//------------------------------// // 1: Daybreak // Story: The Sixth Age // by TacticalRainboom //------------------------------// As love and harmony faded from the hearts of the ponies, so too did the magic at the heart of the world falter. Did the Sisters abandon the realm because magic was failing in their subjects’ hearts, or was it the reverse? In the latter case, then Celestia and Luna must be held at least partially responsible for the terrible bloodshed that followed. Brothers against sisters and mothers against daughters, as if every heart in Equestria had been seized by the spirit of hate. The terrible weapons used in the fighting were the last magic that the world would see for centuries. From that day forward, the ponies’ lives would be driven not by the powers that were their birthright, but by the machines they would build to help them dominate this new, colder world. Then, on the 24th of Deepfrost, 1011, the world remembered what it once had been. Around the world, ponies suddenly found themselves in possession of the magic that their ancestors had discarded centuries ago. The world was entering a new age, but the Fire of Friendship would not return so easily to a world covered with citadels of circuitry and steel. Now awaken, my faithful student. Daybreak jerked upright, eyes wide open. The world was an incomprehensible blur of color; floating lights danced around her room as she tried without success to take stock of her surroundings. “Wha... who’s there? Arrrgh!” She accidentally slammed her foreleg painfully against the edge of the bedside table, then rolled onto her back, eyes squeezed shut in frustration. After a few deep breaths, she gingerly pried the AR goggles off her face with a gentle application of unicorn telekinesis. When they came free, she could feel where their frames had left dents on the skin around her eyes. As Daybreak rolled out of bed, she once again gave serious thought to the idea of buying an old-fashioned computer monitor for her room. Inefficient, sure, but at least with a monitor she would wake up with a desk in her face instead of with an out-of-focus augmented reality display swimming around her head. As always, such thoughts faded as she started to search through her dresser for an appropriate set of clothes. Many of Daybreak’s peers chafed—sometimes literally—at how often academic life demanded clothing. Daybreak, on the other hand, took pride in addressing herself in the mirror every morning and composing a proper appearance for the occasion. Today was a day for Daybreak the up-and-coming intellectual, the poster girl for the new science of mythological history. She smiled and hummed softly to herself as she levitated her brush over and started to work it through her bangs, sorting the yellow and violet mane that she had been named for into flat stripes. With her mane combed just a little less than perfectly and her lashes darkened just so, all that was left was her favorite vest. Dark charcoal, with a white undershirt and silver tie—just the thing for contrasting with her lustrous pink coat. Daybreak allowed herself a happy little sigh at the sight of the young professional in the mirror. She looked very ready. More than that, she looked contemporary, forward-thinking... dangerously close to hip. Daybreak nodded approvingly before turning her back on her reflection and heading for the front door. The Upper City’s usual chilly high-altitude wind greeted Daybreak as she stepped onto the rubberized path that served as the main street for her little residential neighborhood. Walking to the lecture hall from home never took much time, and the pleasant scenery always helped to revitalize Daybreak in the mornings. The well-tended trees and patches of grass lining the walkway made it easy to forget that the entire district was resting on a massive plate fastened to the side of Mount Harmony. Ahead, Daybreak’s destination rose proudly from where city met mountainside. Shine University was a wonderfully modern complex centered around a sleek high-rise, but more than that, it was the premier place of learning in New Canterlot. The audience watched in silence as Doctor Daybreak crossed the stage, hooves clacking sharply against the wooden surface. “Good afternoon,” she said when she reached the podium. Her amplified voice projected easily past rows of colorfully maned pony heads to echo off the exits. “First and foremost, thank you all for attending today. It’s good to see so many interested in learning more about the Awakening.” She allowed a short silence while she affixed her goggles to her face, the better to read from her notes. Seeing this, some of the audience did the same, which brought a smile to Daybreak’s face. Taking notes on her speech! Maybe some of them would cite this presentation for their midterms. Right on cue, the first slide appeared on the wall behind her, to a chorus of low laughter. Daybreak’s face on the screen, hugely magnified, was beaming out at the audience as if for a driver's license. Large block letters crossing beneath her portrait's chin read: Daybreak, Doctor of Magical Studies, Shine University. Daybreak herself smiled in much the same manner as did the photograph. “For those of you in the back, that’s what I look like. I graduated from Shine University with the class of 1037, and you may have read my published work if you’ve ever taken a magical studies class. Most of what I write about is magic history, which I’ll say a little more about later. “Now, how many of you are in engineering?” Daybreak paused long enough to make it clear that she expected an actual answer, and a few hooves rose tentatively into the air. “Biology?” The raised hooves fell, and were replaced by others. “Environmental science? History? How about the equinities?” Daybreak nodded approvingly at the last set of raised hooves. “Very good. Don’t let anypony ever tell you that philosophy and literature aren’t important.” The screen moved to the next slide, which depicted streams of colored lines merging into one unified river that flowed from left to right. Daybreak waved her hoof dismissively at it. “This slide usually has an AR enhancement, but we won’t be getting into details this time. All you need to know is that each line represents an influential idea or pony that had lasting effects on a particular field of science. This really wide one, for example, is Dr. Gene’s work on evolutionary biology. And these vertical lines—” she pointed to a line intersecting the stream—“represent historical events. This one is the opening of the Net in the year 967. Which brings me to...” The next slide sent a low rumble through the crowd. “... How would you feel if I told you that your entire fields of study were rendered meaningless on December 24th, 1011?” Displayed behind Daybreak was a continuation of the river—except that there was an ugly black bar slashing through it, a thick dam that only sparse rivulets of biology and physics were able to squeeze past. Between 1011 and the current year of 1045, a few new additions widened the line, but the river of knowledge was a pathetic trickle compared to what it had been before. “Has anypony here taken Professor Westwind’s arcanophysics class? How about Enchanting and Architecture with Dr. Arc?” There weren’t many hooves raised this time, but to Daybreak, that was a challenge more than a disappointment—these ponies had no appreciation for the significance of the Awakening, which made it all the more important that they learn now. “These are classes that at least begin to address the fact that magic changes everything. Mathematicians... you’re safe. They haven’t invented a spell to make two and two equal five just yet.” Laughter, but Daybreak could still smell disbelief in the air. “But make no mistake...” She licked her lips as she swept her gaze across the front row of the audience. Most of them were unicorns. “Those of you with wings or horns, how often do you stop and think about the fact that nopony has a clue as to how your bodies actually work?” Nopony was laughing now. “We don’t know how wings work. We don’t know how horns work. And don’t think you’re safe if you’re an earth pony, either. Earthers have auras just like everypony does, and we have—that’s right—no idea how auras work.” Daybreak cleared her throat, and the slide behind her changed again. “I’m sure you’ve all seen this before. The External Soul, by an eighth century artist named Dreamtide.” The screen showed a painting of a rearing pegasus mare with wings outstretched. Her upturned face was captured in living detail, but her body seemed to be made of glass rather than flesh. The mare’s shimmering skin glinted with gaseous light trapped inside her translucent form, and the colors of her “soul” shone through as a soft golden halo. “It’s a beautiful painting, but it’s also so much than a work of art; it shows something very real. Even if not all of us can see it, we all have this inside us.” Daybreak smiled softly. “And believe me, it’s even more beautiful for those of us who can see it in person.” The slide advanced again, and this time it showed a photograph of New Canterlot from afar. In the painting, Canterlot’s dense sprawl and imposing upper plate were lit by a brilliant sunrise. The city was blocking the sun itself, so the corona of yellow and purple made the double skyline seem to shine with the same same soft soul-light as the glass pegasus mare in the last slide. “Magic isn’t just some new phenomenon to be studied. It’s part of us, and part of our world. Our minds and bodies, as well as everything around us—everything is literally made of magic, in ways that we have not even begun to understand. Hopefully, though, what I have to say today will inspire some of you to join the effort to drive ponykind’s new body of knowledge forward.” The floor rumbled with applause as Daybreak removed her goggles, bowed her head politely, and headed for the exit. She didn’t put the goggles back on until she was outside again and on her way home under the late afternoon glare. “Case Study on Extraordinary Individuals,” Daybreak read out loud as she nudged the backstage door open and stepped out into the midday sun. Quite a few phrases from the message jumped out at her, actually. Highly unusual magic phenomena... compensation for time and expenses... four million bit funding for further research. Daybreak’s knees quivered even as she walked. No more begging for travelling expenses from the Magical Studies department whenever she went to attend conferences. With that kind of money, she could travel the world—she could hire a team to travel the world—she could hire a studio to edit a documentary filmed by teams all over the world! It took perhaps a minute of deep breathing before Daybreak calmed down enough to realize how many things about this request just seemed wrong. The mysterious benefactor had contacted Daybreak directly, rather than going through the proper channels with the university. The letter took care to mention that the employer would remain anonymous. And, most worrisome of all, the message’s sender didn’t want Daybreak to know what this research was being used for. It was hard to imagine what nefarious purpose five simple interviews could serve, so maybe the employer simply thought that Daybreak might disapprove of their goals? Daybreak cut those thoughts off with a shake of her head as she archived the message, ran a search for plate-to-ground taxi rates, and began composing a reply asking for some kind of assurance that the mysterious employer was actually good for several million bits. Sure, it was suspicious, but as far as Daybreak was concerned, it would be ridiculous under any circumstances to let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass. Besides, she had to admit that she was curious about these “extraordinary individuals.” Subj: Case Studies on Extraordinary Individuals Dear Doctor Daybreak, Your professional assistance is requested with an ongoing study concerning unusual phenomena that my associates and I have observed in the course of our own work. We now believe that all of these phenomena were related to the personal magics of the individuals listed in the attached document. We ask that you meet each of these subjects and interview them concerning their lifestyles and their magical abilities. It is our hope that your unique perspective and academic background will shed new light on any possible similarities or connections between these individuals. Complete details are attached. [Attachment: Summary and Conditions] [Attachment: Ironwood] [Attachment: Spectra] [Attachment: Victoria] [Attachment: Shimmer] [Attachment: Fuchsia]