Colt Quest
Chapter 17 begins!

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Emerald decides to play around for a little while longer.

Since there isn't much else but rocks here, the two start building rock towers, something that Ruby is quite a bit better at than the colt. After they build it as high as they can they take turns throwing rocks at the towers to knock them over, and then build them up again.

This repeats for a while before Ruby says, "So what sort of magic can you do?"

Emerald explains that he isn't sure what he can do yet, and that he has to try.

"So try!" Ruby says turning towards him, "I wanna see some magic!"

Emerald decides to try and levitate some of the smaller rocks. He takes up his focus as well as a bird feather and a few stones, then finding a larger rocks places it in front of him and concentrates hard, clutching the spell components in his hoof.

The books he read were never very clear on this part of the spell. They mostly said something akin to "see the result of what you want in your mind, then project that thought into reality". Emerald thinks really hard at the rock.

It doesn't move.

After a few moments Ruby looks a little restless.

Emerald closes his eyes and screws up his face, willing it to rise. Suddenly he feels something collapse in his hoof and looking down sees he appears to be holding sand. A gasp from Ruby makes him look up and see the rock floating for half a second before it crashes back down onto the other stones.

"I've never seen anyone but a unicorn levitate stuff! That's awesome! Do it again!" Ruby says, prancing around him.

Emerald gathers up some more components and finds that the spell comes easier a second time. He does notice that even though he hasn't moved he finds himself inexplicably tired, like he ran a short sprint.