//------------------------------// // Stirring the air // Story: Land of Friendship and Magic // by Archmage Ansrit //------------------------------// The day I first saw Typhon. It was another day as usual. I was visiting the various towns surrounding the capital, reassuring the populace, making sure that any straggling creatures were... dealt with. The individual pony is generally accepting and kind, but the herd as a whole... I think I remember a report of yours stating that 'the flower trio' kept causing wide-spread panic attacks if something so much as moves oddly. Now, if a single pony saw him, the response might not have been too negative, if at all - he wore clothing, he was aware and mindful of his surroundings, and so, it was evident that he was intelligent. The dust left in the wake of Discord had not yet settled, and given that not all of his 'entertainment' was dangerous or even undesirable, that there was a pony that could greet him with open arms was not entirely out of the question. Perhaps that was what happened with Wind Whistler? The first and... oh... He said that? You are right. That... that is going to have to wait until I can speak to him. An individual pony might receive him cordially, even now. A whole town's worth of ponies? Back then? It would be treated like the second coming of Discord. Wait, sorry, that was a poorly-chosen analogy. The tree did not make anywhere as much noise as the tornado that tore it from its place, and did not do any actual damage, yet the first response was to panic. I took to the skies, the guards following me, and that sole act brought forth cries of 'look, the princess' and 'we are safe!'. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link; a single pony can make the whole situation devolve quickly, and so it was up to Us to keep the order. Then, a second howl of wind got our attention, this time without a tree, but a small figure, the one being propelled through the air and leaving a trail of blue lines behind - albeit in a direction opposite to the town. It was not too far - I've always been a fast flier, as attested by me having performed the first Sonic Rainboom... Yes, Twilight, I am the source of the 'old mare's tale'... for some reason, saying it that way had never bothered me until now. I suddenly feel old. Others? Besides Dash? Well, I do not know how he did it, if it was genetic, or if his training gave such results, but Windstorm's ability with wind grew so great and his magic font became enormous in such a short time that he could - it has everything to do: The Sonic Rainboom is a Wind-shaping spell - one simple in paper, but much more difficult in execution; there are many pegasi I know that may break the sound barrier, but only by focusing all of your attention and energy in front of you as you accelerate without slowing down even one bit can the proper reactions of magic occur for the Rainboom. That, and many other small details that have to be just so, for the smallest mistake will throw it all off. If your acceleration stops (which is quite easy, as the magic in front of you acts like a cushion and additional resistance), the magic accumulated in front of you will push back with great force - yes, my dear Twilight, just like a trampoline. Oh? Through the window? Had she aimed, it was likely she would have missed. She wasn't hurt, I take it? Yes, ponies use magic by instinct, and pegasi use it to help mitigate crashes; that Rainbow Dash has enough magic in her to perform the Rainboom and not be tired at all means that she has so much magic to spare that her 'crash resistance' might be one of the best. Ability getting a workout- Twilight! Was that a joke? No, I completely agree; it was funny. Magic reacts to emotional states; it makes what you want to happen... happen. This does not have to be an entirely conscious decision, however, as many foals might tell you - I think that you said that Rarity's magic acted, upon her conscious wishes and the very nature of her soul, to help her find what she knew in her heart was missing from her designs. And then she got her cutie mark as a result. Something as simple as protection from harm? Fear of pain will make the energy spike alone a good cushion. Yes, mixing intent with shape produces the best results, which is why wind-shaping protection is better than an instinctual reaction; all that is left is turning the complex response into instinct through training to have the better defence. My, we have strayed from the topic! As I said, I could see a small figure wearing a black outfit with a tool belt around its waist, flying through the air. Well, I knew it was not intentional from the way he was flailing his arms and the slight spin of his body. I was about to reach with my magic to catch him and save him, but a blue... balloon, I could say, appeared below him, stopping him for a second before popping. Then, after two seconds of falling, another blue balloon appeared to stop him. Our group hovered for a moment as I scanned the area, but I could see nothing besides the obvious point of origin of our mystery tree. We followed his rate of Descend to land roughly at the same time. He with a rather lack of grace; he landed on his back, apparently because of exhaustion, if the way he panted was any indication. I could see him better now; his clothes were loose-fitting for ease of movement, his sleeves were short, but he wore black gauntlets that reached behind his elbows, and his footwear was flexible. I gestured with my wing to keep the guards at attention, but not aggressive. As I said, it was clear we were dealing with an intelligent being. "That was unpleasant." He said, groaning and making an effort to sit up. "Halt. Who are you and what are your intentions?" I said - normally, since that was neither a public appearance nor was I speaking to one of m-our subjects. I'm sorry, Luna, that was but a slip of the tongue... yes, habit, but I should still do better to avoid it. He looked at me, straight at my eyes. There was... a spark of something in his eyes, I could not recognize it then. His intellect? Playfulness? I don't know, but those are as good guesses as mine. "Um, you can call me Typhon, and my intention was most definitely not finding out that I can sneeze tornadoes." I was nonplussed. Not only he had just admitted to have uprooted a plant on accident - a sneeze of all things - but he was being rather casual with me. Sure, I could tell, in his face and his deliberately-measured movements, that he held great respect for me, but he wasn't speaking to a goddess or princess, merely somepony he held respect for. Well, speaking to a princess, back then, implicated many gestures, including annoyingly avoiding our faces. "Are you saying this was not intentional?" I gestured vaguely in the direction of town with a wing, not taking my eyes off of his. They were dark brown, smaller than a pony's, but still expressive. "Of course not!" He actually sounded offended, scowling at me. "I would never hurt a pony on purpose, princess; they would have to be... I don't know, a huge monster for me to even consider it." "You know of me." I stated, returning to my firm standing... and not moving much from there. "Of course. Princess Celestia of Equestria. I think you are really pretty, as is your sister." He said with a small bow. I... was momentarily caught off-balance by his comment. "And what are you, exactly? I have never seen anything like you before." Yes, Luna; I have not spoken like that in centuries, and I do not want to go back to that. As Dash would say, historical accuracy can snuff it; I was actually there, and it's not important anyways. "I'm a human; before you ask, no, I do not know if there are more in this world." He shrugged, leaving his arms at his side. I did not think it too strange. Discord could do weirder, like make foals out of things he found, giving them some strange powers depending on what he used besides pony hair. I think... what was the name of that mare? Topsy Turvy? Yes, her. She has no intention of releasing Discord; she finds 'normal' ponies interesting just the way they are. That was a common theme with them; the call of the herd, of harmony, was stronger than his desire for chaos. "Why is it that your sneezing could tear a tree from its place, or propel you through the air?" I asked, and he moved his fingers, as if trying to dig for the answer. "It's like this, princess; I very recently gained the power to control something I call The Breeze, or the protection of The Breeze, or the capacity to have it act through me... I cannot really explain it. I feel like I have been connected in a fundamental part to Wind itself, or something to that effect." Yes, Twilight. This Breeze, or Breath as he also calls it, is not simply magic, though it can be accessed through it. He once told us he has no magic of his own, mostly because his body rejects it. You catch on fast, my dear student; he can cast spells, yes, because he has found methods to channel the magic through means other than his body. His artifact seems powerful enough to act through it regardless, although I would treat all speculation with great care. It seems like he was close enough to Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever so as to expect the former to follow his advice. Something notoriously difficult to achieve. Twilight? Twilight... Oh dear. I'm going to continue my tale, if you don't mind. You can interrogate Typhon later; I am sure he wouldn't mind talking to you, perhaps over a spot of tea like we are doing. He did always say that he found ponies too cute to resist for long. He kept talking, even as I tried to ponder the implications of a creature with powers on the same category as a Primordial being. "I don't know how they work completely; I'm certainly not yet strong enough to do something like that. And I would love to stay and chat some more, but I have The Thing at The Place." And he swung his hand, kicking up large clouds of dust and dirt into the air. I tried to fan a wing to disperse it, but it was no more effective than swinging a board of the same size. We tried to fly up to see where he had gone, but we... we fell immediately and face-planted. Yes, Twilight, even me. Now, not only do I have much magic in my body, I am also highly in-tune with it; I could feel that the air simply refused to lift me, and the way I felt the currents move told me that I would not be flying after him even if magic were not necessary for pony flight. The Breeze protects him, even if he is not consciously directing it.