'll keep it." She moved to his side and pressed in tight to her romantic target. Indigo was blushing terribly, caught by a mare, and not the one he wanted most.

Trixie nodded at Moon and looked to Spike. "What brings you here, familiar of Twilight Sparkle?"

Spike blinked owlishly at that. "Familiar?"

"Familiar, a creature created or conjured by a magician's magic, typically to serve as a companion and assistant. Does that not perfectly define you?"

"Wha?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. "You were literally conjured from an egg that would otherwise have laid dormant. Twilight Sparkle made you. You serve as her companion and assistant. You are the very definition of a familiar."

Moon put a hoof between Trixie and Spike. "We are becoming distracted. The sea ponies require a sizable thaumic integration that would require considerable--"

Trixie perked an ear. "Trixie does not mean to demean herself, but why did you not ask Starlight Glimmer? She is a friend of Trixie's and quite talented. Why, if you came from Ponyville, it would have been a lot closer."

Moon blinked. She didn't really know Starlight. "I am not aware of this pony."

Spike did, and put a claw to his face. "Oh yeah! That would have been a good idea."

Trixie waved a hoof. "Go on. Starlight loves using her magic, and she'd delight in the chance to create something spectacular."

Spike blinked at that response. "You don't mind giving up the job to her?"

Trixie shook her head. "Starlight is a good friend of Trixie's. She can afford to cede the spotlight to her, just this once." She smiled gently. "Do tell her Trixie sent the gift, and let Trixie know how she liked it."

With friendly waves, the group was sent back towards the train that would bring them back to Ponyville. Moon Dancer remained with them. "I want to meet this pony."

Spike nodded. "If you like studying magic, you should like her. She's a natural."

Berry followed along, walking between her friends. Her eyes kept drifting upwards to the new, strange, thing that obscured just a bit of her vision if she looked upwards. Both of her friends were quietly supportive of her, and neither made fun of her. That helped. Still, she would need time to get used to the strange thing that had taken residence on her forehead.

As they rode back to Ponyville, Spike looked over Berry's addition. "It's longer and pointier than Twilight's before she, you know, became a princess and all."

Berry blinked down at Spike. "Her horn was smaller?"

Moon nodded. "She has gained significant horn and general stature since she originally left Canterlot."

Berry peeked up at the horn. "Does that mean I could do extra fancy magic?"

Just as Moon was about to reply, Cherry jumped in. "Sure! You'll be extra awesome."

Berry quirked a smile at Cherry. "You do know, if that's true, I'll be an even harder rival to top." She threw a leg over Indigo and pulled him close. "I'll snatch Indie for myself and what will you do about it?"

Cherry glanced between the badly blushing stallion and her 'rival'. "Congratulate you."

Berry blinked. "T-that's not what rivals say!" She thrust out a hoof to lightly kick Cherry in the chest. "Be more angry!"

Cherry snorted. "No need to get violent about it." She circled around to Berry's side. "I'll let you off the hook this time, seeing as they just made you horny."

"That's Unicorn," reminded Berry, puffing up with some bit of growing pride. "How can I tell if it's a magic horn or just a big poking thing like my grandfather had?"

Indigo reached a hoof to gently tap the new thing. "It's pretty cool either way."

Berry darkened at the praise from Indie. "T-thanks."

Spike looked to the side, facing across the train. "Moon Dancer?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think Twilight's gonna be mad?"

She blinked. "Why would she be?"

"I... kind of messed up." He glanced quickly at Berry and away. "I was supposed to keep them safe."

Moon Dancer shook her head. "If she holds it against you, I'll speak on your behalf. It was an accident, and Berry doesn't seem too disturbed by the outcome. If she does have some degree of thaumic control, the repercussions are staggering. As a fellow scientist, she will understand that and forget everything else."

Spike shrugged. "That sounds cool, but how can we tell."

Moon raised a hoof. "With vigorous testing, of course. Twilight should have the supplies we need. Where is this 'Starlight' pony?"

"Oh, she's at the castle."

"Expedient." Moon nodded. "To the castle then."

The train came to a smooth halt and the party hopped off the train.

"Hello!" Pinkie Pie had caught wind of them somehow. She was looking at Berry with a huge grin. "When'd you get another sea pony? Hi! I'm Pi--"

Berry held up a hoof. "Hello, Pinkie. We've met. Surely you recognize me?"

The voice was enough, Pinkie gasped. "Oh wow! You're the second friend of mine to suddenly get a new body-part. Are you a princess now?"

Berry grinned, pleased at the idea. "Princess of the sea..." she sighed out.

Cherry prodded her friend. "My mom's the Queen, so, technically..."

Author's Notes:

What will Twilight say?

Will Starlight help? Will she be OP?

How effective is that horn?

THERE ARE SO MANY QUESTIONS! At least there aren't any typos, right?

Next Chapter: 53 - Welcome Back? Estimated time remaining: 16 Minutes
Return to Story Description

Login

Facebook
Login with
Facebook:
FiMFetch