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Friday arrived sooner than Crafty expected. With the school day over and nothing else to do, she made her way to the clearing CatNap had told her about. She spotted her friend, book in paws, flipping through its pages.
“CatNap? I’m here!” She called out.
The feline in question flicked his ears in her direction, but did not look up. She approached, wondering what was in the book that would have him so preoccupied.
“CatNap, is everything ok?”
CatNap nodded, but still didn’t look up. Crafty leaned in slightly, mindful not to touch the feline. The book was filled with symbols, drawings, and writing Crafty did not understand or recognize in any way. And the more she tried to decipher it, the more she made her brain hurt.
After a few more moments, CatNap closed the book shut and turned his attention to Crafty. The unicorn was holding her head in her hooves, trying to soothe her aching head. He tilted his head in question, wondering what Crafty was doing.
Crafty felt a poke and lifted her head to find CatNap staring at her, smiling. “Oh… um, hello, CatNap. Um, I'm here.” She said, smiling nervously.
CatNap nodded; yes, she was here. But why had she been holding her head? Crafty squirmed in place as CatNap just stared at her. Ah, this is so awkward, she thought, hooves now placed on her cheeks. Why did I ask for it just to be us again?
Might be because you’re too much of a nervous wreck and don’t want anyone to know, responded the little voice in the back of her head.
Oh, right, that was why. Well, now her request was biting her in the tail. She side-eyed CatNap, who just continued to stand there, staring at her. She had never really interacted with CatNap on her own…well, no, that wasn't true; she'd interacted with CatNap on her own before, but those moments were far and few in between and were rather brief.
Any long periods of interaction where the two talked were with the other present, whether it was with the leader of the group: the feline's aforementioned best friend or any of their other friends.
So this would be their first proper hang out since they’ve met.
Ok, Crafty, calm down; you can do this. You were the one to ask him for help, she reminded herself. And remember you and CatNap are the same age, so talking to him should, in theory, be a lot easier.
CatNap continued to stare at Crafty. He wondered what she was thinking about.
Ok, I will t–talk to him… but what should I talk to him about? CatNap continued to stare at her with a patient smile.
May… maybe I should ask about the book. Oh, yes! Yes, she should ask about that. She was curious about it. Ok I will do that. I will… ask him about it.
She turned her attention back to CatNap, who she realised was still just standing there, staring… and waiting. AAAAAAHHHH! I’ve been keeping him waiting for so long. Ignoring him.
She shook her head, mane hitting her cheeks. Ok, she can do this.
“I’m sorry, CatNap. I, uh, guess I got lost in my thoughts for a moment there. Hehe”
CatNap simply shook his head, waving it off. ‘No problem. What were you thinking about?’
She pointed at the book he was holding. “Your book? I…uh… was curious about it. I… um… took a peek at it when I got here… sorry.”
CatNap lifted his book, looking at it. His book?
“Can I ask what it’s about? It looked very confusing?”
Confusing? Was his book confusing? It took CatNap a few moments to process what Crafty was telling him. He looked up; he supposed that, seeing as Crafty was not good with her magic, she might not have gotten the proper education to read and understand magic spells.
‘It’s a book on spells.’
“A book about spells?” CatNap nodded. “ Oh, ok, then, um, the weird symbols and drawings what are those? Spells?”
CatNap once again nodded. He opened the book, turning to a page: ‘Each of these symbols is a spell; the writing next to it informs the caster about the spell and how to properly cast it.’
“Oooooo, that’s very interesting.” She paused. “Am I going to learn this?”
CatNap moved his paw in a so-so motion. ‘I will teach you how to read it, but since your critter class is a unicorn, you don't really need to know the incantations for them.”
Incantation? And what did he mean by her critter class? Did her being a unicorn critter affect her magic?
‘But I would still like you to know how to read them, since it might help you, at least, get an understanding of how magic works and how to utilize it yourself.
‘If you learn how to read it, you’ll know what the spell does even if you don't need the incantation or even the magic circle to make it happen.’
Crafty stood there, confused, very confused, as CatNap continued to sign. ‘But this will give you some ground to stand on and build your confidence in casting the spells, before we move on to some of the more abstract parts of unicorn magic.’
CatNap paced as he flipped through his book. The book in question was now floating in the air, encompassed in a silver-blue color. Crafty could see that some of CatNap’s tail was glowing in the same sparkly silver-blue. The pages moved in time with the flicker on the tip of his tail, and moved in the direction that CatNap’s tail guided it to.
‘So I was thinking that—’ “How are you doing that?”
CatNap turned to Crafty, confused. ‘Doing what?’ He then followed where she was pointing. His book. She was pointing at his book, which he had lifted using levitation. A useful spell, especially for CatNap when he needed to hold something but wasn’t able to do so with his paws or tail.
It really was the best spell to use, since he needed his paws to communicate with Crafty, and holding a book with his tail and looking through it was tiring.
Levitation. This was levitation, he explained. It was a simple beginner spell. Unlike most spells, this one did not require any sort of incantation or magic circle to cast. It was a spell that didnt require much effort, just a lot of concentration and a good feel of one's magic.
“Can you teach me that one?”
CatNap put a finger to his chin, tilting his head side to side. ‘Are you sure you want to learn that one? I mean, you can already do levitation.’
Well, this was surprising for Crafty. “I can?”
CatNap nodded, then told her that what she had done to untie the string from his tail was levitation. She had moved the string using her magic, and that was what levitation was— something or someone using magic.
Crafty moved to touch her horn lightly; she had no idea. Still, she was sure this was the spell for her. “I want to learn levitation. Even if I had been able to use it before, I don't really have much practice with it, or any at all, really.” CatNap narrowed his eyes, unsure. “Plus…you said…that you wanted to help me build confidence, right? Well, wouldn’t a spell that…well, is simple like this one help?” She finished pointing at CatNap with her hoof.
CatNap crossed his arms and closed his eyes, thinking. Crafty wore a nervous smile as CatNap didnt respond. Oh, now I’ve made him mad. Maybe I’m asking too much. I mean, CatNap is the expert here, not me. He’s the one who would know how to do this, not me. And here I am making suggestions to the EXPERT!!!
‘Ok, we can do that.’
“Wait… we can?” Her suggestion was ok; she wasn't asking too much.
CatNap nodded. He apologised for assuming instead of asking Crafty what she knew and didnt know. He had thought Crafty already had some experience, and had made a plan based on that. Even though she had told him she wasn't good at magic.
A levitation spell was honestly a good place to start. It would allow him to see the extent of Crafty’s magical abilities and the areas that needed improvement. And as Crafty said, help her build some confidence in herself before they move on to what he originally wanted to do.
Crafty stood in the middle of the clearing; in front of her was a small rock. CatNap told her to try levitating it so he could gauge her magical abilities and strength.
CatNap also told her that as a unicorn, her magic flowed throughout her entire body, but she could only channel it through her horn. Crafty had to focus all of it to the tip. Crafty took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Ok, Crafty, focus. CatNap said it helps to see your magic as an extension of yourself. As another limb when using levitation.
Ok. Focus. First, imagine the magic flowing through you; imagine it like water moving from a lake into a stream. Yes, something more stream-like, more control.
Crafty felt a small tingle at the point of her horn; was that her magic? It must be right, though it was honestly very different from the other times she had tried to use it. Other times it would feel like she had been shocked. She supposed this was because she was forcing it and not actually treating it like what it was, a part of her.
Magic was a part of Crafty, and it was time she treated it like what it was. Ok, now that I have the magic where I need it to be, I have to direct it to the object I have chosen and lift it.
Crafty pointed her horn at the small rock. If magic was an extension of herself, then picking it up should be a breeze.
‘It's like picking it up with your hoof’, thats what CatNap told her.
If it's supposed to be like that, then I should be able to feel my magic as I move it. Crafty focused on the feeling. The tingle grew more intense, and Crafty was now able to feel the way it flowed and rippled throughout her horn. It felt kinda like when her hoof got numb, but somehow she was able to feel it and move it.
Ok, now that I have a feel for it, CatNap said it would be good to get a feel for the object I want to levitate. Right, Crafty focused on the way she knew that small rocks felt. They were cool to the touch, with a rough texture and little dents covering them. And that was what this little rock was like as well.
The small rock began to glow a light blue, as small sparkles began to outline it. The small rock shook and trembled as she tried to lift it using her magic. Crafty scrunched her face and gritted her teeth as she tried to levitate it. Her ears lay flat on top of her head and stood up straight once again as she lifted her head, trying to pick up the small rock.
Her face lit up as she managed to lift it an inch above the ground before falling back onto the ground. She frowned, but one glance from CatNap, who gave her a thumbs-up, gave her the courage to continue again.
…And again…
…and again…
…and again…
…and again…
…and one more time…
“GAAAAHHHH!” Crafty fell on her hooves and knees, huffing. She was now drenched in sweat, her mane sticking to her face. The little rock lay there mocking her. She had been trying and trying to levitate it, but for some odd reason she could not lift it more than an inch above the ground. Every time she tried, it felt like she was trying to lift heavy boxes, heavy boxes filled with boulders or something. Like she was trying to lift them above her head, but couldn’t.
She sat, sighing in defeat, eyes closed, disappointed in herself for not being able to do something so simple. CatNap must be disappointed in me just like I am. He probably regrets helping me too, she thought.
A shadow fell on her; she trembled, refusing to look up. She didn’t want to see the look of disappointment on her friend's face. Why can’t I do something so simple?
Crafty jumped at the gentle touch on her head. And was even more surprised when she heard the faint sound of purring. Hesitantly, she looked up, but instead of being met with the disappointed CatNap looking down on her, she was met with a CatNap who looked more excited than she had ever seen before. His pupils had dilated so much that it looked like he had a mini moon in each eye, and a smile that shone more than the stars in the night sky.
CatNap was saying something to her, but she couldn’t keep up with the movements of his paws. What she could make out was incredible. There was no way that was about her, right?
Crafty sat there confused as CatNap continued to sign. He was no longer purring but was letting out small, high-pitched chirps and squeaks. The spell book was now in CatNap's lap, as he sat in front of her. He was pointing at different pages of the book, flipping through them, as he showed them to her at a rapid-fire pace. She couldn't keep up. Whatever had happened, CatNap was far from disappointed; if anything, he was filled with energy.
And Crafty had no idea. She was stumped, confused, and bewildered. What was happening? What was CatNap trying to tell her? Why wasn’t he upset with her for wasting his time?
Crafty flinched backward as CatNap shoved the book closer to her face. He was still emmiting high pitch squeaks as he showed her the book. Crafty's eyes started getting dizzy, and things began to become too much for her. She rapidly raised her hooves in front of herself. “Oh, CatNap, you need to calm down. I don't understand what you're saying!” she exclaimed.
CatNap stopped at her outburst. Thought for a moment, then flinched when he realised what had happened. He quickly apologised, hiding his face behind his book, cheeks pink in embarrassment.
Crafty quickly waved it off with a small chuckle; it was fine, really. She had just been taken by surprise. Crafty had never seen CatNap this energetic or expressive. She had never seen CatNap so… awake. CatNap looked down, mouth drawn in a line.
‘I…just really like magic.’
“Oh, really?”
CatNap nodded slowly. ‘It has always been a big part of my life, but…’
‘...But there aren't many people here in Rainbow Valley who know magic, and I… and going into town can be too overwhelming… so I don't know if anyone there knows… because it can be too much for me…’
“I see…”
‘When you ask me to teach you…I got really excited… and I guess that excitement became too much to contain once I saw you actually using your magic…
‘Oh, which, by the way, you did a great job.’ He finished with a small smile.
“CatNap…” CatNap blinked at Crafty’s sad tone. She rubbed her arm as she spoke. “You don't have to pretend; I did a terrible job.”
CatNap rapidly shook his head.
“Yes, it was,” she groaned. “I couldn’t even lift the dumb rock more than an inch, no matter how hard I tried. And why does it feel so heavy?!”
CatNap placed a paw on Crafty's shoulder. ‘Crafty, you performed the spell; you lifted the rock. Remember, you said you wanted to practice; this is practice.’
Crafty stared as CatNap gave her a comforting smile. ‘You can't expect yourself to be perfect the first few times. You'll get it eventually, and if you’re struggling, you can always ask me for help or suggestions. I’m here to help.’
“So… you're not disappointed?” He shook his head. “You’re still willing to teach me?” He nodded.
She gave a wide-open smile. Hearing this made her happy. “Ok I’m ready to try again.”
They stopped once the sun started to set. All in all, Crafty thinks today was pretty good. Things might not have gone as she would have liked, especially at the beginning, but it was good; she did well. She managed to lift the rock a few more inches above the ground.
Crafty left the clearing with a little spring in her step despite feeling drained. CatNap walked next to her, staring up at the sky. They made their way to her tower, where she waved CatNap goodbye. At least for now, he’ll come by later to help her sleep. But for now, she was going to go and take a shower, have dinner, and maybe sketch a little before the eventual visit.
Her horn let out a little spark. She couldn’t wait for the next lesson.