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// Chapter 15 - The Second and Only Sister 
// Story: The Earth Ponies 
// by RomanCandle 
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	Zephyr hummed. The gigantic, four winged crane swayed her neck and head about to the little tune as her echoing voice weaved up and down. Half Note recognized the music as the song that had been running through her bones since they had first come to the Buffalo. She found herself humming along. Embarrassed, she stopped herself.

But so too did Zephyr, tilting her head and turning her swirling rainbow eyes upon the pink mare. "Why did you stop? You have such a lovely voice. "

Half Note gaped and flushed. "I...I guess I felt it was rude to interrupt."

"Nonsense, child. A falling leaf does not detract from the beauty of autumn, but rather adds it's own distinct note to the overlaying harmonies. It is the same with music - you can never have too many good voices."

"With all due respect," Tornado Bolt interjected. "We didn't come all this way just to hear you two sing - even if it is very pretty."

"Oh? Pray tell what, then, so we may continue."

The pegasus rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, um...it's a bit of a long story...Y'see, uh..."

"Something about the Magic of Earth Ponies, brought about by the ascension of a one Twilight Sparkle - proclaimed to have found her domain in the Magic of Friendship. I am correct?"

"Uh, yeah, that's about right. Um." Tornado Bolt dug at the dirt with her hoof.

Zephyr chuckled. "Aestrak told you that, in order to become an Alicorn, a pony must have a grasp on a form of Magic so complete that it wholly encompasses the triumvirate of Body, Mind, and Soul. Upon hearing this, you wondered - how might an Earth Pony attain such a feat?" Her eyes had turned to Half Note once again.

The pink pony nodded. "Yeah. He got really upset when I said that it looked like Earth Ponies don't really have any magic. I mean, everypony talks about how good we are at growing stuff and working with rocks and how tough we are, but that's not the same as being able to levitate things or teleport, or fly and shape the weather. They just don't compare - any Pegasus or Unicorn can grow a garden or build things or get really strong, but an Earth Pony can't do anything one of them can't."

Half Note flinched a bit, realizing how much she had said and expecting a reaction like the one she had provoked from the Golden Dragon. However, Zephyr had only settled into a sitting position, magnificent wings and tail curled about her. Her eyes were closed as she nodded.

"Hmm. I think I see the problem. Can you tell me, little pony - what is the difference between dirt and Earth?"

Half Note blanched. After a few precarious moments of silence, Firelock chimed in. "Uh, one refers to the stuff on a small scale - like a dirt clod, or dirt in your mane - while the other is usually used on a broader scale, like farmers tilling the Earth?"

Rainbow eyes blinked. "I had not thought of it that way. I suppose you are correct, in your own way. Your mind is sharp, but pointed in the wrong direction. Let me try another - this Twilight Sparkle, she attained her wings via the Magic of Friendship. How is that limited to a Unicorn - or a Pegasus, for that matter?"

Half Note scratched her head. "Well, any pony can be friends with another pony, but she cast some kind of spell thingy that did the...thingy. I wasn't there, but I heard there were a lot of magic beams and some explosions too. Or something like that."

Zephyr clucked her tongue and ruffled her wings. "Again, you miss the point. I cannot tell you, nor can I show you myself. What a bother." She ruffled her wings again and turned toward the sun, suspended over the horizon and glittering bands of gold.

"I think I am running short on time. What a pity. Laccarentia won't be much more of a help, I am afraid. But you must speak with my Youngest and Oldest Brother as well, or he will surely be jealous and you will make no more headway."

"Laccarentia...? That sounds familiar..." Firelock tapped her chin, then gasped. "OH! He was named in the Tale of Penthes."

The crane nodded. "That is good that you know him. My brother does not like to seek attention, but he is a jealous soul nonetheless. It will serve you well to show him some respect. But do be careful. I would hate to never again hear your voices on the wind."

The ponies nodded. Half Note cleared her throat. "Uh, thank you, I guess. That was more helpful than what Aestrak told us. A little, anyway. But, uh, would you mind telling us where to find your Youngest and Oldest brother? We only found you because of the Buffalo. It would be really helpful to not have to rely on luck like that again."

Zephyr giggled a little. "Oh, you say it like luck is unreliable. Very well, but on one condition - I want to see you dance."

Half Note blushed red through her pink fur. "Uh, are you sure?"

"Certainly. That's why I brought you here in the first place. I must admit I would have been shocked at the presence of an Earth Pony where I expected a Buffalo, but for my brothers word and you did so well. Quickly now, the sun must set soon. I shall sing myself if your friends are not able."

Half Note got to her feet and looked back at her friends. Firelock was smiling a too-wide, nervous smile, while Tornado Bolt was stiffling a giggle behind one hoof and waving her on with the other. She sighed and stepped forward.

Zephyr smiled and tapped her talons on the ground, matching the beat that was still pounding inside the Earth Pony's head. She began to sing the Spirit Song in her thousand lilting voices, hitting notes unbelievably low and unimaginably high at once, like chimes in the ocean. Half Note shuffled her feet as she bid away her nerves, then felt the music resonate in her bones again.

She let herself dance. She closed her eyes and let the wind of her motion whip through her mane and across her face and into her ears. Behind her eyelids she saw shimmering golds and reds and purples and blues that wavered and undulated with Zephyrs singing. A deep note struck in time with her powerful stomp - a series of higher notes were met with light, agile movements. 

She spun and stepped and stopped, and had to take a moment to remember that she was not just a dancer, not the wind or the song. Her name slammed back into her, and she felt suddenly tired.

The sound of her friends beating their hooves upon the ground in approval broke through her haggard breaths. She looked back at them first, seeing their smiling faces, before she turned back to Zephyr.

All four of her glimmering wings were spread full, feathers of royal violets and reds caught the light of the setting sun. 

She spoke again, the thousand voices now resonant as one. "You did well, child - very well. You shall share in the gifts I give to the Buffalo in accordance with our ancient pact. But first, your request.

"Head North. North, to the City that Shimmers. Head North further still, till you can go no more - there you shall find Laccarentia, deep within his lonely cave. Be wary and respectful, and do not fear."

She began to beat her first set of wings. Those between the first and her legs remained held at attention, but leaves began to spin in the generated wind.

"As you travel, you shall fear no storm to pass. The thunder is your ally, the lightning your friend. They shall lend you their grace, their power."

Her second set of wings began to beat as well, snapping back while the first was forward, and forward whilst the first was back. The spinning leaves began to spin around her tighter, much in the way the dust of the White Buffalo had condensed and expanded at once.

"Your rest shall come easy, and never fail to find you when you need it. The souls of your kin in passing shall be guided gently onward, and know no pain."

The great crane lifted her feet from the ground to tuck them against herself, pulling herself and her tornado of leaves further into the sky. Her fan-like tail spread out beneath her, the light of the setting sun easily reflected in the shimmering colors of her plumage.

"Wherever you travel, know you will have the Four Winds at your backs. I shall dull the teeth of Winter for you, that you might come to see the Spring. Farewell, and never forget the Song of the Wind."

The spiraling wind erupted in all directions. The three ponies shielded their eyes from the force that threatened to bowl them over. When it had calmed, they removed their hooves to see that Zephyr was gone, and the sky getting steadily darker. Nothing but a few fluttering, amber leaves remained.

Tornado Bolt coughed. "We...We should probably head back. It's getting dark."