Inseptium Nova-Pt 12: Magic Kindergarten 201
September 14th, West of Sweet Apple Acres…
YAY CRAZY THEORIES!!
Twilight Sparkle was deep in thought as she and Volare trotted north along the road that served as a narrow ribbon of separation between the backside of Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree Forest. The smaller part of her thoughts focused on the dinner invitation that Volare had received from the Apple Family; AJ having told them that Grannysmith desired to finally meet Volare herself later that evening. They'd even let him stay the night if he so chose, and he'd agreed almost immediately, having had a desire to taste the famous Apple Family home-cooked meals for some time now; he'd just drop on by after picking up Applebloom from class later that day. True, this meant that he likely wouldn't spend the night back at the Library again, but Twilight conceded that he was technically free to stay with whomever he pleased...it still didn't stop just the tiniest pang of jealousy from creeping up, though.
The larger part of Twilight's mind was focused on the significance of their current location, however, and she glanced left at the nearly-foreboding dark green treeline which seemed almost immune to the effects of autumn, her violet eyes only able to penetrate perhaps 10 feet or so into the foliage before they lost their way among the tangle of branches, vines, and underbrush. She gazed skyward as the road became darker despite the near-noon sun overhead; for arcing above them was a veritable tunnel of branches and leaves overhanging the road and intertwining themselves amongst the apple trees that had rooted themselves on the eastern side of the road, just on the other side of the picket fence that circled the entire orchard.
It was right about here that Volare had recalled being approached by…well, something in the darkness that first day he’d gone out into the field with Shae the osprey. He’d stood his ground and quite possibly scared whatever it was away (and Twilight had a damn good idea of what it might have been, especially considering who’d been stalking his movements for the last few weeks). In either case, Volare had admitted to not knowing exactly what it was, and even in his weakened state at the time, he stood his ground to protect Shae. Twilight had pointed out that the osprey was more than capable of defending herself or flying away, but the Pegasus had countered by saying there were too many what-ifs at the time, and he wasn’t about to let her, his responsibility, get hurt or killed by whatever the hell might come out of those woods.
Besides the time earlier that day when he’d stared Shae down, that had been the first instance of Volare…well, putting himself in harm’s way for another creature here in Equestria. When Twilight asked him why he’d done that, and then later with Scootaloo, and then even later with Trixie; why he seemed to act like a pony that had nothing left to lose, as if their own life meant nothing…Volare had simply stared at the ground for a long moment before answering her, without hesitation:
“What if that was the truth for herself…wouldn’t she act the same way?”
But when she pressed him for the meaning of his rather cryptic statement, he’d remained silent on the subject, changing the topic almost immediately to a review of what they’d covered on Earth Pony magic over the past few hours; even as he did so, he subtly trotted around Twilight and placed himself between her and the Everfree Forest, giving her a small smile and recounting what he’d learned:
“Earth Ponies have a special connection with, well, the earth, and it is through the earth and things that come from it that they extend their willpower, and work their magic,” Volare recited, smirking as Twilight made a checkmark with her quill on the piece of parchment she’d scribbled a few notes on for him. “When using that connection to the ground, an Earth Pony can work their willpower through it, helping plants to grow more easily, as well as pushing off of it harder with their hooves than a Unicorn or Pegasus could ever hope to do, which lends them the strength that augments their muscles. And in AJ’s case, since her ropes come from plants, which are of course from the earth, she is able to extend her will through the ropes, which explains her extreme roping and rodeo abilities.”
“Right,” the Unicorn replied. Another checkmark and a nod for him to continue.
“Um, let’s see,” he shut his eyes for a moment as they continued to trot under the shaded canopy before speaking again. “That connection with the earth also makes them unrivaled in terms of leverage and ground-based physical activity,” as demonstrated by Applejack beating both our flanks by herself at long-jumping, applebucking, and plow-pulling, even while we were teamed up, Volare thought. Yeah, that was kinda embarrassing… “But that explains why Applejack beat me so badly at hoof-wrestling, even though I’m not grown from the ground.” Which also explains why Rainbow Dash worked so hard at that new training method to beat AJ in the Running of the Leaves, because she knew AJ already had a huge advantage, being an Earth Pony…Dash’s larger lungs gave her an edge in endurance, but she knew it’d still be tough…I’m impressed, Dash.
“And the greater their experience, the stronger their connection with the ground, even theoretically to the point of becoming as attached to, and therefore as difficult to move as, the planet itself.” Volare had looked over at the modestly-smiling AJ, trying to wrap his head around the friendly orange mare becoming as grounded and unmovable as a mountain. Or even Big Macintosh, who was already as tough as nails, and how impossibly difficult that would be to face in a contest of strength. Talk about overkill…quite frankly, the potential magical strength of these ponies was becoming a little unnerving. “However, for an Earth Pony to gather that much experience, they’d have to live hundreds, perhaps thousands of years; and to date, no Earth Pony has ever lived that long. But in all cases, the more experience they gain, the more skillful they become at their own specific talents. In essence, practice makes perfect.”
“Mhm, go on.” Check.
“Those special talents are defined by their cutie marks, in AJ and Big Mac’s case, apples, and therefore they are better at harvesting apples than say, an Earth Pony whose cutie mark is a strawberry. While an Earth Pony with a different mark can go outside the bounds of their own talents, they will still always be more proficient at what they do best; this concept applies to all ponies in general, be they Earth, Unicorn, or Pegasi,” Volare stated. “It’d be like a swordsmaster trying to beat a riflemaster at his own game. It’d be foolhardy at best, therefore they’re better off sticking to what they’re good at instead.”
“Very true,” Twilight said and checked the list yet again, waving the quill for Volare to continue. “Anything else?”
“Um…oh yeah, remove an Earth Pony from the ground, and they lose nearly all the advantage they might have had over the other two races before. Most Earth Ponies get nervous when they can’t feel their connection to the ground, even Applejack,” Volare said, recalling that AJ had said the entire time they’d been up in Cloudsdale to support Rainbow Dash a few years ago, she’d felt very out of her element. As further proof, Twilight levitated both Volare and Applejack into the air to allow the Pegasus to hoof-wrestle the Earth Pony on more even terms. The struggle went on for a several minutes before Applejack won out yet again, and she sent Volare spinning out of Twilight’s spell and crashing to his flank with a loud oof!
When he’d asked how that was possible, Twilight explained that since he didn’t know how to take advantage of the air, just as an Earth Pony can take advantage of the ground, it was more a contest of physical strength and endurance than a battle of willpower and magic. And since Applejack was still physically stronger and better conditioned than Volare from years of applebucking…
“Aww, come on, so you knew she’d still win?” Volare had grumbled.
“Well, I figured that would happen,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “However, this did demonstrate how much less of an advantage an Earth Pony has when they can’t use their superior ground leverage; didn’t you say she beat you in seconds, rather than minutes, before-hoof?”
“Uh, heh-heh, yeah, I did,” he’d staggered to his hooves and shook the ache out of his flank as Twilight lowered Applejack back to the ground. Meanwhile, Big Macintosh tossed his short mane and laughed quietly to himself. The guy was getting better, that much was obvious…also noticed he didn’t panic when Twilight raised him off the ground…maybe…just maybe this is all paying off after all…
“That’s correct,” Twilight smiled, pulling Volare’s memory back to the present. He glanced from her to the end of the overhanging branches, the low, sunlit hill beyond the tunnel-like opening, and beyond…the thin pillar of smoke from Fluttershy’s Cottage less than a mile away. Almost there…
“Hmm, I believe that about does it for Earth Pony Magic,” the Unicorn folded the parchment and exchanged it for a new one from out of her saddlebag. “Let’s move onto Unicorn magic. What is the main difference between it and Earth Pony Magic?”
“Unicorn magic is…” Volare hmmm’d for a moment. “It’s still an extension of willpower, but whereas an Earth Pony needs to make direct contact, or indirect contact through a medium such as the ground, rocks, etc, with their target, a Unicorn needs no such physical contact to exert their will on a target, and is therefore unbounded by any sort of medium.”
“Right, we really only need line-of-sight and a clear shot,” Twilight checked off the list. “What’s the main physical difference between the two races’ ways of extending their willpower?”
“That one’s easy,” he smirked, causing the Unicorn to playfully flick him with her tail, making him nearly hop sideways into the bushes before continuing. “While an Earth Pony’s main avenues of magic are their hooves, and occasionally their mouths and tails in the case of AJ’s roping, Unicorns use their horn instead.”
“Correct,” Twilight checked the list and reached out with her magic, snapping a small twig off of a tree and holding it before Volare as an example. “And believe it or not, this makes explaining Unicorn magic fairly straight-forward in comparison. Right now, I’m literally imagining myself physically reaching out and grasping this twig,” she swished the stick through the air. “This is an overly-simplified explanation, but the same concept can be applied to virtually all Unicorn magic; from levitation,” she tossed the twig up and ignited it with a ball of fire, scattering the ashes on the dirt path. “To incineration,” she then floated Volare into the air. “To…other forms of physical manipulation,” she gave the Pegasus a cheeky grin.
“Uh, like wha-ah, no-no-no!! Hahahaha, stop it, Twi!” he laughed loudly as he felt invisible fingers prodding and poking him along his ribs, tickling him to the point of being red in the face and swiping helplessly at the Unicorn, who he felt was having way to much fun with this. “Hee-hee-haahaha, knock it off! I get it, I get it!” With an amused grin, she lowered him back to the ground. Breathing hard, he regarded her with a look that promised he’d get her back sooner or later. “Ah-ha, ok, ok…so what, I guess the limits of a Unicorn’s magic are literally only in the mind?”
“Well, not just in the mind,” Twilight scuffed the ground with a hoof and continued trotting, finally breaking out into the sunlight. “There are…other limitations and dangers inherent to those limitations as well.”
“Such as?” Volare queried and caught up to her.
“Well, unlike an Earth Pony, whose magic avenues are scattered to their hooves, since a Unicorn’s avenue is concentrated in their horn,” she cocked an eye up at her own spiraled appendage. “It makes the horn both a blessing and a curse.”
“How so?” the Pegasus tilted his head, staring intently at her horn as he did so.
“A Unicorn only has to master one magical route, so magic usage comes fairly naturally to them; even Unicorn foals have been observed using magic days after birth,” Twilight explained as plainly as she could. “But that concentration makes a Unicorn a fairly unstable creature,” she said with a frown. “It makes us very sensitive to other forms of magic, sometimes painfully so, and when faced with that sensitivity, Unicorns have two choices: hide from that pain and build a shell around themselves against it, which works for self-preservation purposes but it strongly limits our potential. Or…” she glanced with a slightly pained expression up at Volare, who was hanging on her every word. “Face the fear of that pain head-on, take it, learn it, understand it, and make it a strength.” She turned away and sighed, her voice cracking despite her best efforts. “It wasn’t easy getting to where I am, Volare…some days when I was younger…it really, really hurt…”
She trailed off and wiped at her eye, preparing to continue before she felt a hoof place itself on her shoulder and halt her in her tracks. She looked up to see Volare fighting off a tear of his own. He shook his head; she didn’t have to say anymore…he now understood what she had to go through to get so strong. No pain, no gain…still…damn you, chivalry. Instead, he slowly pulled her into a gentle embrace and simply held her there in the warm sunlight, feeling her heart beating in her chest against his with an inner strength that he never fully realized until now. She gratefully laid her cheek against his neck and returned the embrace, again fighting an inner battle between the urges she was feeling and her respect for his own feelings on the subject that she felt was somehow still taboo between them, despite his acceptance of his situation. After a long, long moment in which neither pony said a word, just listened to each other breathe, Twilight broke the embrace first, wiping her eyes again and sniffling lightly.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know?” she laughed lightly and nudged his chest with a hoof. “It’s not like I’m hurting right now, Volare.” At least, not in that way…
“Yeah, I know…” he nodded and blew air through his lips in an exasperated sigh. “Just wish I’d been there to comfort you…or something, I dunno…”
“You know you couldn’t have been there,” she replied. “It’s not like it’s your fault.” He didn’t have a response for that statement, and after another moment, she nuzzled his cheek with her own. “Still…thanks for the empathy. It’s appreciated.”
“You’re welcome, Twi,” he gave her a small smile. When she gave him a nod of assurance, he cleared his throat and refocused. “Um, eh-heh, where’d we leave off?”
“O-oh, right!” the Unicorn blushed and chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. “How some Unicorns are unstable and sensitive to other sources of magic, right?”
“Sounds about right,” he smiled, and they continued their trot towards Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Ok, well, as I said, because virtually all of a Unicorn’s strength flows through its horn, they must be very careful with what they do until they can control that strength, no matter whether they open themselves up or wall themselves in,” Twilight continued. “Otherwise, through sheer lack of self-control, a Unicorn can be a danger to others around it. That’s why Unicorns are educated in magic to some degree from an early age, and if they do go onto study it further, it’s done in a very controlled and safe setting, just in case of accidents.”
“You ever have any “accidents”, Twi?” Volare cocked a curious eyebrow, to which she responded with a coy smile.
“Well….maybe once or twice,” she chuckled nervously. Changing her parents into cacti sprang to mind… “Nothing that wasn’t reversed, though.”
“Heh, just don’t have any accidents around me and we’ll be good,” he returned the laugh and continued to trot along. “So what else makes the horn a double-edged sword?”
“Ah, let’s see…oh, since the horn acts as a one-way flow of willpower, if something were to either reverse the flow, like a counter-spell, or to interrupt it, like a firm, direct blow during a spell or even if they attempt a spell that exceeds their own willpower, the will of the Unicorn can backflow,” she replied with a wince.
“Eesh, that doesn’t sound fun.”
“No, not at all,” she shook her head. “Think of the horn as a water hose, and if you clamp it off when it’s on, the pressure has nowhere to go except right back into their mind, which its more or less directly connected to. The pressure then builds until…” she trailed off for a moment before steeling herself; she’d heard the horror stories before and seen what Queen Chrysalis had done to Celestia during the Wedding Incident. “Multiple effects can occur, ranging from minor headaches, to confusion, nosebleeds, emotional trauma, and even physical and mental pain, sometimes so powerful it leads to a loss of consciousness as the mind simply shuts down due to magic overload.”
“Kinda like what Luna said about me, huh?” the Pegasus queried.
“Right, and since your body was created magically, you’re likely especially sensitive to…” Twilight trailed off into silence as the implications of what she’d just said hit her like a ton of bricks. No...that can't be right... She stopped in her tracks, staring into space, biting her lower lip so hard it began to bleed.
“Twi?” Volare halted and turned back, and when he saw the blood dripping down her lip, he began to worry. “T-twi, what’s wrong?” He nuzzled her face with his own, and that snapped her out of it, or so he thought. She certainly snapped backwards at his touch. “Twilight, what happened? You’re freaking me out.”
“I-I’m sorry Volare,” she shook her head dismissively. “Just had a weird thought, that’s all.” I wonder if Celestia will have the same thought once she reads my report along with the extra info I sent her…I just hope I’m wrong, she thought and her heart ached as she glanced up at the worried Pegasus. I really hope I’m wrong…please let me be wrong… “It’s nothing, maybe I’m just hungry…yeah, that’s it,” she waved a hoof and forced a smile that did little to relieve his concern. “C’mon, we’re nearly there,” she nodded and crested the low rise that separated Fluttershy’s Cottage from their vision. Volare decided to take her word for it though, albeit skeptically, and followed her down the small hill. But even once he reached her side, she continued to avoid his gaze.
“Soooo…is that it for Unicorn magic?” he asked, eager to break the awkward silence that had suddenly sprang up between them. “I mean, are there any other secrets involved? Like, what happens if the horn gets broken or something?”
“Huh?” she glanced up out of her thoughts, replayed what he’d just asked in her head, and then shook it. “No, that’s really it. Once a Unicorn learns how to control themselves, the rest is fairly straight-forward. Even with only minor coaching, a Unicorn can reach quite a high level of magical skill, as long as their mind is into it and they recognize where their limits lie, both physically and mentally.”
“Why’s the physical limit matter so much?” Volare inquired curiously, stepping around a large root that jutted from the path. “I mean, it’s all up here, right?” he tapped his own head with a hoof, but Twilight shook her head again.
“No, physical conditioning, while not nearly as important for an Earth Pony, is still a requirement for a Unicorn, otherwise, they can overexert themselves and collapse.” She frowned as she spoke, recalling how that had nearly happened to her when she’d saved Ponyville from an Ursa Minor.
“The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak,” Volare declared out loud.
“Exactly,” Twilight nodded. “Because a pony's own willpower can exceed their body’s limits, causing bones to break, muscles to strain and tear, and even minds to snap if they’re not careful. Or in the case of a unicorn, the strain can become so great that their horn can quite literally snap off or explode, rendering them unable to cast spells like a normal unicorn; they’d have to be in direct contact with a target to use any magic on anything but themselves. In a way, that makes them even more limited than an Earth Pony…so to answer your other question, exploding horns are rather messy and not good for a unicorn’s health,” the Pegasus winced as she spoke. “This physical conditioning applies to all pony races in general, therefore, it's imperative that a pony know their limits before they can attempt to push them further; otherwise, accidents, injury, or even death may occur.” Volare thought back to how he’d torn his own wing off in the crash…”may” is putting it lightly…
“Speaking of limits,” Twilight spoke up again, pulling him out of his rather dark thoughts. “Isn’t it strange that all this time, Fluttershy’s been teaching you to know both your physical and mental limits before pushing them?”
“Yeah…she has,” Volare replied with a suspicious squint, one that only deepened as his reply caused the unicorn to grin slyly. “Wait a sec…was that the plan the entire time? Twilight?!” The Pegasus raced after the laughing unicorn, chasing her all the way up onto Fluttershy’s property and right past a thoroughly confused Iron Will, who looked up from his mid-morning nap, shrugged his shoulders, and went back to sleep in the warm sun.
……………..
“Wow, so she taught you all about the history of pony magic and how they’re used all in one day?” Fluttershy asked as she cleaned up the remains of the quick lunch she’d whipped up to go with the sandwiches that Volare and Twilight had brought. The ponies laid back on the soft green grass of the Pegasus’ backyard and sighed in contentment: what an absolutely beautiful day.
“Uurp!-ah, ‘scuse me,” Volare chuckled and wiped his mouth before cracking an eye open at Fluttershy. “Well, we skimmed over them a good bit, mainly because of what the author of that “Pegasus Flight” book warned about having knowledge of magic before even reading the rest of the book; guess that makes sense cuz Pegasus magic sounds the most dangerous.”
“What leads you to that conclusion, Volare?” Twilight queried, sitting up to hear his answer.
“Well, the big difference I can think of is that unicorns and Earth Ponies don’t have to leave their hooves to perform their magic, while a Pegasus obviously has to take wing in order to do so,” he sat up as well to meet her gaze. “And let’s face it, no matter what we do, we’re still at the mercy of gravity here. And from what I’ve seen, just like you had to face your fears of being sensitive to magic sources, a Pegasus has to face its fears of falling…it’s what I’m gonna have to do.”
“Well, who’s to say you haven’t already?” Fluttershy offered, causing him to regard her curiously. “I mean, you jumped off that cliff with Scootaloo to save her life and jumped down through that hole in the ceiling to tackle Trixie and stop her.”
“Heh, well, it’s more like I fell through the ceiling,” Volare chuckled and waved a dismissive hoof. “And as for the cliff…well, it was more of an embankment than anything, and”-
“Volare, now’s not the time to make excuses when you’re this close,” Fluttershy suddenly cut him off with an intimidating gaze that caused him and Twilight to stare at her in mild shock. She stood up and hauled Volare to his hooves, trotting a slow circle around him as she spoke with a commanding attitude that Twilight had only observed once or twice, and Volare had never witnessed first-hoof before. “When Big Macintosh brought you to me last month, you were physically and mentally weak from your accident, even to the point of becoming sickened while in high places and simply watching another Pegasus fly. But now…now you’ve shown great bravery in the face of danger, poise in strange situations, and returned the support for those you care about.” Fluttershy flew up into the air and hovered roughly ten feet above him.
“Volare, look at me,” she ordered, and he obeyed. “Do you feel nauseated by watching me fly?” She dipped a wing and skimmed along the ground, gliding up and kicking off the roof of her cottage before hovering back over the stallion; the entire time, his eyes never left her. “Well, do you?”
“No, I don’t,” he shook his head. He seriously didn’t!
“Good,” Fluttershy landed and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Tell me Volare…do you want to fly?” she stared intently into his eyes as she asked, but he didn’t look away; in fact, the intensity of his own gaze very nearly matched her own, and she smiled inwardly. There’s no fear in those eyes anymore…
“Yes,” he nodded. “But only if I can learn the right way,” he nodded towards Twilight’s saddlebag sitting on the ground. “I know when I tried it before, I was doing something very wrong, because I got tired quickly and my wings locked up, leading to…well, to this,” he nodded at his repaired wing. “But if you can teach me, I’ll do it.”
“Volare,” Fluttershy shook her head and chuckled lightly. “I’ve already taught you what you need to know to get off the ground and stay in the air. The deep-breathing exercises, the posturing, and the wing-strength-building routines…those are the basics you’ll build off of. You’ve also got years’ worth of flight experience on Earth that you can use as well, however I cannot force you to apply them, though; that’s going to be up to you. Even so, you are correct in that you went about things the wrong way the first time, and you’ve paid more than your fair share for your mistake,” she stopped trotting around the Pegasus and faced him.
“And as Twilight has taught you, acceptance of a mistake is the first step towards correcting it. And I must say, you’ve left that first step in the dust,” she chuckled.
“What’s he got left, Fluttershy?” Twilight spoke up. Normally, she’d ask a bigger expert on flight in this situation, for her demure friend was far from the strongest flier she could think of. Then again, the only other pony she’d trust with such a task was out of town and…yeah, there were too many what-ifs and other reasons against asking that particular pony for help here.
“Well, he’s obviously accepted that magic exists, that it can be applied towards different tasks, and so-forth. He’s also quite literally stared death in the face multiple times to the point where even I’ll bet that he believes the fear of falling down the steps is rather silly,” Volare rolled his eyes at that particular statement. The Cottage steps are steep; gimme a break! “But even you said that a pony must be in good physical condition if they wish to push their limits, Twilight,” Fluttershy replied sagely. She also believed he’d already tapped into his own personal brand of magic more than a few times, but she wasn’t about to jump to conclusions just yet!
“How can we tell without risking him flying, though?” the unicorn asked.
“Oh, that’s easy,” the Pegasus turned to the stallion. “Volare, spread your wings as wide as you can.” The blue Pegasus gave the mare a questioning look but did as he was told; she was the closest thing to a flight expert they had here, after all! “As said, it’s important for a pony to be in good physical condition if they wish to use magic,” Fluttershy said as she poked a hoof at the base of his wing. This seems awfully familiar, Volare thought to himself. “It’s important for Earth Ponies so they don’t buckle under the strain of their chores, and also important for unicorns so their own willpower doesn’t overload and break their bodies. But it’s the most important for a Pegasus, because of the strains that flight causes on our bodies,” she ran a hoof along his ribs and flank, nodding before continuing.
“As you’ve probably noticed, Volare, a Pegasus’ wing is fairly disproportional in size to their bodies when compared with, say a bird,” Fluttershy nodded up at Shae, who was watching the conversation from her tree with great intensity; something was about to happen…she could feel it! “Therefore, a Pegasus needs extra power just to lift themselves off the ground and-oh, did you cover this already?” she interrupted herself.
“Um, kinda…” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “We covered just the basic anatomy before one thing led to another.”
“Yeah,” Volare nodded in just as mortified confirmation. “We’re kinda banking on that information being in that book, right Twi?”
“Oh trust me, it’s in there,” she nodded assuredly. “Don’t you worry about that.”
“Oh good, cuz I’d hate to come all this way out here just to have to run back and grab a book,” his smirk earned him a magical tweak on the end of his nose which he rubbed off with a chuckle before they calmed down and turned back to the patiently-waiting Fluttershy, who could barely conceal the amused little grin she was wearing in response to their antics.
“Hmm-hmm, I see…and I’m fairly certain we didn’t cover this at all when you were staying here, right?” the butter-yellow mare asked.
“Nope, we mainly focused on stamina, strength-building, and endurance stuff-h-hey!” Volare hopped sideways as Fluttershy ran a hoof between his wings and touched…well, something! Completely against his will, his wings stuck straight into the air like feathery flagstaffs, and once he caught the flush-cheeked expressions on the mares’ faces, it was all he could do to keep from dying of embarrassment right then and there. He couldn’t believe it…he’d popped one right in front of them…somepony just kill me…
Mercifully, Fluttershy gently brushed a spot near the base of his mane, and he was able to relax his wings, though the raging blush still remained on his face. “I swear that’s not what it looked like!” he sputtered. Nothing else had happened, but still!
“Please forgive me, Volare; I was just testing your reflexes and I…oh my,” Fluttershy trailed off and hid behind her mane.
“Lemme guess…that’s another erogenous zone on ponies, Twi?” the stallion asked reluctantly.
“For Pegasi, yes,” Twilight replied. “There’s a spot between the wings that…well, you saw what happened when it’s touched in the right way,” she held a hoof up to her eyes, unable to shake the image of what just happened. “Um, Fluttershy, his reflexes are obviously fine…what else is required?”
“Ah-oh, um…” Fluttershy mumbled before regaining her composure. “Right! Let’s see here,” she carefully approached Volare again, noting how he was rather on edge this time around. “Ok, please spread your wings again.”
“Fool me twice, shame on me, Flutters,” Volare muttered but did as he was told. To his relief, the mare didn’t come close to touching him between the wings again. Instead, she placed both front hooves on his left wing and spoke.
“Ok, your legs and body are more than adequate to begin flying,” she applied downward pressure to his wing. “Now tense your wing muscles and hold them there; I need to see how they’re faring because if they can’t take your willpower, you’ll end up right back in the hospital again.”
“Oh boy,” Volare deadpanned and tensed his wing. Soon, Fluttershy was applying quite a large amount of force on his wing, to the point where he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to hold her up.
“Keep holding it, Volare,” Fluttershy said. “Twilight, do as I’m doing with his other wing.” The unicorn obeyed, and inside of a minute, Volare had sweat dripping down his face as he supported nearly all of the two mares’ body weight with his wings. What the heck happened to having the bunnies and whatnot stand on them instead?! Just when he was certain that his wings were about to fall off, Fluttershy gently spoke up again: “Ok, ease off of him, Twilight…that’s it, easy...easy,” he felt the strain on his wings gradually lessen as they released them, and he soon had his wings tucked back against his flanks, panting slightly but still in one piece.
“What was that all about, Fluttershy?” he asked, wicking away a drop of sweat with a wingtip and regarding her like she was half-crazy. But she merely smiled demurely and patted his mane.
“That was a small test, Volare,” she replied. “Common sense would say that if you can support a pony on either wing, you should be able to support your own body weight with both, right?”
“Well…uh,” he made to protest but trailed off into silence. Hard to argue that logic. “Did I pass?”
“Oh, very much so,” she smiled and turned to the Librarian. “Twilight, as his personal trainer and temporary physical therapist, I declare Volare mentally and physically fit for flight.”
“That’s wonderful!” Twilight grinned, while the stallion let out an excited whoop! “Then all that’s left is the application,” she stated as she levitated the Flight book out of her saddlebag and sat it on a nearby tree stump before turning back to the blue and yellow Pegasus. “Volare, one more time, just to clarify: do you accept that anypony is capable of using magic? Do you accept its existence and prevalence in this world, and that it is not something created of fantasy, but reality?” she asked with a hopeful smile. His answer didn’t disappoint her.
“Absolutely,” he pumped a hoof in excitement. “Let’s do this, Twi!”
“Excellent,” Twilight declared and opened the book to the first page past the foreword. “Pegasus Flight and Its Applications, Chapter 1…”
--------------------------
Notes: Leeeerroooooyyyy Jeeennkiiiiinsss!!!
Volare: Oh shut up *facehoof*
Author: We're finally gonna see what the hay was in that book!!
I wonder what's up with Twilight though... :/
And sorry if this chapter felt kinda short...like I said, I was originally gonna combine it with the previous chapter, but as I said, no more uber-chapters!
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Heehee.... Wingboner~!
Did... did Fluttershy just feel Volare up?
1392281
I... I think she did. Oh my.
Learning the basics is always interesting, and you can never do it without something happening to embarrass you.
But hey now no one can say I haven't learned anything from this.
WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
But I lika da uber chapters!
“And the greater their experience, the stronger their connection with the ground, even theoretically to the point of becoming as attached to, and therefore as difficult to move as, the planet itself.”
Reminds me of this:
3.bp.blogspot.com/-2WnhLJXtpcs/ThyiVjU3AwI/AAAAAAAAAIY/HiE9sYNnUr0/s1600/YoorPorick+-+Diamond+Dogs+Waylay+Applejack.png
Oh lawds. I think Twilight knows a bit too much about Volare now, between the "sensitivity" thing and the incident with Fluttershy.
And damn, Pegasi are strong in dem wings. They've gotta have some tightly-knit muscles in there if they can fit all that strength into those joints.
But I like über chapters
And now it's time to hit the books! Not literally Volare, that book is hundreds of years old and priceless! Hopefully Volare's magical pathways in his body aren't all screwed up, or that black ring on his wing is an area of dead magic, or even worse, a shunt. So many theories running through my brain. Great chapter as usual
1392587 And you just cemented even further my statement that Applejack is best and most badass pony.
Über chapters are; A) best chapters, and B) over 25k words. Up your ante!
*pomf!* insta wingboner.
And what the heck is the shipping for this fic! Its been over 400,000 words!
Finally finished readimg the whole thing so far. Cool story. I keep wondering if Twi or one. Of them are finally going to see through his lies and ask him how he knows stuff about them, leading to the revelation of the show. Probabaly won't, but meh.
I don't care about uber chapters if that meens we don't have any this short!
Anyway, love the story. 
1392962 *returns brohoof* Thank you kind sir. Or ma'am. Can't tell. Silly Internet.
Nice technical explanation for pony magic, I'm liking it.
1392587 That is one badass AJ.
... I hope Volare's mind doesn't shut down from magic overload :p
1392587 I'll naw your legs off! Come on! Get back here!
(Black Knight: Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
I was thinking that by the end of that odd comic.
Where did you find it?
1393492
Just cruising the 'net, y'know? One of those pony comics from the weird end.
1392587
That is dark as shit, and pretty damn badass, too.
Honestly, the uberchapters never bothered me. I'm following both "The End of Ponies" and "Background Pony", so lengthy chapters can't really phase me anymore.
1392587
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Whoo! A new chapter on my birthday, what an awesome present!
I am also worried about Twi. What in the world could have spooked her so bad, i can't really imagi... no, nono, nononono. Don't tell me that since his body was made magically there is basically a time limit on it. Or (on a more hopeful note) is it that he actually can utilize magic in a way that other Pegisi can't? As always, can't wait till the next chapter.
Seriously I initially went here looking for fighter plane, air warfare, and acrobatics. And while I got some of the third the story really deviated from my first impression.
Do I care anymore? F
K NO I'M LEARNING!
(Among other things)
Oh by the way
WINGBOOOOOOOONEEEEEER!!!
That is all.
1393781 Happy birthday!
Two things:
One: tickle her back, Volare!
Two: Bow chicka bow wow.
1393836
Thanks!
1393509 Oh right. I forgot what was the vast expanse of the internet.
The internet is full of weird ends and ponies. Lots of ponies.
*pomf*
A wild wingboner has appeared!
What do you choose to do, Fluttershy?
Fluttershy uses "Hide behind mane and look embarrased!"
Still waiting for the actual flight... countdown for flying: 10 chapters (5 weeks, 2 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes and 45 seconds!)
Awww, Volare had his first wingboner!
Hes a real stallion now, mommy must be so proud!
Volare:
COMMON CHUMPS, LET'S DO THIS
1392587
All that I'm going to take from this is that the artist seems to believe that ponies have bones in their tails.
Dear god, another great chapter, and LEEROY JENKINS!!!
Hey!
That view of unicorn magic was quite similar to mine!
Physical manipulation on multiple planes of reality, remember?
Either way, awesome!
Oh, Volare?
Looks like Twilight knows how to push your buttons, eh Volare?
yay i caught up to the current chapter. crap I am at the current chapter.
love this so far no huge issues i noticed.
WINGBONER
i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q668/cpbro123/lunapic_134956640456154_1_zps5e64561d.gif
So, it is finally going to happen. Volare is going to learn how to properly fly. And he is going to learn how to do it before Dashie gets back. This will be interesting.
Also, now that there are smaller chapter, will they be more often?
1396113
They do in fact have bones in their tails however the artist made that one extend a little too far into the tail as it were.
Picture was frankly too big and if there was some way I could effectively make it smaller I would but alas I know not of this form of technomagery
1405287
wow Volore hasn't fucked up with mlp... yet this is by far the longest anybrony has kept the secret that i know of
want Valore to do mach 2
RAINBOW:
VALORE: YEA!!!
RAINBOW:
dash watches MLP on earth
DASH: it all make sense
PINKIE: coulda asked me!
Soon, so very soon, he shall fly.
Fly little Volaire! Fly!
soon.
yay, theories as to magic(on par with everything else I've read, how much you wanna bet that we are all wrong about how it works?)
1381833 Well, over a thousand years worth of experience that LEADS to greater confidence, yes.
As for what happened between Chrysalis and Celestia...as said, bad things can happen if a unicorn's (or alicorn, in this case) willpower backflows. At that point in time, Chrysalis willpower was stronger because of the love she was leeching out of Shining Armor. And since love, relationships, and friendship are the basis of "magic"...not even Celestia could stand in the face of such pure power (that and I figure she's grown quite soft after so many years-worth pf peace).
1381946 How'd you figure it's an alternate universe story, eh? Just cuz some of it takes place on Earth AND Equestria doesn't make it an alternate universe.
1382056 Heh, yeah...I may break that rule again in the chapter I'm working on currently
Thank you all the same though!
1382069 LOL is that all you're here for is the shipping?
And ti may be 400k words, but only roughly a month has passed in the story, so you gotta take that into account too
1382086 LOL nah, he's not THAT dumb...I hope
Volare:
1382162
1382166 Who said they went through something like that, eh?
You assume too much, grasshoppah!
1382284 Thank you!
1382305 Hey, that kinda rhymed
1382362 That works!
1382410 Oooh, that'd be an epic kinda crossover, eh?
1382467 Heh, well remember, he's kinda a modest pony for the most part...no telling what else he can do
And thank you! I've had the concept in my head for a while and I figured well, instead of just saying: 'this is how it is, your argument is invalid, GTFO if you don't like it', I decided that an evolution backstory was in order instead
However, in regards to pony history, that DOES leave a few questions unanswered:
When did alicorns originate?
Why did the 3 pony races begin their search for a new land in the first place?
And what happened between the time of magic becoming useable and the time of the search?
Yay history lessons!
1382564
Trust me, she'll be back within the next 3 chapters
I guarantee it
1382691
Glad you enjoyed it! 
1383439 LOL yeah, that lyrics bit started as a joke on Skype and then I just figured: what the hell, and threw it in there
Hmm, never heard of that show/series/movie
As for what happened with Volare...heh, that will be explained in further detail later in the story...it's quite the cool concept, I think
1383705 Awesome!
1384024
1384244 Thank you for the large comment!
I'm taking some time to explain the basis of this so you, the readers, just like Volare, can understand what's happening (I hate stories where the action happens 'just because it's magic', without a better theory than that)
Besides, without knowing the basis of magic, and therefore how it works, Volare will NEVER fly correctly.
As for Twi's feelings for him...she determined that after hours of searching and finally finding a book that described SIMILAR effects in regards to infatuation. However, as we all know, Twilight can be a bit too trusting of books and references, especially when it's in a field she doesn't have much experience in (taking things far too literally in "Look Before You Sleep" for example). She's merely acting in accordance with the conclusion the book brought her to. The conclusion she came to was because of what that book said...but what if it was wrong, not because infatuation doesn't induce those effects...but because the situation was entirely different, therefore that explanation doesn't apply?
e.g...she's merely following through on what she believes to be the correct course of action...you'll see what I mean soon
As for Volare and Rainbow Dash being more of a rivalry...oh, you have no idea how much crazier THAT'S gonna get
1384285 Thanks! And trust me, pegasus magic is BY FAR the most complicated and versatile...it's kicking my butt writing it
1384338 Possibly...or possibly not
1384480 LOL you're welcome
1384667 Basically....yes
1384672 LOL do eet!
And yeah, I was going for a rather simple explanation, one that didn't involve arcano-babble that goes over everypony's head (I hate that crap)
1384711
You're welcome!
1384765 So it didn't get outta hoof
Sorry!
1384841 Aww, really?
Thank you!
You're free to use it if you wish
(just be nice and credit me, please)
1384883 Oh, that's cuz we haven't gotten to those parts yet!
*shot*
1385161 Hope you liked it!
1385255 Nah, we're just gonna keep it simple and refer to it as magic (don't wanna use Will to keep it from being confused with Iron Will)
1385596 Oh gawd
1385690
1385855 It's been in my head for a good while, yeah
As for that particular self-description...I took it from this:
And she meant it around the farm area
1385939 LOL
?
1386453 Hmm...not quite like that.
The willpower of a pony can be quite unlimited depending on the strength of their psyche. They're really limited by the endurance of their own bodies (as said, too much willpower being exerted at once can quite literally tear the body apart)
Your comments on Earth Ponies and Unicorns are pretty close...but as for pegasi...there is no such "perma-buff".
I go further in-depth into what makes the pegasus the ultimate flight platform within the next few chapters
1386550
1388026 Either-Or
1388642 Trust me, it's by far the most complicated to explain (but the most fun at the same time)
1388864 Sorry!
1388981 Hrm, possibly...though why they'd be excited to watch him kill things is beyond me
Trust me, he doesn't enjoy killing...he just does it because it's required of him
1389401
1391419
1392252 Heh, can't forget that awkward humor now, can we?
Volare:
1392281 Not on purpose!
1392322
1392357 Volare: my pain is your pleasure!
1392360 Yep, that's correct
1392439
!!!!!
1392448 Then you'll enjoy the next one
1392587 That's very kick-ass! And very appropriate for Halloween too
1392605 Indeed, their wings ARE quite strong, but it's not all about strength
It's a combination of multiple things I'll explain shortly
1392643 Trust me, the black ring is...more of a metaphor than anything...but a metaphor for what?!
1392778
Jeebus...nvm then
1392871 LOL
And patience, grasshoppah!
True it's been a load of words, but it's only been 3 weeks in the story
1392899 Trust me, I've already got THAT part figured out...and it's not what you expect
1392962 Thank you!
And I dunno...here. have one! /)
1392964 Thankees!
1393142 Thanks!
1393331 LOL trust me, he's mostly past that atm (as evidenced by his lack of nightmares...although the entire lack of ALL dreams is a bit unnerving...it's almost like he doesn't have a purpose...for isn't that the basis of purpose and inspiration: a dream?)
Perhaps it's just a metaphor though...
1393537
1393781 Nah, nothing THAT bad, trust me
However...if Volare's body was magically created...it COULD be causing issues for Twi...emotional issues
1393812 Volare:
1393818 Volare: Having wings that are basically connected to your consciousness ain't all what it's cracked up to be
1393842
1394372 Volare:
1427712 :3 They have an easy means of embarassing Volare. Poke the Wingboner Button.