//------------------------------// // 15: Awaken the Dragon // Story: A Clash of Magic and Steam // by law abiding pony //------------------------------// Barely a week after the incident at Gold Trestle’s home, Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkamena were marveling at Tranquility’s pegasus cloud district.  The taxi chariot up and a pair of cloud walking necklaces had been well worth it for the two earth ponies who drank in the sights. The architecture around them was quite reminiscent of the ancient Pegalopolis style with numerous statues and artwork venerating heroes both new and old.  While Twilight saw plenty of creature comforts in the floating houses and shops that the wingless ponies couldn’t reach, the martial traditions in civic planning were clear to her trained eye. The trio’s arrival point was actually flanked by an encircling air corps base. Hard to tell who stays true to the armada most. Here or Cloudsdale. As they walked past the walls, the shouts of training regiments and distant rifle fire brought Twilight back to the days she visited Shining Armor at the garrison to talk strategy and future plans. Even though Twilight had never been considered for enlistment, something pulled her to drag a wing along the stiff cloud walls of the camp. In her heart, the drums of war echoed. The suddenness of it made her recoil the wing and slide back over to Pinkamena and Applejack who were gazing up at a team of pegasi pulling a balloon platform out to the harbor, undoubtedly to serve as a floating staging point.  Sighing, she left the wall alone to stand with who she liked to think were her friends, no matter what their official status was. Upon her return, Applejack whooped and pumped a hoof at seeing a formation of pegasi roar by. “Oh boy!  Ah tell ya, Lady Twilight, Ah haven’t been to a real stunt show since Ah was a filly.” “It’ll be interesting to see how they measure up to the Wonderbolts,” Twilight said with subdued excitement.  Before the aristocrat could speak further, Applejack whinnied a laugh. “Come on, boss, tha’ Shadowbolts fly circles around the Blunderbolts.”  Applejack cringed a bit and held her tongue for a moment. “Y-you ain’t a devotee of them are ya?” Twilight unconsciously fidgeted with her wings and her horn let off a particularly loud spark, worryingly to Applejack as a scowl marred her face. “Why would I be a devotee of a bunch of…”  she stopped and turned away from Applejack for a moment to compose herself. “…Sorry, it’s not your problem.”  Twilight was quick to speak again to keep Applejack from thinking she caused an intolerable offense. “As you know, my brother and I spoke of strategy and tactics together ever since we were kids. Well, he was barely a colt anymore when we started, but you get the idea. Point is, I’m moderately familiar with how the Wonderbolts operate.” Her attempts at mollifying Applejack did little, as the sailor’s ears remained flat, along with her lingering apologetic frown. “Sorry. It’s… we can always do something else if the stunt show’s too much for ya.” Pinkamena smiled graciously at her fellow earth pony, but remained quiet.  For her part, Twilight merely sighed some stress away so she could put on a half convincing faux smile. “You said it yourself that you haven’t been to an air show since you were a filly.”   “Yeah.”  A hopeful grin slowly spread over the sailor. “Flier marines would do some loop de loops while we were at sea, but nothing like what a Shadowbolt show’s supposed ta be.” “And besides,” Pinkamena finally chimed in, “it’s not like we paid for the tickets.  It’d be rude to waste them.” “Rude huh?”  Twilight picked around her elegant, yet simple amber sundress to pull out the show tickets. The letter they came in returned to her mind’s eye.  Dear Lady Twilight Sparkle, I want to thank you for showing interest in my organization. Enclosed should be three tickets to the Shadowbolts show in two days’ time. I would prefer to speak with you in private, but I suspect you’d want to bring a friend or two for council. I know the event might seem tactless, but I have good reasons for choosing it.  To your health, Clipped Wing. It would have been well within Twilight’s rights to snub such an event. But for better or worse, she had to go after passing Clipped Wing a message of her change of interest. Just handle it with dignity and grace. Her efforts to shore up her aristocratic airs hit a stumbling block when she saw the entrance into the military base where the event was to be held. There was the expected throng of ponies both flying and standing, waiting to get in, along with a multitude of soldiers keeping the peace. What set her hairs on end were the loud protesters milling around the cafes that serviced the base across the way.  “Act not shows!” and “free our kin!” was being repeated incessantly while a poorly painted Equestrian flag on a pole burned fiercely.  The trio of mares were quick to meld into the short line of other noble visitors. As they walked by the barely moving mass of commoners, Twilight tried to ignore the angry rumblings coming from them. Only the scores of stone-faced soldiers seemed to keep the peace. “Hey,” Applejack whispered into Twilight’s ear. “Why don’t Ah be the one grabbin’ drinks and snacks. Ain’t nopony gunna look at me cross eyed.” Almost too scared to speak and give her Canterlotian accent away, Twilight simply nodded and pulled a slip from her purse, more than enough for the three of them. “Thanks,” Twilight said while clearing her throat, trying to mask her accent. “As much as I could use a drink, keep it non-alcoholic for me.” “Can Ah at least get some hard cider?” Applejack half-jokingly requested.  Giving her a leery eye, Twilight smirked a bit. “Just so long as I don’t have to carry you to the chariot.” “I’d love some cotton candy!” Pinkamena whisper-cheered, but stopped suddenly when her tail started twitching and her front left hoof started wobbling. The others were about to question her when Pinkamena looked towards the distant food vendors.  “Ooo! And I want a double triple bossy deluxe on a raft, four by four animal style!” “A what?” Twilight asked too loudly for her liking, before turning to Applejack, hoping she knew at least.  “Ya can’t be serious,” Applejack inquired, only to shudder when she saw Pinkamena vibrating in excitement. “Boss, Ah’m gunna need an extra slip or two.” With Applejack demanding Pinkamena to order the hamburger herself, Twilight ended up waiting for her friends, titles of indentured servant and butler be damned, while looking out over the view afforded by the edge of the stadium. With her hooves resting on the hard-cloud railing, the sight of Tranquility spreading to the east and the brilliantly blue ocean to the west made her pine for the lofty view from her childhood home. This section of the stadium also held most of the box seats, so there were only a scant few ponies around, and all of them were aristocrats or thier hangers-on. As such, she was proven right that no one would end up bothering her. Good thing we arrived early. Pinkamena’s always been able to put away food, but by the heavens that’s obscene. In a way, she enjoyed the general din of shouting ponies muffled by the walls. At this distance she could just pretend it was general excitement for the show. Most of it probably is, now that they’re taking their seats. The pleasant sounds of hoofsteps coming and going we’re suddenly joined by an electric pop. It was an all too familiar sound, but she found it odd when it didn’t come from between her ears.  Turning, Twilight spotted a stallion standing a polite distance away. The dancing electricity on his horn and frazzled mane instantly marked him as a pegacorn in her eyes long before she would see his bald wings. He was bone white with a dusty blue and light orange mane. He wore a black long jacket paired with a brown double breasted vest. Aside from his mane, he was immaculately groomed. That was hardly something Twilight could hold against him.  He bowed his head and flourished with a wing as if he didn’t care what people thought about them. “You must be Lady Twilight Sparkle.  It is an honor to finally meet you. My name is Clipped Wing.” Not a noble then?  He dresses finer than I would expect of a commoner.  Perhaps he’s a successful businesspony like Steel. She gave a shallow curtsy as social norms required of a noble to a commoner.  “A pleasure to meet you as well.”  She ended the gesture first, allowing him to end the bow. Standing up straight, Twilight briefly glanced around, not just to look for Pinkamena or Applejack, but for anyone that Clipped Wing brought with him.  Sadly, she found no one on both counts.  “Mister Wing, might I inquire why you wished to see me here of all places?” “Directness, I can already tell I’ll like you.”  He flashed a grin at her slight annoyance.  “I’ll be honest, I find these shows to be inspiring.  That and I took the presumption that you might want to appear patriotic.” Twilight blinked dumbly and her ears went straight up.  “Oh.  That - that would be wise.”  I thought helping the navy out, even indirectly through Steel, might have been enough, but the common pony… wait, would the common pony even recognize me?  It’s not like my face has been in the paper since I got here, so who- A loud three tone whistle rang out, breaking Twilight’s train of thoughts and making both pegacorns look towards the center of the stadium. “The show should be starting soon,” Clipped Wing commented, “We should take our seats if we don’t want to miss the opening.  Did you bring any friends or associates?” “I did…  Two of them.”  Twilight looked around and hummed sadly when her friends didn’t manifest.  “They’re probably immoble after that food order.” “Who knew box seats meant you can just take whatever seat’s available,” Applejack said in between bites of Pinkamena’s ridiculously large and expensive order.  The Burger Pillar had twenty four patties and so many condiments that it was falling apart.  The pair were camped out on front-row seats, thankfully in between two families of pegasi, so they weren’t intruding too much.  A dozen Shadowbolts were coming on stage now as the announcer named each one in turn. “It said so right on the back of the ticket.  It’s not really a box ticket, but more of a gold ‘sit wherever you want’ ticket.” Pinkamena declared cheerfully as she gobbled down with gusto.  Without Twilight around, she felt no compulsion to put on the dignified air of a butler.  “Pass me the lemonaid.” Obliging, Applejack couldn’t help but to scan the boxes along the top of the stadium.  “Are ya sure Twi’s going to be okay all alone?” Pinkamena paused her feast and eyed one box in particular.  Even from half the stadium away, she saw two vague figures take their seats. She felt uneasy leaving Twilight unguarded, but she trusted her senses.  “My Lady would find being only protective distasteful. Plus, something told me Twilight needed to talk to this Clipped Wing fellow alone.” Assuming her pink companion was just watching the fliers, Applejack took another bite.  “You just wanted to eat like a sow and not worry about it.” With mustard and cheese covering her lips, Pinkamena sighed contentedly.  “It’s a weakness of mine.  Still though…”  Pinkamena gazed up into the sky, but she wasn’t looking at the Shadowbolts.  I hope Twilight finds something meaningful up there. The shadowbolts did not disappoint.  Envy aside, Twilight marveled at the sheer skill required for formation loops, spins, turns that would rip the feathers off a normal pegasus, not one left the crowd silent.  One thing that left Twilight stunned was a thestral who pulled up to glide perpendicular to the ground, causing clouds to form behind his wings.   Twilight actually stood up at the sight of it.  “Astounding!  I thought weather teams had to make clouds from bodies of water, not just thin air!” “It’s called the kulbit maneuver,” Clipped Wing chirped in right before the announcer did the same.  “The clouds evaporate too quickly to be used, but it looks flashy.” Sitting back down, Twilight eyed him with playful suspicion.  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to court me, not to get me to join some organization.” “Would you blame me if I did both?”  Clipped Wing gave a smooth wing-shrug.  “The papers never said you were as beautiful as the moon itself.” Twilight looked away to hide a blush.  What few courtiers she had gotten so far, both Equestrian and Lunarian alike, had been so matter of fact about it.  Nothing but offers of marriage without even a ‘you’re at least tolerable to look at, let’s make an heir.’  To think I should have actually read some romance novels. But nooo.   “Well that’s the courtship out of the way, what about the job?”  She was a bit surprised to see Clipped physically wince at the response.  Wait, was he serious? He coughed and used a moment to center himself.  He looked back up at the stunts still being displayed.  “You and I.  I suspect we both share something most wouldn’t bother considering.  Envy.” That word made Twilight scrutinize him a bit more.  “In what?” “Them of course,” he said while gesturing to the Shadowbolts.  “Maybe not so much the barrel rolls and loops, but the freedom of flight itself.”  He looked at her like a pony possessed, stilling a cold response she was about to make.  “What if I told you, I found a way to give all pegacorns that freedom?” “I’d say you were crazy,” she stated flatly.  “My parents tried feather coverings for me and some mana converters to normalize my pegasus magic, but it just proved to be a waste of time and bits.  As has every other attempt I’ve heard about. Not that there’s been many I suppose.” Rather than be deterred, he sat back down so he could close in on Twilight while also trying not to intimidate her.  “That’s because we don’t have pegasus magic, or unicorn magic for that matter.  None of the three hybrid tribes have magic based on their parent ones.  That’s what scholars have been getting wrong since ponies first claimed magic!” Still heavily skeptical, Twilight had to admit she was intrigued. “And you know this how?” “My parents had spent centuries of study on the matter, and I followed in their hoofsteps after they passed. I’ve proven the theory, but I need an engineer to see it become reality. Preferably a pegacorn engineer.” “Your parents are pegacorns as well?”  She shook her head clear. “Wait, are you actually saying you have mathematical proof we can fly?!” Getting excited at seeing her interest spiking, Clipped nodded with a manic grin. “Not just proof…” He had her hooked. All it took now was to reel her in. “I have a working prototype device that can convert my magic into an actual usable state.  Given the correct application, you, me, and all pegacorns like us,” he paused to savor her expectant expression.  “Can fly!” Twilight’s nonsense meter started red-lining. Her excitement cooled significantly and a frown started to form. The line had snapped. “A device?  Everypony knows machines disrupt magic.” Clipped Wing managed to avoid sweating under her sudden, if expected, disbelief. “I know how it sounds. It's the reason my parents worked themselves into an early grave trying to figure out the problem with our magic. But you’re an engineer. Surely you’ve noticed your horn sparks no matter how deep you go into gear work or how hard an engine is running.” Wrinkling her brow, Twilight leaned back into her chair to look back on things. “…I suppose you have a point. I’ve never had the time or opportunity to figure out why.  I take it that you have.”   “I find that hard to believe,” Clipped Wing replied in a tone that refrained from causing insult.  “Surely you have theories of your own.”  Clipped Wing was speaking in a voice Twilight was all too familiar with, that of a colleague in the sciences. “Take a gander at it.” “If you insist.”  A challenge, or is he fishing for me to fill in blanks in some sort of scam?  Twilight wished she had her notes to spout some obscure figures, but she only had her memory to test him. “Magic works by usurping the natural laws of the universe and substituting it with its own. A unicorn wishes for - let’s say an apple to eat. Mana is the energy, but spell matrixes are what allows that energy to become an apple. Were it up to the universe, that apple would need months and a tree to be created, not some mana and a fancy bit of penmanship. I’m still not sure exactly how, but machines seem to reinforce the universal laws to the point of stopping mana from changing form.” “Ahhh, and there. We. Go.”  Clipped Wing punctuated each word with a hoof tap on his seat. The air show was all but forgotten as he descended into talking about his life’s work. “That’s what sets us hybrid tribes apart. Pegacorns, Terracorns, and Terrasi, each of our magics, for lack of a better word, plays by universal laws. It’s just that our bodies were not made to use mana in such a way. That’s why our magic is so bizarre compared to our more common brethren.  It’s also why traditional magic disruption measures don’t affect our lightning.” “If true, that would make sense…” Twilight hummed thoughtfully. A flyby from one of the Shadowbolts made her look back up at them. For a fleeting moment she imagined - No! Don’t even think about it. Not without hard proof.  “If you’ve really made this magic converter, then prove it.  Fly right now.”  She glanced up at the airshow still in full swing.  “We can step out to the walkway if need be.” He cringed, but recovered quickly and remained close.  “And that’s where you come in.  My prototype is the size of a master bedroom.  I’ve proven the concept, but I need an engineer to shrink it down to wearable size.” Twilight was stunned into standing up.  “From a - to a -?!”  She shook her head.  “You might as well be asking to make a carriable train engine.  I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.” “At least look at the prototype and my notes first,” he practically pleaded, standing up as well.  Thinking it was the wrong approach, he backed up a bit to gaze out into the crowds of ponies.  “...Believe me, I know how you feel,” Clipped Wing cut in before Twilight could think of a polite way to excuse an exit.  “Hybrids like us have to fight for our place in this world.”  His gaze fell upon the far side of the stadium where the poorest seats were.  “I ask you.  How much further do you think you could have gotten if you had been born a full unicorn or pegasus?”  He looked her in the eye, a heavy pall of dire seriousness put her on edge.  “Or in another way, without you or your family’s money, how low do you think you’d be at this point in your life?” A touch of weariness sank into Twilight, but she met his gaze.  “Without my family’s money?  I’d be a stable worker or I’d be dead.  If I were lucky, I’d get enough of an education to work in a library or something.” He nodded, satisfied with the answer.  “Thanks to their gravity magic, Terracorns are lucky if they survive long enough to be born, you know,” Clipped Wing continued with his dour mood.  “At least Terrasi can pass for flightless pegasi, which isn’t that much of a step above us.” Looking at him with a critical eye and gauging his words, Twilight spoke carefully.  “So… are you saying you’re some crusader against the injustice our fellow ponies have brought upon us for not having a niche?”  I’ve seen enough of those kind of ponies in the church and the inquisition.  I want no part of that. Sensing the trap she had laid in front of him, Clipped Wing backed off and leaned away from her.  “Can you honestly blame them?  Why should I hire a unicorn to farm my fields when there are earth ponies abound?  Or get an earther to make it rain?  The only thing the world knows about us hybrids is that we have is our wits and our longevity.  The latter isn’t marketable, and it is up to us to leverage the former.  But with my discovery and your help, we will finally have a place in society.” Once more, Twilight found herself standing alone on that cloud. To one side, she could see the ground.  The path of a merchant and the invention of practical devices.  Many of Gold Tresel’s ideas had merit, and surely even a few of them could get her name as a footnote in a history book or the like.  It was the route that could easily lead her to a safe marriage to solidify her house.  I already have suitors lining up for either my money or a chance for nobility. Or. She could jump into the unknown led by a pony possessed, in the vain hope she could actually make use of her flightless wings and uncontrollable horn. Once more, she looked up at the Shadowbolts and then to the crowds cheering them on.  A child of the winds longing to be amongst the skies.  And not just her, but all those of her… tribe.  Fire lit in her eyes as she faced Clipped Wing.  “What do you need from me other than my skill?  Money?  I don’t have a lot of connections.” Grinning, Clipped Wing fished out a notebook and started writing a time and address.  “Funding is no issue, only results.  I already have fifty other pegacorns, five terrasi and a terracorn available as volunteers, along with an engineering team.  What I need is a mechanical visionary.”  He ripped the paper off and held it out for her.  “A private train car will be here in five days.  What say you?” “I only made one invention and that was based on an already existing machine.  You’re putting a lot of unwarranted faith in me.”  Even so, Twilight felt compelled to take the paper and read the address for Tranquility’s central rail station. “Am I? Steel spoke highly of you, Lady Twilight Sparkle.  Yes, the watertube boiler already existed here, if not a naval version.  From where I stand, you are an Equestrian of all ponies who devised, by herself, not just a revolution in boiler technology, but one that Steel claims was twenty five years ahead of its time when you first drafted it. Taking into account the boiler type your father had at the time.”  He tapped an ear.  “As they say: Merchant’s Creed twenty two: A wise pony can hear profit in the wind.”   Profit in the wind?  That earned a predatory grin out of her.  “Alright, Mister Clipped Wing, I’m in.”