//------------------------------// // Introduction // Story: Of Earth Ponies and Their Magicks // by bahatumay //------------------------------// There is a story of an alicorn, jet black and lovely. He loves the night, and all it represents, its beauty, allure, mystery, sensuality, but especially--and most of all--the fair Princess of the Night. Although he was not very powerful magically, his love for the Night Princess was stronger and burned brighter than even the sun. How sickeningly sweet. Unfortunately for Luna, he ceased to exist when she woke up. (Poor Luna.) So this story isn't about him. (1) Rather, it's about earth ponies, and their magic abilities. It is common knowledge that every race has magic abilities, and Earth Ponies are no different. Some of their abilities are common to all earth ponies; others, not so much. As a general rule, earth ponies have a grounding connection—a connection to the earth (and by extension, its growing process), a sense of what is right, the ability to sense when things are not as they seem. Even so, some earth ponies have other abilities, including some that seem to defy logic. We start where everything begins: an unanswered question. Extract from the journal of Twilight Sparkle Gemini 29, 3980 (2) Today I completed my research on Fluttershy's care of ducklings. Singing different songs to young ducklings does not appear to make such a difference, but the genre is a definite factor. Lullabies seem to invoke trust, Sapphire Shores seems to improve the mood of the animals, whereas the “slow, smooth sounds” (/sarcasm) of Just Believe (3) seem to distress the ducklings, even though there is no way they could understand the words. Speaking Writing of not understanding things: Earlier today, by the pond, Pinkie Pie came up to me with a towel ready. When I asked why she had a towel, she mentioned something about every fru frood (4) (sp?) knowing where her towel was, especially when a friend might need it. At this point, I lost my footing and fell into the lake. When questioned how she knew that would happen, she replied, “Pinkie Sense!” She told me to keep the towel because it was “massively useful” (I don't think that's correct grammar...) and bounced off, burbling some nonsense about towels stashed everywhere in case of towel emergencies. This bothers me somewhat. I know, I've already learned about her Pinkie Sense. I know, I believe in it even without understanding it. But if it exists, like everything else, it can be harnessed and used, perhaps even learned. I'm not claiming to understand it, or even to try to; I just want to know where it comes from and if I can use it to my advantage (5)