//------------------------------// // Chapter 22: Where Winds Unbound // Story: Magisight: Thaumaturgical Ocularity // by PsychicKid //------------------------------// Twilight watched as the last vestiges of Rainbow Dash’s performance broke apart and faded into the darkening sky. Stars began to twinkle throughout the deep indigo curtain, providing the pegasus with the perfect backdrop to pose for her fans. A wide smile broke across Twilight’s face, a few more tears rolling down her cheeks. The excitement in the stadium tapered off—or perhaps Twilight had simply tuned it out. Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts flew into position near the announcer hovering upright in a row as if they were standing on their hind legs. The air itself seemed to move around their wings. Nearly invisible smokey-white wisps were drawn toward their wings as they raised into the air. As the Wonderbolts’ wings came down, the air was pushed between the gaps in their flight feathers and aethereal sparks danced between them. The sparks surrounding each pegasus had a different color, though Twilight couldn’t quite make out the details from this distance. The Wonderbolts bowed to the crowd as the announcer rattled off each of their names again. “Wasn’t that awesome, Twilight?” Spike cheered out, tugging at her side to get her attention. Twilight, lost in her thoughts, didn't acknowledge him. Her smile grew as she gazed at the pegasus magic on display before her. The Wonderbolts turned to face a different portion of the stadium, taking another set of bows. “Twilight! Hey!” Spike shouted, prodding her repeatedly in the side. Twilight yelped and shook her head, flinching away. “Huh? Oh! Sorry, Spike, I was just… distracted.” Starlight leaned over Spike with a smug look on her face, giving Twilight a playful elbow. “Told you.” Spike grumbled and produced a bit, handing it to Starlight. “I guess you made the right call,” Twilight said. A flush ran over her face as she wiped away her tears. “Thank you.” “What are friends for?” Starlight said. “Oh, but there’s one thing you have to promise me!” Twilight tilted her head inquisitively. “No stressing about it until you get home, okay?” Twilight sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn’t help but smile. “Deal. That’s a fair compromise.” She shuffled out of her seat, joining her friends as they merged with the ever-growing throng. The announcer and Wonderbolts left after the show, leaving the stadium vacant. Twilight looked up to the royal balcony. The sisters were already gone. How strange, she thought. I was hoping I could catch one of them after the show. I don’t have a full report ready but if nothing else I could—“Woah!” Twilight suddenly lost her footing, tumbling down an unobserved flight of stairs. Nearby ponies ducked for cover or flung themselves out of the way of the princess, but with a flare of her wings, Twilight righted herself midair. “Twilight, are you okay?” Spike cried out, leaping several stairs down to her. Starlight turned, eyebrow quirked. “I’m fine, really!” Twilight stammered. She settled herself to the ground, taking a glance back at her wings. Magical microcurrents flowed through her feathers with each flutter, sparking into a gentle lavender as the magic took shape. Twilight smiled gently, staring perhaps a bit too long at the sight. “You’d think she’d just got them yesterday, the way she’s starin’ at ’em,” Applejack said flatly. “All right, come on now,” Starlight said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed Twilight’s hoof and tugged her along, following the few ponies left filtering out of the stadium. Twilight watched as the swirls in the air current shifted, gently trailing behind her before dissipating entirely as she folded her wings against her body. “Let me guess, you tripped and fell because you got distracted watching the magic, right?” Twilight glanced at the empty balcony. “Kind of,” she muttered. She chuckled sheepishly and blushed, taking her hoof back from Starlight. “It’s fine. I’m fine, really!” Starlight pursed her lips, but eventually relented. “Come on. Let's get Rainbow Dash so we can head home.” Twilight took one last look upward before joining her friends. Twilight gazed out the window of the train car, the bright lights of Canterlot growing dimmer as the train steadily made its way back to Ponyville. Despite the nearly-full ride, the atmosphere somehow remained quiet and relaxed. Pinkie Pie and Spike were giggling quietly amongst themselves, while the rest of her friends dozed. The train entered a tunnel, and for a time, the city blinked out of sight. Twilight closed her eyes, focusing on an image in her head. Her horn lit up softly in the darkness as she visualized her research journal tucked away in her desk. With a flash of light, it—and a quill, of course—materialized before her. She opened it to her latest entry and began to write. Today’s observations yielded extraordinary results, not only with regards to pegasus magic but also further insight into earth pony magic. I have written somewhat extensively in the past about a phenomenon known locally as “Pinkie Sense,” named after the resident of Ponyville with whom it manifests. I found striking similarities between the the magic I beheld in Peacegrove Village and Pinkie Sense. Generally speaking, earth ponies possess a naturally heightened awareness of the natural world. Food crops, water, animals—many earth ponies are particularly skilled in the cultivation of these elements. Pinkie Sense appears to be an extremely situational offshoot of this principle, granting Pinkie Pie an acute awareness of her immediate surroundings, possibly transcending temporal boundaries. The triggers for this ability will require further research. Twilight spun the quill idly in midair. She looked over to Rainbow Dash—snoring rather loudly against an equally sonorous Applejack—before resuming. I was unable to visualize pegasus magic for the entire duration of the Wonderbolts air show until the show's climax. Rainbow Dash performed her signature Sonic Rainboom, which appeared to carry characteristics not previously observed. The initial shockwaves were accompanied by flashes of a given color pattern, along with streaks of red-, yellow-, and blue-colored lightning—matching the colors of Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. I hypothesize this is linked to her own special talent and magic (see notes RE: Amethyst Hollow w/r/t cutie marks) and is how she alone is able to produce a Sonic Rainboom. Additionally, colors not normally associated with the rainbow propagated after the initial shockwave. There were six in all: cyan, orange, pink, yellow, white and purple (in that order). These colors seem to correspond to my friends’ and my coat colors. A comforting wave of emotional energy accompanied these colors, which culminated in a sense of excitement as the magic faded from view. I believe this sensation is related in some way to Rainbow Dash’s Element of Loyalty. More information is pending further research. Twilight closed the book and set it aside. She leaned up against the window, resting her chin on her hoof as she peered out into the night sky. The moon was bright—currently waning gibbous—and surrounding by twinkling stars. An errant cloud drifted past a few minutes later, obscuring it from view. Twilight nickered. Stupid weather schedule. Twilight, Starlight and Spike made their way through the still streets of Ponyville back toward the castle. A few other ponies had gotten off the train with them, but one by one, families and individuals departed from the main road back to their homes. Soon enough, only Twilight and her friends remained, with only a few firefly lamps to keep them company as they walked. “So,” Starlight said, breaking the silence. “What’s the plan?” Twilight levitated her journal in front of her and scanned the newest entries, rolling her new observations around in her head. “I need to find a new place.” Starlight frowned. “You’ll be leaving again, then?” Her hushed tone expressed volumes of concern. “I don’t mean like that,” Twilight said, flustered. She stopped walking and sighed, gazing skyward. “I was drawn to Amethyst Hollow and the Golden Oak because they’re hubs of unicorn and earth pony magic, respectively. I’m sure there must be somewhere in Equestria that’s a similar center of pegasus magic. I just don't have the slightest idea where to look.” “Well, you're not exactly on a time limit, are you?” Starlight said. “The cutie map’s call was just a coincidence.” Twilight wanted to protest, but she knew Starlight was right. “That doesn't make this any less important. There has to be a connection. There just has to. The strange messages, my ability to see magic… there could be more at play here than we can even begin to comprehend!” Starlight put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twilight, breathe. It’s late, and if you get yourself this worked up, you’ll never sleep.” “She never sleeps anyway when she gets like this,” Spike said with a chuckle.. Twilight took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled. She repeated this twice more, clearing her throat as she felt herself settle. “I know. I just can’t leave this unsolved! It could change everything we know about magic.” “And you've made a huge step tonight, haven't you?” Starlight asked, the trio resuming their walk. “Just yesterday you were beating yourself up because you couldn't see pegasus magic, and now look where you are.” Twilight considered her pupil’s words. “I suppose you're right.” She looked up at her approaching castle, twinking above them as its crystalline walls refracted the moonlight. The glittering image struck her with inspiration. “Why don’t I move my research into the library tomorrow? I've already exhausted most of the books in my room, and having you two nearby might keep me from going crazy.” She laughed nervously, a blush tinting her cheeks. “Well, keep me from going as crazy.” “Oh!” Spike suddenly piped up, jumping up and down and flailing his claws. “Maybe you can help us figure out who would win in a fight between The Splash and Mineral Mare!” Twilight stepped into her bedroom, the neatly made bed practically singing her name. Its alluring melody fell on deaf ears as she trotted right past it to her desk. A little research before bed won’t hurt anything. Starlight won’t be too mad, right? She looked over the stacks of books piled high, even now threatening to topple over with one wrong nudge. Nothing here was of use to her right now. She needed the books in the library. With a flare of magic, a small stack of tomes materialized on an empty space on the desk, causing the towering book stacks to shift menacingly. She ignored this hazard, pulling down the top book and read the title aloud. “Maintenance Procedures for Stratos-Tier Weather Factories.” She flipped it open and began to mutter to herself as she read. “Before we can discuss standard maintenance procedures for any category of weather factory, we must first understand the fundamentals regarding their construction and basic operation. Scattered throughout Equestria are pockets of untamed weather. Weather factories—and sometimes entire cities—are built around these as a foundation to bring structure and stability to a local region’s weather.” Twilight paused to consider the text. “Untamed weather?” she repeated to no one in particular. I’ve heard ponies describe the weather over the Everfree Forest like that, but never in this context. How interesting. “Pockets of untamed weather can be prone to aberrancy based on the locality’s pegasus weather control. In other words, weather factories must be constructed with mobility in mind to ensure these pockets are kept in check. Without proper consideration, the results could be disastrous, including but not limited to the cessation of weather factory output and uncontrollable weather forming from the pockets.” Twilight closed her eyes in thought. Magic that’s connected to a pony, yet has no permanent structure. As she considered this idea, imagery of the raw magical forces she observed in the recent days floated through her thoughts. “Amethyst Hollow and the Golden Oak…” she muttered. She opened her eyes and slowly paced around her room. Yet, Amethyst Hollow and the Golden Oak are stationary locations. These pockets of pegasus magic are constantly on the move. Which I suppose makes sense, given how often Cloudsdale relocates. Her pacing had brought her close to the map of Equestria on her wall. Her eyes landed on Cloudsdale, its path around the Canterlot region clearly marked in a predictable pattern. I need a map of Equestria’s weather factories. Twilight summoned a dozen scrolls from the library, unfurling them all in in a series before her. The center two were the most recent surveys of all active and decommissioned weather factories in the kingdom. The other maps were older—some significantly so—and described similar surveys with varying degrees of accuracy. Scanning each scroll, she grimaced at the amount of data on just one, let alone twelve of them. A comparison spell it is, she thought as she readied her magic. A lavender-colored halo appeared below the scrolls, slowly forming itself into a stack of magical surfaces. The scrolls glowed a similar color, as if lit from within, and projected their contents into the stack. All but one of the scrolls drifted to the floor, released from the spell, as the stack merged together into one sheet and impressed itself onto the most recent map. The contents of the other maps glowed softly, highlighting the differences between each survey. Twilight spread the map out on her desk. She cycled through the different layers of the projected maps, comparing the changes over time. Some surveyed locations—such as Cloudsdale and its weather factory—were consistent throughout the centuries. Others, she noted, had drifted a fair distance over time. The factory serving Fillydelphia had drifted nearly a hundred miles away, yet half a century ago it was right above the city. “Interesting,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin. “Not even Cloudsdale moves around that drastically.” She watched as Cloudsdale’s location updated over the years of surveying, tracing its expected route around the skies of Canterlot. Despite the wide discrepancies between certain factories, they all shared one thing in common: mobility. Twilight pored over the map with a new perspective. Each weather factory she checked had corresponding untamed weather pockets, and each relocation would match the location of new ones. Manehattan, Canterlot, Las Pegasus—she checked them all again and again. Every one had a different location noted on successive surveys, even if the move was only a few dozen miles. Her gaze trailed to a far-flung corner of Equestria, far to the southwest over the South Luna Sea. Wait a second… She brought her full attention to the little forgotten square inch of parchment. The factory here remains stationary. She peeled back the map layers as far as she could go, back to the oldest of the surveys predating the establishment of Canterlot. It didn’t matter whether the map was a millenia old or just a handful of months. Sure enough, an unlabeled weather station lay floating off the coast of a small village labeled “Seaward Shoals.” She closed her eyes and mentally skimmed her notes. But why did it close 300 years ago? The pegasi usually dismantle retired factories… but this one never was. As the magic faded from her horn, she rolled up the maps and sent them back to the library, and gazed across to the map on her wall. She ignited her horn again, bathing the paths of her adventure in magical light: Mount Everhoof in magenta, and the Silverglade Forest in green. She looked toward the southwest. A mysterious weather factory was floating out there somewhere above the South Luna Sea. She bathed the location in a light-blue glow. “I think that’s going to be my next stop!” Twilight said triumphantly, entirely focused Seaward Shoals. “First thing in the morning I’ll find everything I can about Seaward Shoals and the South Luna Sea. I’ll bet the library in Cloudsdale has more in-depth information about ancient weather factories archived somewhere!” Twilight sighed and felt herself grow weary, struggling to keep her head up as her exhaustion suddenly caught up to her. She knew there was no use in fighting it any longer. She yawned loudly, her magic flickering out. “First thing in the morning,” she muttered to herself. She made her way slowly to her bed and wrapped herself up in a fortress of blankets. A sudden howl of wind made her blearily peek out to the window, but her overworked mind casually dismissed it. “Clear weather… tomorrow…” she muttered into a yawn, pulling the covers back over herself. The window rattled for a time until it too faded from her awareness, and Twilight slowly drifted to sleep. “Seek… …Learn… …Know…” … “When all three have been connected—” Twilight awoke with a shiver, curling up under her blankets and pulling them tighter with her magic. She fussed, the unusually cold air creeping through the gaps and preventing her from returning to her slumber. She sat up with a grumble, mane curling up in disarray. A rattling—the same rattling—brought her attention to the window. The glass had completely fogged up; only the light coming through told her dawn had broken. With a snort, she rolled out of bed. The chilled air pierced through her fur, sending a shiver down her body. “What in Equestria…” Her teeth chattered as she mumbled to herself. Dragging a comforter with her for warmth, she slowly trekked across the room to the window. As she opened the window, a rush of wind and blinding white flakes suddenly poured into the room. “Snow?”