[Magic Laboratory – Wizbell]
Wizbell watched the two magic circles floating before him as he activated them over and over, slightly adjusting the amount of magic with each attempt.
He was trying to find the exact point where Trixie's spell stopped exploding and actually performed its intended "function."
He couldn't reproduce the same result.
The margin was incredibly small. If he poured in just a little more magic, the flow found a different path through the circuit, and the reaction ended in an explosion. If he used any less, the circle failed to activate altogether.
"...Interesting."
Most of the internal connections were far too crude. Under normal circumstances, a design like this should never work. Yet, once it reached a certain energy threshold, the magical pressure itself temporarily forced a connection between several formulas that, in theory, should never have linked together.
He grabbed another sheet of paper and wrote down the observation.
'She's using magical overload... but not to increase the spell's power.'
Magical overload was a well-known phenomenon. Normally, it destroyed the spell from the inside, damaging its formulas or breaking the circle's stability.
Here, something different was happening.
The overload existed solely to force two incompatible functions to remain connected for a fraction of a second.
"...That explains why it's so unstable."
He continued writing until the tip of his quill came to a stop on the page.
His ears immediately perked up.
They remained perfectly still for only a moment before slowly turning, as though trying to pinpoint the source of something only he could perceive.
The smile from a few seconds ago disappeared.
He set the quill down on the desk and stood up.
Closing his eyes, he focused.
He wasn't searching inside his laboratory.
His entire house functioned as an amplifier for his magical senses. Hidden enchantments woven throughout the structure extended his perception far beyond its walls, allowing him to monitor nearly all of Ponyville.
Normally, he sensed the town's everyday magical activity: unicorns using telekinesis, the occasional household spell, or small fluctuations that barely stood out from the background.
This time was different.
An immense concentration of magic had just crossed the boundary of the Everfree Forest.
Ahead of it ran two small magical signatures that Wizbell recognized immediately.
Snips and Snails.
Even without seeing them, he could feel the panic and fear radiating from their auras as they desperately fled toward Ponyville.
Wizbell's expression hardened.
A shower of golden particles was all that remained in the laboratory as he vanished with a Flash, completely abandoning his investigation.
...
His figure barely had time to materialize atop a rooftop or the top of a lamppost before vanishing again. The instant one hoof touched a surface, he was already performing another Flash toward the edge of his magical perception.
The peace of Ponyville was disturbed only by the faint golden glow left behind with each jump. Across the rooftops, a chain of golden flashes raced in a straight line, rapidly closing in on the source of that overwhelming concentration of magic.
Wizbell had no idea what kind of creature was approaching.
But whatever it was...
It was chasing two foals.
Elsewhere, Flash was returning from a patrol over the Everfree Forest. He had just finished dispersing several weather clouds that, due to their proximity, might eventually drift toward Ponyville. Besides, he enjoyed the challenge of flying above a place as chaotic as the Everfree.
Then something caught his attention.
An enormous creature, taller than Ponyville's houses, was heading straight for the town.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
Two utterly terrified foals were running directly ahead of the monster.
Without wasting a single second, a burst of wind marked the spot where he had been an instant earlier as he launched himself toward them at full speed.
Trixie looked at the two foolish colts in panic. They had actually believed every word of her boasting.
'What is Trixie supposed to do?! My magic isn't meant for combat... how is Trixie supposed to fix this?!'
In a desperate attempt, she cast a magical rope around the Ursa to restrain it. The creature simply raised one claw and sliced through it in a single motion.
Trixie took a step back.
Refusing to give up, she summoned a storm cloud above the Ursa's head.
A bolt of lightning struck it.
It barely managed to singe a bit of its fur.
The only result seemed to be an irritated Ursa.
'I'm dead!'
The Ursa raised one of its claws to crush Trixie and the two colts.
Before it could bring it down, something blue slammed into its side.
The impact sent it rolling several meters across the ground.
A pegasus landed in front of them, spreading his wings while keeping his eyes fixed on the Ursa.
At the same time, Wizbell landed beside them and took in the scene.
He blinked once... then twice.
'A cub?'
The Ursa Minor rose with a roar, ready to continue its attack, but it couldn't.
A magical muzzle materialized around its snout, preventing it from opening its mouth.
"You be quiet..." Wizbell glared at the Ursa Minor.
The enormous creature let out a muffled whine as the magical muzzle automatically tightened the moment it tried to growl. Frustrated, it stood back up, trying to make itself look bigger by raising its claws in one last attempt to intimidate them.
A psychic hand slammed its head into the ground, forcing it into submission.
The Ursa Minor struggled against the restraint, but every attempt was answered with a harsher shake and another impact against the earth.
The grip became increasingly rough, forcing it to lower its head. Instinctively, the Ursa Minor felt as though a creature far larger than itself had grabbed the back of its neck with its jaws.
The Ursa Minor stopped trying to intimidate them.
It only let out quiet, pitiful whimpers as it remained pinned to the ground.
Wizbell stepped forward with his horn glowing, keeping the Ursa Minor restrained. His gaze swept over Trixie, Snips, and Snails before returning to the massive creature.
Flash stepped aside without taking his eyes off the Ursa. Still annoyed by its attack, he remained alert, ready to intervene if necessary.
"I need an explanation. Can someone tell me why two colts came running into Ponyville while being chased by an Ursa Minor?"
Trixie remained frozen, staring at her destroyed wagon and the creature that, only moments ago, had nearly killed her.
Behind her, Snips and Snails hid, trying to avoid Wizbell's gaze.
There wasn't a trace of the teacher they knew.
They were still stunned by how effortlessly he had taken control of the situation, but the fear of being scolded soon outweighed everything else.
"Wizbell! Flash! Is that an Ursa Minor? What's it doing here? Its mother could come looking for it—we have to take it back!"
Twilight came running with Spike riding on her back.
"Hey, Twilight. Wizbell has it under control already, but only temporarily," Flash replied without taking his eyes off the Ursa Minor.
Before long, more ponies arrived, drawn by the commotion from moments earlier.
"So... who's going to explain this?"
Wizbell continued waiting for an answer while Twilight began soothing the Ursa Minor with a wind spell.
"Those two idiots went looking for the beast because they wanted to prove Trixie really was a great magician. I also know where the Ursa's den is. I saw them coming back from the forest while it was chasing them," Spike said. Seeing Wizbell's expression, he decided it was best to keep his distance.
Wizbell gave him a single glance.
"I see..."
Without another word, a magic circle began forming beneath everyone, spreading across the entire area. Broken wooden planks returned to their places, shattered windows rebuilt themselves, and Trixie's wagon gradually returned to its original form.
At the same time, Twilight finished putting the Ursa Minor to sleep with the Wind Lullaby and began guiding it back toward the Everfree Forest. Her full attention was focused on returning the cub safely, while Flash accompanied her from the air.
Trixie watched as her home rebuilt itself until it looked as though nothing had ever happened.
Only then did she truly pay attention to the unicorn.
That spell was far beyond any magic she had ever witnessed.
"...Is... is that even possible?"
She looked toward Wizbell, but he remained focused on restoring the area.
Once everything had been repaired and put back in order, he used his telekinesis to pull Snips and Snails out from behind Trixie and set them down in front of him.
The two instinctively tried to run.
They didn't even manage to take a single step.
An anchoring spell locked all four of their hooves firmly to the ground.
"Now then... you two are going to explain, in order, exactly how we ended up in this situation."
Wizbell waited.
Snips exchanged a glance with Snails.
Both looked equally intimidated.
"W-Well... we just wanted to see really powerful magic, like the kind the Great and Powerful Trixie showed during her performance. We also wanted everypony to see her do that amazing magic again, so we went to get the Ursa so she could repeat her heroic act."
Snips took a deep breath before continuing.
"If she already defeated it once... we thought she could do it again. So we worked really hard until we found its den."
At first, he spoke with obvious fear.
But as he described venturing into the Everfree Forest and discovering the Ursa Minor, his tone gradually changed.
By the time he finished, he was speaking with genuine pride.
Snails nodded beside him with the exact same expression, clearly pleased with what they believed to be their great accomplishment.
"But... we didn't expect her to be a fraud. We're really sorry. We swear we'll never do it again... right, Snails?" Snips said while pointing a hoof at him.
"Yeah! She couldn't do anything. She just stood there." Snails nodded so enthusiastically that his bowl cut flopped from side to side.
Wizbell silently looked at both of them.
His face remained completely expressionless.
"So... we're really sorry. We'll never wake up another dangerous beast again. We'll be going now since it's really late," Snips said as he stood up.
Snails did the same.
The two of them waved goodbye to Wizbell and tried to leave.
They didn't even manage to take a single step.
Their hooves were anchored to the ground once again.
"So... you're actually proud of the fact that you explored the Everfree Forest, survived through sheer luck, approached a creature capable of killing you with the slightest movement, led it all the way to a complete stranger who performs magic shows to entertain crowds, expected her to save you from the beast that you provoked, and then, when she couldn't stop it, blamed her for everything before deciding that saying, 'We're sorry. It won't happen again,' was enough to go home and sleep peacefully?"
Snails nodded with a smile, completely convinced that Wizbell had understood exactly what they meant.
"I see..." Wizbell murmured to himself as he looked at the two colts. "Your reasoning skills are poor enough to justify an investigation. Logic appears to be an entirely foreign concept to your minds."
Wizbell summoned two scrolls, a quill, and a small bottle of ink. The quill immediately began writing on both scrolls by itself while he continued watching the two colts.
"You will now go straight home and deliver these scrolls to your parents or guardians. In addition, both of you are expelled from my class..."
"W-What?! Why?! We already apologized! Nobody got hurt!" Snips shouted, unable to understand the decision.
The quill snapped in half.
A moment later, it pieced itself back together and continued writing as though nothing had happened. Once it finished, both scrolls rolled themselves up and floated in front of Wizbell.
He turned his attention back to the two colts and walked until he was standing directly before them.
"Tell me... do you honestly believe the words 'I'm sorry' and 'It won't happen again' are some kind of spell?"
Snips and Snails remained silent.
For the first time since everything had begun, both of them realized the situation was far more serious than they had imagined.
"Sometimes, simple words like 'I'm sorry' are enough for others to decide to leave the matter behind. This is not one of those times. Your actions nearly cost lives and futures, all because you wanted to prove someone else's greatness."
He paused for a brief moment.
"Trixie's. Not your own."
"What exactly did you stand to gain if everypony ended up applauding Trixie for her tricks or her magic? Prestige? Recognition? Knowledge? Nothing. You would have gained absolutely nothing in return. You would still be the same two colts who barely understand magic."
His expression remained completely unreadable.
"The fact that you're colts doesn't erase the weight of your actions. Are you incapable of thinking beyond the length of your own noses? Are you completely unaware of the world around you? What concerns me most is that you still don't seem to understand just how irresponsible your actions were. Even a moment ago, you were speaking proudly about your little adventure."
Wizbell pointed toward the Everfree Forest.
"You don't understand how easily you could have died out there. You survived by pure chance, and instead of learning from it, you chose to feel proud of yourselves. That line of reasoning is precisely why you're being expelled from my class."
He watched them for a few more seconds before finishing.
"I refuse to teach magic to ponies who cannot understand the consequences of their own actions."
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh, Wizbell?" Twilight asked, having just returned.
"Don't be so hard on 'em. They're just foals. It's normal for 'em to make mistakes," Applejack said while looking at the two colts, who could only keep their heads lowered.
"They're free to learn magic, but they'll do it on their own. If they want to study under me again, they'll have to prove they've truly reflected on what happened. Each of them will write me a letter of reflection, and each will present it to me individually. Until then... not another word."
"Being a foal is an excuse when you spill ink, accidentally break something, or a prank gets out of hoof. Bringing a deadly beast into Ponyville just because you wanted to see a few magic tricks... that's in an entirely different league. Consider yourselves fortunate that I'm still giving you a chance to redeem yourselves. I'd rather not."
Wizbell stood and pushed both scrolls toward the two colts with his magic.
"These scrolls can only be collected by your parents or guardians, so don't even bother trying to hide them."
...
"I still think you were too harsh, darling. I almost feel sorry for them now," Rarity said as she approached with the rest of the girls, who had silently watched the entire exchange.
"It was necessary. Better they learn now than when the consequences are far worse." Wizbell turned toward the mares.
"If you two were so good with magic, why didn't you go up on stage and put that magician in her place...? Huh? She's gone." Rainbow looked around for Trixie's wagon. She immediately took off and circled above the plaza, but couldn't spot it anywhere.
"She left when Wizbell started scolding the colts. She watched him for a little while, then hitched up her wagon and left. I gave her some cupcakes since there wasn't enough time to throw her a surprise party. We had tons of orders from Canterlot today!" Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically, immediately launching into a detailed list of the cakes and all the different designs she'd made throughout the day.
"Yeah... I didn't know you were that good at restraining wild beasts..." Twilight commented as she looked at Wizbell. She still remembered the calmness and mastery with which he had handled the entire situation. There had been so much control... so much precision.
"Next time... could you maybe not be quite so rough? The little one kept saying her neck hurt. She was only upset because they woke her up..." Fluttershy tried to say from behind Pinkie Pie.
It wasn't the best timing.
"...And then three more wanted a carrot cake with strawberry frosting! Oh! And one wanted lemon with vanilla cream! And another wanted chocolate with—!"
Pinkie kept enthusiastically listing every flavor combination that several pegasi from Canterlot had ordered that day.
"Hey, Flash~! You've gotta teach me how you tackled that thing! I heard you were the first one there. Hey, my hero! Though I would've done it way faster... and with a whole lot more style."
Rainbow shot into the air to catch up with Flash, who was already heading home.
.
.
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Author's Note:
Did you know my fanfic has a built-in filter?
The first 15 chapters basically work as one.
The first chapter barely gives any real context about who my OC was before arriving in Equestria. It's intentionally vague.
Then the next few chapters test your patience with my terrible writing.
And for some reason, a lot of people dislike Chapter 11 because they think Wizbell is "destined for greatness," when that wasn't the point at all. I was trying to show how he earned his own place in this world. He was a foreigner, and he simply rode the wave of destiny that began with Rainbow Dash.
Sometimes I think about going back and editing... or even rewriting those early chapters.
But then I remember I'm lazy.