14 BNS Chapter 14 — The Party (Part 2)

The party went on, and while everyone was having fun and talking, Starlight asked Twilight to step aside with her to discuss something.

Seeing this, Alan realized that most likely it would be either about what had just happened, or about him with Maud and their bracelets. Maud, who was standing next to him, said.

— Looks like you can talk to Twilight soon.

— Not "you" can, but "we" can.

With a warm smile, Alan corrected the mare.

Maud responded to his smile with her barely perceptible one, and headed towards Pinkie, who was clearly going to cut the amount of sweets on the table by three times on her own.

In the meantime, Alan finally managed to communicate with the rest of the guests, among whom one could see many of the ponies he knew from the series. Usually, they are tertiary or minor characters, but now that Alan is in this world, none of this mattered, and he could communicate freely with everyone, getting to know them a little better.

At some point, the Mayor Mare approached Alan and asked with a mischievous smile.

— So we met again, Mr. Alan. I hope you have already found a suitable place of residence for you. If not, then I am ready to shelter you for a day or two. As a promised reward, of course.

Alan looked at her in surprise, but then quickly realized what she was driving at. With a grin, he answered.

— Wow, thanks for the offer. Unfortunately, I have already been sheltered for the first time, and I am not yet sure how soon I will find my own accommodation. "Also, I'm not sure if I will search at all." But I am ready to drop in to visit you in my free time and collect my reward personally.

Alan finished with a playful smile.

At this point, Rarity intervened in the conversation, accidentally overhearing the last part. Quiet Fluttershy was also standing next to her.

— What is the reward?

Mayor Mare answered happily.

— Oh! You can't even imagine! Come on now, I'll tell you everything.

Coughing in her hoof to clear her throat, full of intentions to share her story, Mayor Mare began to retell yesterday's event.

— Yesterday, in the morning, two suspicious ponies rushed into my town hall and started looking around strangely and asking inappropriate questions about the interior and the cost of things. Noticing this, I managed to send a signal to my assistant to bring the guard, just in case. And as it turned out it was not in vain. As soon as he went out the door of my office, two robbers pounced on me, and tied me to a chair, began to search the office, looking for valuable things or money, along the way asking me about their whereabouts. I in due time…

The mare continued the story, to which more and more surprised and interested ponies joined in to listen. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike also listened with interest to the narration. And just returned Starlight and Twilight also did not stand aside, and joined their friends.

Even immersed in snacks, Pinkie Pie stopped leaning on sweets, and listened carefully to the story. Maud could not miss this either, since Alan was featured in the story.

Mayor Mare continued the story until she came to the moment of Alan's appearance. She told everything with amazing accuracy, colorfully describing events and accurately noticing all the emotions and phrases. The only thing she didn't mention was the glow of Alan's bracelets, as he asked to be kept secret.

All the ponies were surprised that such an event took place in their kind town. And although they often had certain unusual events, there were no attempts at robbery before.

Many were delighted with Alan, and towards the end of the story they were happily stamping their hooves, embarrassing the hero of the story.

Among the surprised and delighted ponies, there were also the main six friends, with Spike and Starlight. And Rainbow Dash was the first to express her opinion.

— That… was… AWESOME! These criminals dudes got a good beat! Oh, I would like to see it in person.

— I agree, these hooligans got what they deserved.

Applejack agreed, looking at Alan in a slightly different light now.

— Tying the lady? Oh, such barbarity! It's good that Alan was there to help... like a prince... ah…

Rarity spoke out, leaving for her fantasy world. Spike, looking at how she reacts to it, immediately puffing out his chest and said.

— If I were there, I would also have stood up for our Mayor!

Patting her eyelashes, Rarity looked at Spike, and with a sweet smile stroked the dragon's head.

— Of course, Spikey-Wikey. You are a cute little protector.

Although Spike didn't really like the fact that she treats him like a child, the pats on the head from Rarity did a good job of smoothing out the moment.

Twilight also decided to speak up.

— I must say that it was a very bold act.

— And brave...

Fluttershy added quietly.

— It was a lot of fun, (giggling)! You definitely pissed off the big guy with your phrase! Oh! And if there was a cake between their heads, it would be even funnier! Ha-ha-ha!

Pinkie said cheerfully.

By this moment, Starlight approached Alan, and softly banging him on the side with her elbow, she said.

— Well done, brave fellow. Does this mean that you are planning to start a superhero career?

Alan looked at her in surprise and laughed.

— Pfft... Hell no! hah... I'm not sure if this job suits me. Besides, Maud and I are planning to start promoting our project, so I won't have enough time to flaunt in a tight suit around the town, in search of various "villainous scoundrels".

Laughing at her hoof, Starlight answered.

— Well, I think this very tight suit would look very good on you, ha-ha!

With a giggle, Starlight said, to which Alan rolled his eyes.

Stopping laughing, Starlight said.

— By the way, about your project with Maud. Twilight said she would be happy to take the time to talk. So if you are ready, then we can move to another room right now to chat without unnecessary ears and eyes.

Alan's eyebrow raised, and looking at Twilight, he saw her nod. Returning his gaze to Starlight, he answered.

— I didn't expect that we will talk about it today. Especially in a place like this. Give me a second, I'll find out if Maud is ready.

But before he had time to start looking for her with his gaze, the gray mare was next to him and said.

— I'm ready at any moment.

— Whoa...!

Alan jumped in surprise. This ability of the sisters

of the Pie family, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, always surprised him. Regaining his composure, he said.

— Well, if Maud is ready, then so am I. Lead us.

Starlight nodded towards Twilight, and walked towards the room leading to the staff lounge. When everyone was seated on the couch and armchairs, Starlight spoke up.

— So Twilight, Alan, Maud. As I already said to Twilight, you need to consult with something that may relate to magic. For the rest, I hope you enlighten her yourself. And to be honest, I want to hear and see it again.

Twilight nodded confidently to show her interest. Starlight's request and explanation was vague and cryptic.

Twilight has always been a curious pony, and if something piqued her interest, she always tried to find out as much as possible about it. And now, when at least a few unusual circumstances happened, like a magical spark between her and Alan, or Alan's secret affair with Maud, and even his interference in Ponyville's problems.

All of this gradually raised the bar of Twilight's interest in the new resident of Ponyville.

Exchanging a glance with Maud, he took off his cuffs with her, revealing the bracelets for viewing. As soon as they saw them, a strong interest awoke in Twilight's eyes, and with childish enthusiasm, she spoke non-stop.

— What interesting magical artifacts! I've never seen one like this before. Where did you get them? The conversation will be about them? What are they doing? They are in excellent condition! What era are they from? You…

Twilight continued to ask a lot of questions, amazing everyone present with her zeal. Seeing this, Alan realized how much more restrained Starlight's reaction really was, compared to Twilight's. Starlight herself sat and enjoyed the expression on Alan's face.

Raising his hoof to interrupt the speeding Princess, Alan said.

— Um... As I said last time to Starlight, I'll tell you too, instead of a long explanation, I'd rather show you. Maud, prepare the test subject.

Maud nodded and, under Twilight's confused gaze, responded.

— Bolder, your time has come.

With that said, Maud took Bolder out of her pocket and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. Pointing his hoof towards Bolder, Alan spoke.

— Twilight, I present to your attention the Magic Incipience Bracelet, or in short - "MIB"

With these words, Bolder was seized by magic, and he flew into the air half a meter, and began to hover in a circle above the table, in front of everyone.

Twilight looked at this with an extremely surprised face and an open mouth. She has already encountered artifacts that can create magic, but this has always been limited to one specific property, like teleportation, or creating wind for a fire. But she had never met an artifact that allowed earth ponies to use magic.

She turned her surprised gaze to Alan and asked.

— These bracelets... Where did you find them?

Alan grinned, and bending his front hooves, brought them closer to his chest, putting both bracelets on display, he answered.

— These babies, with the invaluable help of Maud, I made myself. So search even the whole of Equestria and further, but you will not find such. Well... I think so.

Twilight's eyes widened and she literally froze with words.

— They... you... you are... WHAT!?

Twilight was in such a state of shock that if Princess Celestia ran in front of her in a clown costume, humming "Winter Wrap Up", she would not even notice. That was how much it struck her.

Everything about magic and its history has always been Twilight's greatest strength. But she never thought that earth ponies could not only create a magical artifact, but also be able to make it so that it would allow all ponies without a horn to extract their magic.

Twilight believed this should definitely be a big event in the world of Equestria. That's why she was thinking now.

«This is incredible! I remember from history books that in the past, the brightest magical minds tried to create something similar, and it seemed that they even theoretically created a certain object. But they never got it to work. How did Alan and Maud do it?»

Gradually coming to her senses, Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled, and shifting her gaze to the others, she noticed with what amusement they were looking at her.

She coughed in her hoof, embarrassed, and spoke.

— For ordinary ponies, these bracelets, a priori, are something amazing. But for a pony who understands all the intricacies of magic and its history, this is something so incredible that even Star Swirl the Bearded himself could not achieve. I don't know if Starlight told you, but in the past, great magicians have already tried to create something similar, and Star Swirl himself personally applied his hoof to this. But alas, the created object turned out to be incompetent.

Alan finally got a little more information and had the expected question.

— Starlight has already said that such an object has already been created, but she did not say what kind of object it was, and why it did not work.

Starlight nodded in acknowledgment, looking at Twilight with interest, waiting for answers. Alan and Maud also waited for an explanation.

Twilight thought for a few moments, and then answered.

— Hmm… I know for a fact that they created the necklace as it is the most common form for magical artifacts, but the materials used to create them are not disclosed. But as for the reason why it did not work, a certain problem was described, because of which the magic did not want to be directed into the necklace. Since the records were badly damaged, I do not know the details. But it seems that it is not necessary, since you most likely were able to solve this problem. Wow, this is so intriguing!

Twilight finished with joy and childish enthusiasm. Starlight finally understood something and said.

— Hey Alan, I think the problem the sorcerers of the past have had to do with what you call" Magical Flexibility".

— Yes, I thought so too. But for a complete understanding, you need to conduct at least one more test.

Twilight listened with incomprehension to what they were talking about and could not help but ask a question.

— Magical Flexibility? What is it?

Starlight waved her hoof in the direction of Alan, inviting him to explain his find on his own. Alan nodded and began to explain the same thing as Starlight the last time.

Twilight listened, and with each passing second her eyes grew more and more rounded. Once again, she learned something new and unexpected in magic from earth ponies. She could not even imagine that such a day would come one day.

«Now I understand exactly the expression "Live and learn."»

When Alan finished explaining, he said.

— That's what Magic Flexibility is. And I think that this is what prevented the magicians of the past from using such an item. And if you don't mind, I would like to do one experiment to find out for sure.

Hearing the word "experiment", the tired Twilight perked up even more, and answered.

— I love experiments with magic. Tell me what to do!

Alan smiled, and removing the bracelet from his hoof answered.

— It's very simple, you just need to put a bracelet on your hoof and try to use magic with it. But I'll tell you in advance, Starlight was never able to make it work.

— Seriously?

Twilight looked at her friend oddly.

Seeing this, Starlight said.

— What? If you think it's that simple, then you can try it yourself, and I'll see how it works out for you.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight put on the bracelet, and before she tried to extract the magic, she heard Alan's voice.

— A little advice, for a start, it is better to try to light at least a beam of light.

Twilight knew that she was good at magic, and although Alan's words about Starlight's inability to use the bracelet strained her, she did not think that she, as an element of magic, would fail, so she answered without hesitation.

— Do not worry. When it comes to magic, I am a professional. I assure you that I can handle it.

Everyone looked at her strangely, and Maud literally voiced the thoughts of the others.

— Deja vu.

Having stopped paying attention to her surroundings, Twilight concentrated on the bracelet in an attempt to make Bolder levitate over the table.

— ...

— Do you think she can do it?

Alan asked Starlight in a whisper.

— I don't know, she's the Element of Magic after all.

— Right, I think there are chances. What do you think, Maud?

— Magic loves her. But what about stones?

Maud replied in a whisper, in her indifferent manner.

All this time, Twilight's eyebrow was constantly twitching, and her ear was directed towards the whispering ponies.

— I wonder what she's trying to do?

Starlight asked. She was answered by Maud in a questioning manner.

— To focus on?

— Well, other than that I mean.

— Use a bracelet.

Maud answered again, Alan chuckled softly, and whispered.

— I think she still decided not to start with a beam of light.

Starlight nodded and answered.

— Yes, I suppose you're right ...

— ...

— What if she ...

— FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, CAN YOU BE SILENT FOR AT LEAST TEN SECONDS?

Finally, unable to bear it, Twilight shouted.

Stunned, Starlight and Alan sat down to attention and averted their faces in embarrassment. Maud, as she sat there with no emotion, continues to sit on.

Taking another deep breath, Twilight said.

— I think it was really quite unwise to start with levitation. Perhaps this time I will follow your advice.

Closing her eyes, Twilight returned to concentration and tried to use the bracelet again. But this time, all her efforts went into trying to create a magical light.

A minute passed...

Two minutes…

By the third minute, Twilight's expression was extremely tense, but the bracelet still showed no sign of light. Still tense, Twilight slowly opened her eyes, but was surprised to see no reaction on the bracelet.

Struck by this discovery, she deflated like a balloon and sank back onto the couch in defeat. It was at this point that Starlight said.

— As I said, this is much more difficult than it seems.

Standing up, Twilight asked indignantly.

— Then how do THEY do it? Are earth ponies magic more flexible than unicorns?

— I cannot give an answer to this question, but they can.

Both mares looked at Alan and Maud.

After exchanging glances with Maud, Alan answered.

— As I already said, at first I couldn't use the bracelet either, and only over time I mastered it, and I raised control only when I discovered the problem of flexibility.

Then Alan turned his gaze to Maud, and understanding him, she continued in a monotonous manner.

— Initially, in our bodies, magic remained in a motionless state, and did not have any definite flow. When we started wearing the bracelet, the magic in our body gradually began to take shape. But this form was not very stable. After all, the natural outlet for magic should be on the head, in the area of ​​the horn.

Here Maud allowed Alan to continue.

— When we started experimenting with magic with different hooves, the currents of magic in our bodies began to constantly change, acquiring a more flexible and malleable form. We also occasionally used hind hooves and even an artificial horn to make the flow more omnidirectional. And now…

But before Alan could finish, he was interrupted by Starlight.

— Wait wait! Artificial horn? You didn't tell me about it.

— Oh...

Maud looked at Alan with a raised eyebrow. This was the thing that they did not want to disclose so far, or rather, Alan did not want this, since he planned to keep it as a hidden ace up his sleeve, or as a secret weapon, just in case.

«Well, since you got caught, there is no point in hiding it from them further.»

— About the horn... It was a little secret between Maud and me, which I solemnly blurted out… Yeah... Sometimes it is very difficult for me to keep my mouth shut, especially when I try to be honest.

Starlight just laughed, and Twilight's gaze grew even more curious. Therefore, unable to bear it, she asked.

— So, this horn... Does it work the same way as the bracelets?

— Yeah, only three or four times more effective. I remember Maud somehow managed to break through a stone wall with a magic projectile fired through this horn. So I decided that I would save it as a last resort, after all, no one would expect that a simple earth pony would be able to resist someone with magic.

Twilight was surprised and asked.

— Why do you think that you need to confront someone?

Alan, Starlight, and even Maud looked at her with a poker face, and Alan said.

— Seriously? You've been through so many hassles, and still asking such a question?

— I um…

— Anyway. If at some point something bad happens, I don't want to be defenseless. I want to be ready to protect everything, and everyone who is dear to me. And I will do it whatever the cost. Believe me.

Alan said this with piercing firmness, as if there could be no other outcome. This came from his hard memories, which he will not allow in the future.

Hearing this, the mares were even stunned for a few seconds. Most of all it affected Maud, whose eyes widened slightly. This moment showed her that she was not mistaken in him, and made the right decision to follow him.

All this even a little turned her on, and she was anxious to get home with Alan as soon as possible to check the quality

a newly purchased bed.

Starlight also received a dose of her impressions, since in her life she had never met a pony capable of instilling such awe with words and his convictions alone. Even Twilight was confused for a second.

Alan glanced at the mares, and embarrassedly scratched the back of his head and answered.

— Sorry, I was a little lost for a second.

Coughing into his hoof, Alan continued.

— So, Twilight, I would like to know your opinion, is there an opportunity for me to start distributing and selling this invention? I thought it would be great to let all the ponies use magic. Plus, to earn extra money, ensuring a wonderful future for myself and my future family.

Everyone looked at Twilight for her answer.

Twilight came to her senses and immediately answered.

— Since this is something new, then, as far as I know, a product like this must go through a magic commission and check for safety, functionality and eventually get official permission from Princess Celestia, after her personal inspection.

Seeing Alan's pensive face, Twilight reassured.

— You don't have to worry about Celestia, I'm sure I can show it to her as soon as possible, but about the check by the magic commission… Well, here you have to rely on luck. You never know what they will try to find fault with.

The last part, Twilight spoke with a little anger and annoyance.

Of course everyone noticed this, and Alan asked.

— Could it be that you have already tried to pass this commission?

Twilight, remembering her past, sighed bitterly, and answered.

— Yeah, when I was still a student of Princess Celestia, she once assigned me a special exam, where I needed to come up with a magic object that would be useful in everyday life. And inspired by the books of Daring Doo, I decided to create an item that can create flames to light a fire if it is fully charged with magic.

After taking a break, she continued.

— And so, when I made it, and received a credit from Celestia, I was eager to distribute my invention to all ponies, hoping that it will help everyone who has problems with making a fire on a hike or anywhere else. But who knew that the more magic you load into it, the stronger the flame will be, and that if you add magic to an already charged object, the flame will be strong enough to scare an adult elderly magician during a test, and strip him of half his beard! Who, in the name of all that is holy, charges an already charged artifact with magic!

Twilight finished with a slight cry of indignation.

Realizing that she lost a little, and that Alan and Starlight were quietly giggling, she smiled herself, and turning to Alana said.

— So... I'll inform Celestia about your bracelets, and she will help you pass the magic commission.

— Great! Did you hear that Maud? It looks like the light has finally shone in our business!

— Hooray.

Maud answered monotonously, which also amused Alan.

After that, Alan began to ask Starlight and Twilight about various tricky points in magic, and interesting tricks and training. One of these, he was going to check when he gets home with Maud, as it promises to be interesting.

Finally, Alan asked the question that interests him the most.

— Twilight, Starlight, you know... Although I can do the simplest manipulations with magic, this only concerns its direction in different forms. But I'm interested in transformation. More specifically, spells. I would like to understand how they are done and also start practicing them.

To this question, like a real bookworm, Twilight answered first.

— For this, you need to read a lot of literature on this topic, and study several fundamental formulas. However, I am not sure how they will work when using magic through a bracelet. Hm...

While Twilight was thinking, Starlight intervened.

— I can teach you.

Everyone looked towards Starlight, and she continued.

— I mean, there is nothing better than learning from someone who has already mastered all the material perfectly, right?

Alan and Maud nodded, and the mare continued.

— Plus, Maud and Alan are my friends, so I'll be happy to help.

Hearing this, Twilight also didn't want to pass up the opportunity to teach someone magic, especially the one who invented such bracelets.

In Twilight's eyes, Alan has become the very anomaly that she wants to study and study until all the secrets are revealed. Unfortunately for Twilight, she does not yet understand what kind of anomaly she has encountered, because this meeting will change not only herself, but also the whole Equestria beyond recognition, but this is a different time, but for now.

Nodding her head, Twilight said.

— Okay, you and Maud can come to our castle, and Starlight will teach you everything she knows about magic. I will also join you from time to time when I am free.

— Great, thank you very much. I always knew that two of the best ponies in Equestria would help us no matter what.

These words could not but embarrass the two mares, but they quickly came to their senses and continued the conversation.

After discussing a few more things and uses in magic, the group heard someone singing outside the door, from the side of the party. Deciding that they had already talked enough, they decided to return to the party.

When they opened the door, the group saw that there was a musical number in full swing, led by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

Alan was a little shocked as this was something he had seen on the show numerous times. It was a song with no visible source of music. A very strange occurrence for someone like Alan.

All that Alan had time to think about was.

«Fuck, how?»

But he never received an answer.

But the merry Pinkie Pie finally noticed Alan returning, and was very happy. Since the song was almost over, she danced up to Alan, and after finishing the last line, she said.

— Welcome back! You missed SUCH awesome song!

Alan came to his senses and answered.

— Oh, well, it's okay, I'm sure I still have time to make up for it.

At that moment, Rainbow Dash flew up to them and said.

— Hey, Alan, why don't you sing yourself?

Hearing that, Pinkie's face lit up while Alan's face twisted.

Jumping around happily, Pinkie said.

— This is an amazing idea! Come on Alan, sing for us!

Alan tensed and answered.

— What? Sing? But... I um...

— Please, please, PLEASE!!!...

Pinkie begged Alan, and made such eyes that it was simply impossible to refuse.

— I... okay ...

— HOORAY!!!

Everyone immediately became more interested, especially those who knew Alan. Maud was surprised that he agreed to this at all. It looks like Pinkie's persuasion power is as strong as hers.

Cursing his weakness, Alan tried to figure out how to get off the hook, since he had no idea how to make music when singing, just as he had no idea how good he was at singing.

Even in his past world, he did it a few times at most, and although no one complained, you can't be sure that people around weren't just trying to be polite, keeping quiet about his bad vocals. Coming up with the stupidest excuse, he said.

— Um, to be honest, I don't know what to sing about at all ...

Saying this, he literally wanted to make a facepalm for himself.

Starlight, who was standing next to me, thought and said.

— Why don't you sing about how you lived outside Equestria?

This phrase attracted a lot of attention to Alan, since before that only Pinkie and Maud knew about it. Rarity was especially turned on as her fantasies about Alan's mystery only continued to progress.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash, in turn, were interested in the adventure component of this moment, and then planned to ask Alan about his adventures.

Fluttershy also cheered up a little, as she wanted to hear about new species of animals that may dwell outside Equestria. Twilight had read many books describing the world outside Equestria, but she was still interested in the culture of the inhabitants outside Equestria.

Thinking of Starlight's words, Pinkie happily hugged Starlight and said.

— Good thinking, Starlight! Surely Alan has gone through a lot that could be sung about!

— Uh!...

Drowning in Pinkie's arms, Starlight responded with difficulty.

— Y...es, Pinkie... Just let me go... I can't breathe...

— OH! Sorry…

The pink mare answered with an embarrassed smile, releasing Starlight. Now, all eyes were on Alan, causing him to have one single thought.

«Damn, what am I getting myself into.»

* * * * * * * * * *

Autor's Note:

Well guys. It was quite difficult. I still couldn't fit all the events into this chapter, so the party will receive a third part as well. I hope this does not upset the part of the readers who are expecting lemons. But don't worry, they will appear in the third part. Until then, enjoy your reading.

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