Twilight had me hooked into that thingamajig in her basement for a little bit, but now we were back upstairs. She was looking though some book, and I was trying desperately not to be bored. I decided to look over the books in the library. The main room was full of magic junk and reference books like always, but something seemed odd about them. I then walked into the back room and suddenly there was a shelf of fiction books. I blinked.
"Twi, did you reorganize the library when you got here?"
"Not right away, but it was a mess. I probably shouldn't have moved all the magic and reference books to the main room but I had to organize them somehow."
"Yea, we were making do without a librarian but things got crazy messy."
"Dash, why are you asking?"
"Because I don't have to go looking though all the boring stuff for the good stuff. Is the historical fiction back here too? Ya know, fighting evil warlocks, armies clashing, slaying dragons, that sort of thing."
Twilight didn't say anything, and I turned to find her suddenly in front of me. Then I blinked and face hooved. I sorta forgot something important there, didn't I? She was staring right at me. Then she shook her head and blinked.
"You're a reader? I'm sorry but…"
"What, its not like I'm some egghead that studies all the time, I just read for fun. I mean books are great. You have to freedom to go as fast as you want…"
Twilight giggled. "And let me guess, you're a very fast speed reader."
"Oh yea." I laughed "I like to think the fastest in Equestria, but I'm pretty sure there must be some egghead out there faster."
"Possibly, but possibly not. Studying is about retention."
"Yea well I remember everything so I'm good."
"This still sounds just, wrong. Dash you…"
I sighed. "I know. It's silly and all that but it's just something I got in the habit of doing. I always meant to tell you, and even just forgot I hadn't." I then laughed.
"Still, the idea of you willingly picking up a book."
I laughed again. "You really do get me Twi. At first I didn't."
"What do you mean?"
"Uh, let me think a second."
I turned back to the shelves and looked over some more titles. Mostly they were the same old books. Thinking about it the stunt was really stupid and she'd focus on those parts so I should probably just leave out most of the details.
"Yea, see there was this one stunt when I was much younger. I was so close to pulling it off too, but then at the last second I drifted a little too far to the left and got my wing caught. Wrenched it out of the socket and broke it in a few places."
Twilight cringed. "That sounds awful. But I don't understand what that has to do…"
"Isn't it obvious? I was in the hospital with nothing to. Well almost nothing. Mom left a whole pile of her books figuring I would finally read them. I didn't read any of the boring ones, but I was so bored I gave in and read the cool ones."
Twilight smiled. "And since then you have had a thirst for the written word."
"Nah, just something good to do when you're resting and bored. But yea, once I started reading stuff that was actually interesting it was great. The freedom to read fast, and unlike TV even if you're just sitting there, you're still really doing something."
"Wait, you don't like TV?"
"Nah, it's not like that. TV can be awesome, but I can only sit still for so long just passively doing nothing."
"Ah, it still seems odd though."
I smiled. "Ah, you're no better than AJ are you? You don't get the way my training regimen works at all."
Twilight smiled. "Oh, I get it. During the rest phases you sometimes watch TV, and often nap, but otherwise you read."
I stared at Twilight. She got it? It wasn’t' that complicated but AJ was always busting my rump about being lazy.
"Wow, you really get it, don’t you?"
"It's obvious. Pegasai have naturally less endurance than earth ponies by a considerable margin, and somewhat lower than unicorns. You work very hard training, and then absolutely must take a rest."
"Yea. Also if you overwork your wings you do more harm than good. So I gotta do something. Also since it's a book I can just stop reading whenever."
"So you like historical fiction?"
"Yea, it's awesome. Derpy and mom have both tried to get me to read some real history books, saying there is just as much awesome stuff, but most history books are so boring."
Twilight giggled again. "That certainly sounds like the Dash I know. So to sum up, you do like to read, but only if it's exciting."
"Yea, and I'm sure there is some magic books you find super awesome, but unless you're a unicorn those all make zero sense."
"That may be, but actually I was looking up some findings in just such a book about pegasai flight."
"Oh, cool. So can you help?"
"Yes, follow me."
I then followed her back into the main room. There was an easel set up with big white cards. It totally looked like a teacher's presentation. I groaned.
"Oh come on Twilight."
"Visual aids never hurt anypony Dash." Then she cringed. "Well okay there was that one time, but who knew the spell would be that effective."
I smiled. "Ooo, that sounds interesting. Tell me about…"
"No." She glare at me, but I just smiled in return. "Getting back to the point, this is about you so I doubt you'll find it that boring. I also plan to keep it fast and simple as possible."
"Good. I mean I know tons of junk about flying, but that doesn't mean I want to sit around and talk about it all day. Ugh."
"Ah. Anyway, it's very simple. As you know, there is bubble, or barrier or…"
"The thing around pegasai that lets us fly and protects us. I'm guessing it's that light blue circle around your stick figure pony there." I then pointed at the first card.
"Yes. Pegasi actually have several types of magic, though like earth pony magic it all very much passive, unlike unicorn magic. It's really a fascinating subject."
"Doesn’t that mean you're totally wrong about Pinkie's Pinkie sense?"
"Well, yes. Though not entirely. Dash, if you fly, you intend it correct?"
"Duh."
"Same with moving clouds?"
"Yea."
"And if you're about to crash, you want it to hurt as little as possible?"
I nodded. "Okay, I get ya. But earth pony magic doesn't even need that, does it. It's how AJ can go days without sleep before she starts going loopy."
Twilight gasped. "Days? Do you mean days of work, like applebucking?"
"Yea, obviously? I mean you do remember…"
"I do tend to loose track of time, so I wasn't really clear, and didn't know for sure she was up all that time. I think I should go recheck…"
"Uh, Twilight. You forgetting something?"
She blinked, then turned back to her little stand, using her magic to pull off the first card to reveal a second, this one covered with facts and figures. The stick figure was diving down, a cone of force distorting the light blue bubble.
"Anyway, you are most likely right, in that earth magic is even more passive, often relying on subconscious desires, thus partially explaining Pinkie's ability."
"Because Pinkie is random conscious, and the subconscious is supposed to be more random than your conscious."
"Uh, maybe not exactly right, but close enough. However, despite what I implied earlier, your bubble is mostly subconscious as well."
"So it got stronger, and somehow that made me faster?"
"Well, yes. See the bubble is really a variety of magical effects generated on the outer edge of your aura. This includes protections, but also the spells that allow you to fly in the first place. With out them…"
"I shouldn't be able to fly. Except we both know that's wrong."
"No, I'm not wrong. That is the way pegasus flight does work. Just because there is one obvious counter argument doesn't mean…" Twilight's eye twitched. "It makes no sense. It's just plain impossible."
I sighed. I better her get her back on track or I'll be here forever. Of course that little exception bothers me too but it drives Twilight bucking crazy.
"Okay, so it does lots of stuff, and it's all linked. So why can I feel the wind less?"
"Oh." Twilight took a deep breath then focused on me again. "It reduces the effects of various forces on you as well. As you can see by this diagram the gravitational forces should rip you apart, and wind resistance should make a sonic boom impossible."
"But pegasai air magic is like, whatever, I'll do the impossible if I want."
Twilight giggled. "That is a way of putting it. You are simply getting better with your magic, as well as like the others having an upswing in overall power."
"Is that why Pinkie got her weird new thing?"
"The shape shifting? Yes, it most certainly is. Water magic is actually very active, and utterly fascinating. I would love to study it more."
"But keeping Pinkie in one place is dangerous."
Twilight laughed. "Something like that. Her grandmother being a hippocampus, or water pony as you put it, created that oddity in her aura that allowed her to use water magic once the magic upswing began."
"But I just get more air, which means I just fly faster?"
"And you should take even less damage from a crash, but please don't take that as a challenge, especially around the library."
"Heheh. Sorry Twilight, I don't know why I smash into the library so often, it just sorta happens. So do you really just have two cards?"
Twilight then pulled off the second with a quick bit glow from her horn. The bubble was there, but there were also other light blue lines. One was in between a pony with no stick figure wings and a cloud. There was also a bubble around a similar stick figure surrounded by dark blue bubbles and recognizable fish. I guess Twilight knew she couldn't draw ponies well so didn't even try. There were also a few blue lines that came from the winged pony and turned into wind blowing past a bunch of stuff being knocked over. Then I suddenly realized something.
"Wait, you said you were just reading about this stuff but why did you have a whole presentation about it set up?"
"Because I thought I might need it soon." Then she smiled.
"Which you totally did. Guess that makes sense. You did say you know all of our magic is going up."
"I was planning to come looking for you and Fluttershy to give you the presentation, but I got a little distracted as I was double checking the presentation."
"So you almost left something out?"
Twilight shook her head. "Oh no, it was a sudden idea I had about earth magic I was looking up actually."
"Eh?"
"Magic is divided into categories, but all of it is linked, even the opposing elements like air and earth."
"Ah. Okay, how about you go on so we can get this done with."
"Of course. First…" She pointed to the wind picture with a hoof. "That is summoning a full fledged wind, not just amplifying wind from your wings. This could probably be extended to making a full fledged tornado eventually but…"
"Twi, I can already do that."
"I mean while staying in one place, and possibly not even moving at all, though obviously you cast with your wings and thus moving your wings might be required."
"Cast with what?"
"All magic needs a focus. Unicorns use our horns, pegasi their wings, and most likely earth ponies use their hooves, but I need to do some more research."
"I sorta want to ask you to explain that more, but its going to be really boring, isn't it?"
"I don't think so, but you most likely would. It's also not important beyond knowing that your wings are required."
"Wait, so does that mean that one." I pointed to the cloud one. "Is the cloudwalking spell? Cause if so that makes no sense."
"My talent is magic Dash. Also no pony is solely rooted to only one element. So yes, two of my examples are the cloud walking spell, and a wind spell modified to create music that I used to calm the ursa minor."
"So what's the third one?"
"An air bubble spell. It pulls the oxygen out of the water so you can breathe underwater and not even get wet. Luna mentioned it in a letter, and it being an air spell. Of course there are always more than one way to do things so there is a water version as well."
"But it's different? Like it literally makes you breath water or something?"
Twilight smiled. "Exactly Dash."
"So, I might be able to eventually do all of this?"
"Possibly. I just want to mention the possibility so you aren't too surprised if something else starts happening."
"Uh, is that it?"
"Yea, but…"
"Then I can get flying again. I'm already way off schedule. I'll see you later."
"Dash, are you okay?"
"This is just a lot to think about, and I think best when I fly."
"Okay."
And I took off. I was even more awesome than I thought I was. I could do things that no other pegasus could do, but something about that bugged me. I zipped out the door and decided I'd focus on just pushing myself for a little while to clear my head then slow down and try to think this through.