Warm tones filled Canterlot from the sunset reflected in my parents' fur as we walked home. The sounds were muffled, even the laughter of my parents chatting happily. I silently stared at my hand, trying to remember that sensation... that magical feeling eludes my perception.
A sense of control and instinct. At one point, I understood what I had to do and how to do it, but now... I can't remember the basis of those thoughts that filled me with total confidence of achieving the impossible at that moment.
The joy of completing the test served as a distraction, but I can't stop remembering that moment.
I have no way to express what I experienced, and that frustrates me greatly.
It was so fast, that moment of total clarity...
Following my parents' pace, I remained silent as I tried to grasp that memory, the one that changed everything, but it escaped me as if I were trying to catch air.
The magic circle over my heart circulates calmly at a steady pace, and even though I try to control its speed, I can't. It refuses to listen to me, it rejects me... as if I'm missing something, and that's painfully obvious.
I lack magical control, although I was able to use telekinesis to pick up my bag from the shelf before, it really took a lot of effort to not waste magical power. The reserves of magical power I was used to are no longer the same.
My raw magical power is too dense and fast for me to control. The quick increase in my magical reserves has set me back a few dozen steps from my magical control, which was once almost excellent or very good for my age.
I had lost the magical control that allowed me to use [Flash]. I didn't feel as strong a connection to my magic as I used to—not that there wasn't one, but keeping up with the accelerated pace at which it moves through my magical circuits makes it hard to control. Before, it was calm and slow, very manageable compared to now.
Well, I can only see it as a blessing, a challenge. Now I just have to regain that control I haven't lost, it's only diminishing compared to my magical reserves.
It didn't take long for us to reach our house. Serene left us a block away, heading towards the castle. Today was a day off for her.
As we entered the house, I headed to the living room to lie down and clear my head a bit. I jumped onto the couch, letting its softness captivate me...
'Finally home,' I thought as I relaxed with the familiar smell of ink and baked goods.
"Son! Catch it!" I raised my head in confusion only to see the shadow of an object flying in my direction. I quickly placed my hands in the object's path and deflected it from my face while holding it.
"!!!" Distracted, I barely managed to catch the object my father threw at me.
I sat down on the couch to get a better look at what I'd caught, a Rubik's Cube. I raised an eyebrow at a familiar toy. I hadn't expected to see it in this world, but what intrigued me most was the small magical pulse it kept releasing, one from a magical artifact...
"It's a magical or alchemical tool, both would be correct. The interesting thing about this magic cube is the way it was built with several difficulty levels that are unlocked as you progress. It keeps track of your level according to your magical signature. So the goal is to use Telekinesis to play with it on the high levels if you want, also you could use your hands. You have to assemble all of its faces with the corresponding colors with some challenges in the way. Here are the instructions, now an example of an advanced level."
My father retrieved the cube from my hands, and when he injected a bit of his magic, the cube exploded with a small magical field where the cube pieces floated in erratic movements, only stopping at 1 or 3-second intervals. It was a bit chaotic to watch as 26 pieces moved uncontrollably around the cube's core.
"This would be the Magic Control Mastery difficulty. There are several levels, separated by ranks: Novice, Adept, Professional, Master, and Challenger. The more levels you complete, the more difficult and demanding the cube will be. In this stage, I have to go through the cube's magic field to stop it piece by piece, and each piece has its own magic field. Every so often, it releases a small pulse that changes the frequency or magic resistance to control the pieces. Using raw power isn't an option. Doing so only resets the level. There are more details I didn't mention, and I think it'll be fun for you to discover." My father released two quick bursts of magic power toward the cube, causing it to reboot and go into standby mode.
"THANK YOU!" I hugged my father for the gift. Not only is it very helpful, it's... AWESOME!! A DAMN ADAPTABLE AND EVOLUTIONARY MAGIC DEVICE!
Curiosity pricked my brain, and I had a strong desire to dismantle the cube to discover the secrets behind its operation. How can it differentiate magical signatures? Where does it store that information, and how does it prevent data from being mixed up between different users? What's the user limit? How many levels does it have?
Without using magic, the cube functioned like a normal Rubik's Cube, which I managed to complete in about two minutes.
"A little rusty compared to my 18 seconds." I looked at my hands. *Snort*
"Another skill to recover besides drawing without using magic." I sat there for a while playing with the cube until I decided it was time to use my magic.
Guiding my magic toward my horn, I injected magical power into the cube. It quickly absorbed it and released a small pulse that made me let go. The cube hovered in the air and then began to disassemble all the faces with quick movements until it hovered peacefully.
Out of habit, I tried to reach for it again, but a small magical field repelled my hands.
"Hehe." I felt challenged by the cube; its magical signature was filled with a feeling of contempt for my attempt to grasp it.
*Mya!* Stella stared at the cube intrigued. Until now, she had been calm, but now she couldn't stop staring at the cube with total intrigue, but she didn't move. She continued to rest on my legs like a silent spectator.
A quick thought brought to mind the sheet my father had left on the table. It explained the first level. A quick read, and I understood the ways I could approach to the cube.
I choose the hard and better way.
I took a breath and exhaled slowly as I focused on my magic, which now had to guide my hands in a Not magical focal point, but now I would begin to wake it. I was able to create a magic circle, something that was a total fantasy from my previous world and a mystery in this world. There's nothing to indicate that I can't achieve this. I wouldn't be the first, nor the last.
The previously invisible and merely imaginary magic circuit was easy to perceive now, something I had managed to do since obtaining my magic circle. Concentrated on my right arm, I carried my magic through a simple circuit, resisting the large amount of magical power I began to guide to the center of my palm, where I created a whirlpool. The circular motion attracted more magic, and then the release was my fingers, the focal points for humans and earth ponies. My compatibility with them was not the greatest due to my nonexistent use until now.
I had to do the same with my other hand without losing focus on my right hand, because as soon as my concentration faltered, the mana concentrated in my hand that maintains the magical focus began to disappear and return to normal.
'I can do it, one step at a time. I was able to perform a magic that no colt should use. It is my magic, IT MUST OBEY!' My convictions and desire are greater than this insignificant challenge, and the inherent resistance of my magic. Just because it increases a little, it decides to ignore me... no sir, staying in my body is not free.
Magic began to cover both of my hands as I finally managed to control the two artificial magical focuses.
I stretched my right hand toward the cube and was able to easily touch it... The difficult thing is that every time I move my hand, I must adjust the magic circuit to maintain magical focus, and if I lose it, my hand will be repelled by the magical field.
*!!!* By the time I managed to grasp the cube, I couldn't properly adjust my magical power, causing it to lose magical focus.
'Again!' Rebuilding what had been destroyed was easy; I already knew which paths to take, and they were also adapting to the circulation of magical power.
'Again!' 'Again!' 'Again... again!' "Again!" My hands went numb from the several failed attempts; sometimes it's my left hand, sometimes it's my right, or both.
"I won't give up." "STOP RIGHT NOW!" A hand stopped me from trying again. My father looked at me worriedly. I tried to remove my hand and continue.
"Calm down, Wizbell. Look at the time. Go to sleep, let your body adjust!" He pointed at the clock that showed 2 a.m. The sun had set a while ago, and I was still in the living room trying to master the first level of the cube.
"Okay... good night." I said goodbye. I knew I had done wrong; my competitive side had gotten the best of me. I grabbed Stella, who had fallen asleep, and went up to my room.
I raised an eyebrow as I was about to reach my room when I remembered how easily my father nullified my magical power gathered in my hands. Well, it's not that surprising when, in retrospect, he already has great control over his own magical power and how he managed to take pictures of my cutie mark throughout my magical awakening.
-===============-
"You'll only be allowed two hours to use the cube, and don't even think about practicing creating your magical focus in your hands on the sly, mijo." Starting the morning with my mother's first scolding in this life, my snitch father told my mother, who had gone to sleep early, what had happened last night.
My mole father hid behind a newspaper with the aura of, 'It's not my problem, you reap what you sow.'
*Pah!* My mother slammed her palm on the table.
"Are you listening to me?!" My mother gave me a very serious and angry look, almost like a spell, because of how small she made me feel.
"Yes, I can only use the cube for two hours, and I can't overexert myself because I could atrophy my magical circuits. And I will only use it when you're present." I stood up straight as I summarized the punishment, or warning, which is what it is.
"Well, now eat your pancakes, they're going to get cold, honey." With a big, cheerful smile, my mother placed the pancakes in front of me. After a scolding, a hearty meal came to lighten the mood.
"These are so delicious... traitor." The warm pancakes with honey between the layers of five pancakes tasted exquisite.
"Better control yourself next time. If I didn't stop you, you'd get a real punishment," my father whispered to me from his newspaper. I guess he felt my gaze since I hadn't taken my eyes off him to show my disgust at his ''betrayal''.