//------------------------------//
// Magic Research 
// Story: Engineering in Ponyville 
// by Cogneato Switch 
//------------------------------//

(Occurs during S1E6 Boast Busters)

It had been two weeks since anything catastrophic had occurred in Ponyville, and that left Cogneato with little to do. A message from Mayor Mare arrived and delightfully explained that the town was undamaged and Cogneato’s services were not needed at this time. She would keep him informed, but until then he had no official work to do.
Fortunately he had lots of projects he’s was working on. One of his most elusive research projects was the study of magic. Through all of his inventions and ideas, Cogneato had the most difficult time understanding magic. Perhaps today was the day to chat with Twilight Sparkle and learn more. She was, after all, the one who defeated Nightmare Moon.  He threw some books he had borrowed into his saddle bags. He then grabbed a pencil and a notebook and headed towards the library.
“Come one, come all!” a voice called from the main commons. Cogneato looked in the direction and saw a crowd gathered in front of a fold out wagon. He stepped up to the back of the crowd so he could see. “Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” A blue unicorn with a lighter blue mane stood on stage, presumably Trixie. Her purple pointy star hat and matching cape flared out behind her as she continued her announcements. 
“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!”  Cogneato got excited. Although he had never understood magic he always enjoyed a good magic show. He pulled out his notebook and held it in one hoof and his pencil in his mouth so he could write down the spectacular feats that were to come.
Some pony in the front of the crowd booed. “Well, well, well, it seems we have some neighsayers in the audience. Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie?” It seemed Trixie didn’t appreciate the heckling. Cogneato frowned at the idea of having to go up on stage. “Do they not know that they're in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?” Cogneato rolled his eyes at her hyperbole as he immediately thought of Celestia, Nightmare Moon, and Twilight Sparkle as likely candidates for that title.
A hush fell over the crowd. Applejack stepped on to the stage and showed off her rope tricks, pulling an apple from a tree with her lasso. Trixie returned by levitating the same rope and tying up Applejack. Cogneato jotted down notes as Applejack hopped off the stage.
Then Rainbow Dash rushed onto the stage to defend Applejack’s honor. She did a very impressive feat of take sharp turns, flying through several clouds, collecting rain in her trail, and ending on stage with a splash, casting a rainbow above her. The crowd oohed and awed at the impressive feat of Rainbow Dash. Not to be shown up, Trixie took Rainbow Dash’s rainbow and spun it around her in a whirlwind, making her very dizzy. Cogneato looked on in awe. He had never seen magic used in such a way before. He frowned as he took notes, hoping Rainbow Dash and Applejack weren’t too embarrassed. He looked up excitedly for more.
Next Rarity took the stage. Ah, another unicorn! Cogneato was eager to watch a magic duel between unicorns. Rarity used her magic to pull off the stage curtains and make a costume for herself right on stage. Cogneato wrote with excitement about its speedy construction, considering the time and effort usually needed to make something of such complexity. But crafty Trixie chose to again attack her opponent by messing up Rarity’s hair and turning it temporarily green. Everypony gasped as they all knew that this was about the worst thing to do to her. She demanded a mirror and soon ran crying from the stage.
After such thorough mockery of her opponents, nopony else challenged her. Trixie laughed heartily. “I’m sure you were all amazed at the magical talent of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” She raised up on her hind hooves and the crowd cheered. “Trixie is going to take a break now, but if you are in awe of the great pony before you, you can come to the stage and receive a signed hoofprint for just five bits.” Trixie bowed once more on the stage and the crowd began to disperse. Cogneato threw his notebook and pencil back into this bag and headed towards the stage. A small line of ponies formed and Cogneato stepped in back of it. One at a time, the ponies in front of him left, leaving him alone with Trixie and two young unicorn colts who had decided they hadn’t had enough of her.
“Are you here to bask in the glory of the Great and Powerful Trixie?” she asked Cogneato.
“Er, well, yes I am!” He smiled. “I’ve always been fascinated with magic and I wanted you to tell me everything you know about it.”
“Hmph!” Trixie scorned him. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not tell the secrets of her magic.”
“Yeah!” one of the colts agreed. “Trixie’s magic is a mystery.”
“She’ll only show you when the time is right” the other mused.
Cogneato seemed confused. “But, magic is everywhere. Even these colts can use magic.”
“Trixie will show you some magic IF you bring her a peanut butter sandwich.” She said this like it was a command.
“Uh, yes ma’am” Cogneato said hesitantly. He galloped off to buy one from the local sandwich shop. Behind him he heard the colts bicker about wanting to get her something too.

Cogneato returned holding a plate with a sandwich on it. Trixie already had a glass of milk and bowl of salad. “What took you so long?” she snapped at him.
He put down the plate. “Sorry, there was a line!”
“Now Trixie will show you some magic.” Cogneato excitedly prepared to take notes. She levitated the sandwich into the air and took a bite of it. After chewing a few times, she lifted the glass and drank from it. She put them down and bowed like it was an amazing feat.
“That’s just a levitation spell!” Cogneato yelled incredulously, dropping his pencil. “Doesn’t every unicorn know how to do that?”
“I don’t” one of the colts said, shamefully.
“Yeah!” the other one quipped. “Even if other ponies can levitate, only Trixie knows how to really levitate.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Trixie sees that you aren’t as dumb as you look” she smiled. “I will show you one other trick.”
She put down her food and cast another spell. A puff of smoke and suddenly there was a piece of paper floating in the air. Trixie moved it onto the ground and then stepped on it, leaving a hoofprint on it like a stamp. Finally, she took a quill pen and signed her name next to it.
The two colts cheered. “That was amazing!”
Trixie offered the paper to Cogneato. “That’s for you, for all your trouble.”
Cogneato rolled his eyes, but put it into his bag, along with this notes and pencil.
“No need to thank me” Trixie cackled “Doing magic is its own reward.”
The colts cheered again as Cogneato trotted off.

Cogneato stepped into the library. Twilight Sparkle looked up from a book she was reading. “Oh, hello Cogneato. Here to return the book?” Twilight didn’t seem to be in the best of spirits.
“Yes I am!” He pulled the book out and tossed it onto a pile of books on the floor.
“Great!” She pulled out a pen and marked something on a paper. She put the pen back and continued reading her book.
Cogneato didn’t leave.
“Did you need anything else?” She asked, not looking up.
“Well, I wanted to ask you about magic…” he said hesitantly.
“What, magic?” Twilight looked up. She seemed anxious about the topic. “I don’t know that much. I’m just a student!”
“What are you talking about?” Spike walked over. “Twilight, you know more magic than anypony!”
“AND” Cogneato said “you defeated Nightmare Moon!”
“I told you before, that wasn’t just me, it was the Elements of Harmony and the magic of friendship.” Twilight was irritated. “And Spike, I’m no more talented than the next pony.”
“I’m not saying you’re more talented, just more talented in magic. It’s your Cutie Mark afterall!”
“You’re probably more talented than Trixie.” Cogneato chimed in. 
She shook her head. “No I’m not!” she screamed. “And I’m not going to talk to you about magic! I have some studying to do!” She grabbed her book and pointedly sat in the corner.
Cogneato looked upset and sad. “But…”
“Come on, Cogneato.” Spike walked towards the door. “Let’s leave her alone. She needs to clear her head.”

The two stepped outside.
“I can’t believe her!” Spike was furious. “She’s great at magic! She could do all of Trixie’s tricks and then some!”
Cogneato still looked defeated. “Do you think Twilight is upset with me?”
“What? No! She just needs time. Let her cool down.”
“I think she’s upset with me.” Cogneato put his head down.
“Don’t worry about her. Let’s go talk to Trixie. I wanna give her a piece of my mind.”
Cogneato half lifted his head “I’ve had my fill of Trixie for the day. I think I’ll go for a walk.”
Spike shrugged. “Suit yourself!”

Cogneato wandered aimlessly around town. The sun was going down and most of the shops were closing up for the night. Feeling depressed, Cogneato walked to a bridge and looked out over the hills that surround Ponyville. He sighed as he watched the sun go down. He vaguely wondered if Celestia turned out the sun every night, or if it was just moved to a place where he couldn’t see.
“Um, excuse me.”
It probably was turned out he thought to himself. Twilight didn’t last long.
“Excuse me, mister”
But what about the moon? Did it go out too? How were the phases of the moon handled?
Suddenly Cogneato felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around and saw a yellow pegasus pony with pink hair. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but I was wondering if I could get by, please?”
He realized he was taking up the whole bridge through the entire sunset.
“I’m so sorry!” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to block your path.” He stepped aside.
“It’s okay.” She stepped onto the bridge but stopped in the middle, looking out over the hills.
“Are you okay?” Cogneato asked her.
“Well…” she hesitated. “I live over there and I forgot to leave a light on for myself.”
“Oh dear, and you can’t find it without it?” Cogneato ventured a guess.
“No… it’s just…” she looked down, ashamed. “I’m afraid of the dark.”
“There’s no reason-” Cogneato looked at her; she was petrified. “um.. how about I walk you home?”
She perked up. “Oh would you?” she asked kindly in a soothing voice.
“Of course.”

They began to walk in the dark.
“I’m Cogneato. What’s your name?”
“I’m Fluttershy.”
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that?”
“Fluttershy.”
“Once more, please?”
A twig snapped behind them, causing her to yell her name, “Fluttershy!”. She then hid behind Cogneato, concealing her whole body. After a moment, she looked out from behind him.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” She said, regaining her composure. “It’s just Snips and Snails.”
The two colts from before, Snips and Snails, trotted up to them. “Hello! We were wondering…”
“which way is the Everfree Forest?”
Fluttershy pointed down the road. “It’s that way, but I wouldn’t go in there at night.” She shook. “It has a lot of dangerous creatures, like timberwolves and cockatrices…”
“Thank you!” Snips cut her off, cheerfully.
“We’re going to find an Ursa Major.”
“Yeah! Then Trixie can beat it and everyone will know how great she is!”
“Oh, no, you definitely don’t want...” Fluttershy began, but they were already down the road.
Fluttershy looked at Cogneato. “Do you think they’ll be okay?” she asked.
“They’ll be fine.” Cogneato waved his hoof at her. “They’re just silly colts that are exploring. When they get to the forest, they’ll probably just turn around and head home.”
“If you say so.” Fluttershy conceded.

It wasn’t so dark that they couldn’t see, but it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant for someone who was afraid of the dark. Fortunately, they soon walked up to Fluttershy’s cottage. She stepped inside and turned on the lights. Angel, her pet rabbit, had been fast asleep in his bed. The light woke him up, but he rolled over and went back to sleep.
“Thank you, Cogneato, for walking me home.” She said.
“It was no problem. It was nice to meet you, Fluttershy.”
They smiled awkwardly at each other for a moment.
“I’d better get going. It is dark, afterall.”
“Oh yes, of course. Good night!”
Cogneato walked down the road towards home. Suddenly he heard a terrible roar. Looking behind him, he saw a very large, translucent bear bounding towards Ponyville. Just in front of it were Snips and Snails, galloping as fast as they could. Cogneato’s eyes went wide and then he bolted into town. “Is that the Usra Major they were looking for?” he wondered to himself. “And what am I going to do?”
He decided not to start yelling. Maybe the creature will stop, or maybe the colts would be wise enough to lead it away from the city. In either case, yelling and causing panic would not help things. In hopes of finding Mayor Mare, he dashed to the town hall. He ran up to the door only to find it closed and locked. “Drat!”
As he contemplated his next move, he watched in horror as the Ursa marched right into Ponyville.
“Trixie, of course!” In the back of Cogneato’s mind, he knew Trixie was outmatched for this sort of thing, but in his panic, it seemed like a good idea. However he arrived at Trixie’s wagon too late: it had been crushed by the monster. Fortunately Trixie was safe outside.
He watched with a sinking feeling as she tried all of her spells on it. It snapped rope like it was nothing, and even lightning didn’t scratch it. It began to gnaw on one of the nearby buildings.
“I’m probably going to get a letter from Mayor Mare for this one…” Cogneato thought morbidly to himself as the beast ripped a hole in the roof.
The commotion had drawn several ponies into the street where they watched powerlessly as the Ursa destroyed their homes.
Near the edge of the line of spectating ponies, Cogneato spotted Twilight and Spike. Cogneato bounded over to them but suddenly Twilight started casting a spell. He stopped, not wanting to interrupt her. The spell caused a wind that played natural music and put the Ursa to sleep.
Cogneato looked in awe for a moment at the awesome power of the lullaby spell, but then quickly shook himself. “I need to write this down for my research!” He pulled out his journal and started writing in it.
Twilight then used a powerful levitation spell and uprooted the top of the water tower from its base. I’m sure the construction ponies can handle that. She carefully manipulated the tower into an Ursa-sized baby bottle and gave it to the Ursa. Then, as her final feat, she floated both the Ursa and the bottle away.
Everypony was amazed. “Did… did she levitate it all the way back to the forest?” Cogneato stammered aloud. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but quickly jotted down these amazing events.

Things calmed down, Twilight had some words with Trixie and Trixie ran off. The crowd dispersed and Cogneato ran up to Twilight. “Um, Miss Twilight Sparkle?” Cogneato was feeling particularly reverent after she had just saved the town.
“Oh, Cogneato” Twilight said happily. “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.”
“What? Oh, that?” Cogneato was caught off guard and felt embarrassed. “But, you saved the town with your magic. I’m sure you were busy.”
Twilight shook her head. “Being busy is no excuse for forgetting my manners.”
“Well… um…” Cogneato shook his head “what I mean is... Thank you. Thank you for saving the town and thank you for apologizing.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Could we talk tomorrow about magic?” he asked sheepishly.
“Of course!” She smiled at him and then trotted towards the library “Good night!”
“Good night!”