Bridging Ages, Bridging Worlds

by BlueDWarrior

CH 14: Boom Goes the Dynamite

=== BABW: A New (Old) Magic ===

=== Chapter 14: Boom Goes the Dynamite ===

=======* ACT I *====================================
[ January 5, ???(+1) – (Near) Ponyville, Equestria ]

It had been a week or so since the ten Ponies, one Princess, and one fledgling Dragon resumed their usual daily routine. In that interim, Golden Storm made was making such an effort to apologize to Red Blaze for his overzealous flirting with Rainbow Dash, it was starting to become annoying to everyone else involved. Well except for Luna, whose mind was occupied with more, global, issues.

"Conduits of Terra… I must congratulate you all on your progress in learning Equestrian Magic," Princess Luna began, her face all smiles (for the time being).

All four Conduits were thoroughly unnerved by the look on Luna’s face, as that look usually telegraphed an ulterior motive or action on her part.

"However, I do not believe you have begun to accomplish what I originally set out for you all to do while here…" Luna continued, her face becoming soft yet stern, akin to a mother trying to figure out a good explanation to give to a child who wasn’t quite grasping at a moral concept.

The Conduits just looked on with concern, not exactly sure how to feel as Luna paced in front of them, and the Bearers with Spike backed a few paces backward.

"Therefore, I think a brief… reminder is in order," Luna stated, sighing as she hated having to resort to direct psychological ‘manipulation’; yet, despite her reticence, her horn began to glow her trademark cobalt blue.

"Um… so… what would you ha--" Vague tried to say, rudely interrupted as he swiftly came under the influence of Luna’s mental projection. His eyes were nearly completely blank, only the outer rims glowing in the indigo-blue gradient of Luna's mane. Before any of the other three Conduits of Terra could think to protest, they all soon shared the exact same condition; Luna’s entire body now wrapped in a ‘warm’ cobalt blue glow, a sign of the sheer amount of focus and power she was using.

"Twilight, please tell me you aren't the only one sensing that incredible surge of mana." Rarity said, just as nervous as Vague was before he fell entirely silent.

"To be perfectly honest, I have entirely no clue what this is. I've never seen Princess Celestia do anything like this while I was around her," Twilight Sparkle replied, trying to race through her encyclopedic knowledge of Explicit Magic to find something, anything similar.

"If Ah can feel the flow of magic from ‘er, then whatever she is doin’ must really be major," Applejack said curtly, her usual steadfastness starting to fail at the sheer display of magical force and control being displayed by the Princess of the Night.

==-- ---- --==

Blue Vague was in the home of a Dome Citizen, although it was nowhere near as nice as he'd imagine it otherwise. The entire place was dark, and wrappers from various foodstuffs littered the floor.

And here I thought a home of this size in the Dome would be kept in better condition than this. I’ve been in homeless shelters with less trash on the floor… he silently commented to himself, as he walked through the halls.

When he got to the doorway of a lit room, he peered inside - spying a high-end terminal playing what looked like amateur video. As he entered the room, his ears picked up the sound of a male whimpering pitifully. Vague then decided that, since he was effectively a wandering ghost in this place, he might as well get a closer look, just so he could see who he was dealing with.

He saw a somewhat sickly looking man, probably in his early 20s. He was holding a chemical photograph of himself and a woman, all the while crying miserably to himself. Despite being little more than an apparition, Vague carefully snuck around the sobbing man to get a closer view of the terminal. What he saw was a fairly curt e-mail.

“Dear Randall. It’s over.

-Sincerely, Christina”

This is… this is just awful… I… even though I don't know this guy… even though he is a Domer… I can't help but feel his absolute despair…

"Christina… how could you leave me for him? I had just as much money as he did, isn't that what you wanted? I gave you everything you asked for… why did you leave me? I did everything you asked, everything you wanted, but you still left me. Why? Why?" the man continued to ask himself; mind searching for some kind of answer to why his apparent girlfriend just up and ended their relationship with no prior warning.

Vague was shaking, body overcome by the distinct feeling of drowning. In this case though, it was less he was experiencing drowning for himself, but more watching someone else drown.

I… I want to help… but… how am I supposed to help someone like this… I know what he and his cohorts did to the world… but still… I… I don't know… I don't know, Celestia… I don't know, Luna… What am I supposed to do?

=---=

Golden Storm found himself on top of a high-rise public housing development. He looked around, surprised he couldn't directly sense the haze or anything else he should have, being so high up in the air.

Man, this is some kind of view… Beautiful and depressing at the same time…

As he walked around the roof-top, he saw someone else looking over the edge of the built up rooftop. It was a young lady who just stared out from the top of the sixty-story building. Golden Storm got a good look at her face, and it almost seemed blank; as if she was devoid of any real complex thought or emotion.

Ok, for someone as pretty as her, that look is just downright disturbing.

She stood up, her face betraying a small sense of quiet resolution. She propped herself up on the raised edge of the roof, wide enough to support all but the biggest of feet as she balanced herself there. It was as if she stood there, just waiting for something, anything to convince that what she was about to do wasn't the right, or even only decision she had.

No, no wait… UGH… what the… this… this oppressive depression. I… How… I don't even know this chick, but it's like I can feel everything she's going through in her head… Her mind is some kind of maelstrom, and it's ripping her apart…

"This is it I guess. No job, no boyfriend, no money, no nothing. So what's the point. If I disappeared, who'd grieve for me, not my dead parents, I know that much. All this stress… all this emptiness… I'd never have to feel it again…" the young lady mused aloud, as if she was trying to convince herself this irrevocable decision was the true way forward.

Ugh… please… don't… I know it's not good now… But this isn't the answer… But I don't know what is… Please, anyone, help me… I can't watch her do this, I need help…

=---=

Red Blaze appeared in a back alley. She walked around for a while, quickly figuring out that she was little more than a phantom in her current state; though her internal reverie was rudely interrupted by the sound of crashing garbage cans and very angry shouting.

Wow, what's his problem… I don't know of too many things that could have someone that pissed off, quite frankly…

Blaze trotted along in her phantasmal form, finally finding the young man she heard screaming and cursing a storm. He looked like someone going into a full blown blind rage, throwing around trash cans and anything else light enough for him to pick up and toss around.

"How could he fucking do that do me? We were supposed to be boys, we were supposed to be tight. Then he just ditches me like that, fuck that! FUCK HIM! I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT HIM OR ANYONE ELSE!" the young man shouted, still tossing trash can and overturning anything his 5'10" and 160 lb. frame would let him.

That blind anger; that rage… it's… Ugh, it's like a fire burning out of control… I'm getting pissed just thinking about it…

One of the supposed friends in question finally caught up to the young man.

"Hey Adam man, come on, you know how things are… we can still work things out though…" the second man said to the first, trying to get him to calm down in any way and see reason.

"NO, FUCK YOU! You stupid motherfucker! Do you know how long we've been tight, and then you just go and ditch me like that, I don't want to fucking hear anything from you right now!" Adam shouted back, growing closer to that blind rage.

I wish I could figure out just what the hell has him so hot, before I get angry myself… Blaze thought to herself as she watched this scene.

"Look man. He said that he had 2 slots open, but I needed to go with him right then and there. We both know how hard it is to get work outside of the military. You gotta believe me…", the young man told Adam, still trying to work him back down to some mental level resembling rational.

"I don't fucking care, you ditched me! We've been looking for this damn guy for two days trying to confirm our spots, and you just fucking left me! You probably just wanted that spot for yourself. No, no I got it… you were trying to find someone else besides me to be your partner. So who is it, Steven? Maybe it was Rakeem, or Juan, or even Anthony?" Adam shouted at Steven, approaching with a heart red hot and a mind completely irrational. He was quickly in Steven's face and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, almost knocking Steven's portable computer off his arm.

"Dude, seriously, I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I just tried to go find the guy so I could bring him back. If I knew you were gonna get this pissed, I wouldn't have gone anywhere. Come on, seriously," Steven said back to Adam, trying not to shout and escalate things even further than they were already.

"No, you're fuckin' lying to me!!" Adam said as he threw Steven to the ground and kicked him once. Steven was doubled over in pain, and in no position to defend himself.

Adam went over and grabbed a trash can lid, with obvious ill intentions. "I'll show you motherfucker! I'll show you what happens when someone double-crosses me like this…"

This anger… this rage… please… Someone help me… I wanna make him stop, but I don't know how to do it… he's about to destroy a relationship, and possibly another human being…

=---=

Midori Hana stared at the rather surprising sight she found herself in front of - a genuine 'farm'-house outside of the Domes. She walked around the grounds for awhile, but what she found didn't surprise her in the least: row after row of plants, all sick or dead, most likely from the horrible soil conditions.

Trying to grow anything in these conditions is like trying to push a round boulder up a steep hill… she thought to herself, while she trotted back through the walls of the house, taking advantage of her phantasmal state.

Midori found the owner of the home lying in a bed. While he didn't appear sick of the body, she could tell he was plagued. After a few minutes of quiet observation, the man in question, unbeknownst to him, began to tell the green Earth Pony just why he appeared so sick.

"Two hundred years. My family has farmed in one way or another for two-hundred years. Survived droughts, survived the corporate mergers, survived everything. But now… all that's left my family's legacy is an heirless, unemployed fake farmer. Nothing is going to grow in this soil. I can't afford the nanomachines to fix the soil; and even if I could, more pollution would just leech into it."

This is awful, just awful… he has so much pride, I can feel it… but I can also feel it ebbing away… like this situation is stealing his will to live…

He rose out of the bed for a few moments to look out the window overlooking his planting rows. He prayed every night for some kind of miracle, some kind of insight, some kind of anything that'd help him. But nothing ever came. All that he saw were the few plants he could find seeds for slowly dying before they could produce anything.

"That's all anything can do out here, die. Feels like some kind of greater metaphor, I guess. It's just hard to care anymore," he said out loud, not caring if anything heard him or not. He crawled back in his bed, honestly just wishing he was some kind of animal that could sleep 23 hours a day, anything to take him away from this crippling depression and lethargy.

He's just like those plants out there… He was planted in terrible soil, and how he's dying… It's like his heart is withering… and I can feel it too… It's too sad… I want to do something, but… what can I do like this… he can't even hear me talk in this form…

==---==

Pinkie Pie began quaking violently, her Pinkie Sense going off like a warning klaxon. "Whatever is going on definitely counts a doozy."

Soon after, all four of the Conduits of Terra began to glow in their respective colors, and all seven of the onlookers felt a mana surging that absolutely none of them recognized to that point.

"Ok, now if I can feel that coming, that definitely has to be something huge," Spike said, clawed hand on the ground, feeling the false ground under them quaking and the air around them starting to rush away from where the Princess and the Conduits were.

==---==

"W…why are you showing us this…" Blue Vague and the other Conduits said in unison, struggling to maintain some sense of self while being bombarded with emotions from the persons they were watching.

"I'm sorry Conduits of Terra, but the situation on the ground on Earth is in serious danger of deteriorating. We have to have you all ready to begin unsealing Terran Mana as soon as possible, before it becomes impossible for us to operate in that world," Princess Luna responded, maintaining her sense of calm, if for no other reason than to help the other four do the same.

The four then asked again in unison, "But why… why does… does it hurt so much?"

Luna quickly responded, hoping to inspire some insight into their burgeoning natures. "That is not my magic nor that Power's doing. That is your Empathy. After you all were converted, you all began to develop extremely strong senses of empathy, even if you did not realize it at the time. I have to remind you all just what you all left behind, and what you have to return to. This is something we all have to try and fix to the best of our ability, but you must understand the gravity of the situation."

The four stood silent for a few moments, still collecting their thoughts as they watched the images projected from the Earth. "Please, please, help us… help us help them…"

"We will, Conduits of Terra. We will not abandon you or the Earth in your time of peril," Luna replied, starting to feel that otherworldly power well up in them.

That's it Conduits… I can feel it now too… You all are so close to the breakthrough… Keep going, you have to grasp that Power… and you have to keep that will to help your home world… Luna thought to herself as well.

=---=

Blue Vague then walked closer to the man, his phantasmal body turning into blue outline of himself, visible only to the man he was observing. Said man saw this, and jerked back in surprise. Blue Vague stopped, noting his apprehension.

"Who… who are you. You look like one of those Ponies I see on the holo-vision, but you're not really here," the man said, more curious now than shocked.

"You're right. I'm merely a shadow, if you will, of one of them. I was sent here simply to observe, but I felt… I needed to say something before I return. I don't want you to give up on love. Even if that lady left you, I cannot believe she would have left you so abruptly if she was serious. Please, don't let yourself drown in self-pity because of the selfishness of another," Blue Vague said, hoping he could get through to him without much struggle.

The man sat there and thought for a while, watching the blue outline of a Pony looking him right in the eye. Although he wanted to deny things, his heart knew better. "I… I… You're right… I've been crying for 3 weeks now. I've barely been able to work. But, but I can't stay like this. I got to move on; I got to go on to bigger things. Thank you, um, Pony shadow I guess…"

"Don't mention it… by the way, if you've been crying for three weeks straight, you might need this…"
Vague's light-shadow took one of the nearby cups and filled it with the most pure water imaginable. As Vague's light-shadow dissipated, the man took a drink from the cup.

"Oh my God… this has to be the best water I've ever drunk. It's… it's completely clean; can't taste any of the normal chemicals use to clean the water or anything. I guess those Ponies can do more than I thought…"

The man picked himself up off the floor, and walked over to the terminal.

"Fine… if she wants to go run off with some other guy, I'm not going to sit here and beat myself up over it anymore. Who knows what I lost with these 3 weeks I've spent doing that already…" he told himself as he began deleting the movies of him and his now ex-girlfriend.

=---=

Before the girl could take the final dive off the top of the roof, she felt a sudden gust of wind blow her backward onto the roof. She stumbled back onto the slightly slanted room, eventually landing on her rear. Her butt was sore, but at least she wasn't a smear on the sidewalk sixty stories below.

"Ok, where the hell did that come from?" she said, rubbing her backside from the sudden fall.

It wasn't too long until she focused ahead of her, and managed to see the golden-yellow outline of a Pegasus, like one of the ones she had been seeing around the outskirts of the city. He perched up on the raised edge of the roof, where she was standing a few moments before.

"Yeah, that was me. Let's just say that watching a pretty girl throw herself off a tall building isn't my idea of how to spend a day," the outline of Golden Storm said in his usual semi-snide tone.

"But, you must have heard me. I don't have anything here, I'm just taking up space. Then it again sometimes I think we're all taking up space," she said, knees drawn into her chest as she sat there, hardly moving since her little spill.

"Not that I'm here to convince anyone, but there is another option if you truly feel there is nothing for you here. But you have to be alive to take that option. We can't exactly convert the dead, you know?"

"What you would you do with someone like me. I hardly went to school before most of them shuttered. About the only good I can do is surf the 'Net to waste my time."

"Well, part of our thing is finding what your talent or skill is. So even if you don't know now, you can still at least try to find something. Even if you don't want hooves and a fur coat, you can still volunteer, maybe help someone else on their way?" Golden Storm said, hoping that those words would at least get her to reconsider.

The young woman stood up, and walked over to the edge, and looked down. She could still see the faint smears of red on the pavement. Apparently others had the same thoughts, and now they truly couldn't take back their decisions. "Well even if I don't want to be a Pony like you all… I guess I could at least see what the whole fuss is about."

"Hey, sometimes you just need another person to talk to for a while," Golden Storm said as his phantasmal outline disintegrated.

It's kinda funny. I wasn't just 'saved' by a Pony, but by the outline of a Pony. I guess someone was looking out for me at least… the young lady thought, as she walked back to the elevator.

=---=

Adam raised the trash can lid up in order to slam on the doubled over Steven. But not before he heard a bang and saw a red flash of flame whizz past his line of sight. The sheer shock made him drop the lid behind him, away from hitting anyone.

"What… what the fucking hell was that?!" Adam said, now more shocked and surprised than furious.

The red outline of Red Blaze strolled up to Adam, now having backed up a good 15 feet. "You know if you want to see mad, I can really show you 'mad' right now…"

"What the hell, since when did the Ponies shoot fire, I never saw 'em do that!!" Adam shouted, now on the defensive against the ghost-like outline of Blaze.

Blaze buzzed Adam's head with another ethereal fireball. "Well it looks like you don't know as much as you think you did. Now, you mind calming yourself down so we can work out what is going on between you and this, Steven person?"

At a loss for anything else to do, Adam indeed backed down, and sat on the ground, away from the area where he had strewn refuse all over the ground. Eventually Steven got up and walked over, less angry at Adam and more just emotionally hurt.

Adam and Steven recounted the events that led up to the previous confrontation, all the while Adam legitimately calming down once Steven was allowed to fully explain his actions.

"I… I'm sorry Steven. It's just so hard man, I… I just want to help my family. Nobody has anything these days, except what little scraps we can get from the Domes. When I heard you went to go talk to that guy in private, I… I just stopped thinking," Adam said, voice beginning to quiver with remorse now.

Steven put a hand on Adam’s shoulder, in order to continue to calm him down. "It's alright man. Anyway, I did track him down; apparently the work is legit, and we can start as soon as we go and fill out the paperwork. It might not be much pay, but anything is better than nothing these days."

Blaze noticed her outline starting to fade entirely, signaling whatever she needed to do on Earth was done with. Before she left, she gave one last admonition, "Please, Adam, you have an amazing passion for life and a drive to succeed. But you need to temper that; otherwise it's going to flare up again, like it almost did just now."

With that Blaze completely faded into the ether. Adam and Steven began to leave the alley for the main street, hoping no beat cop found them to question why the back alley was strewn with trash.

=---=

The man in the 'farm'house was awakened by the sound of a female humming. When he went to the window, he saw a pair of things that surprised him a great deal: one, what looked like a light-scribed outline of a green Earth Pony; two, a few of his plants actually growing like normal plants should grow.

"Alright, did I fall asleep and start dreaming or something?" the would-be farmer said, head poked out the window.

Midori Hana turned around and smiled that wide grin that Equestrians had. "Nope, just doing a bit of a favor for you."

"Well I appreciate the sentiment, but it doesn't seem like you can work your magic over the whole field."

"Yeah, this form I'm really limited. But, at least I was able to fix a few of your plants."

The would-be farmer just chuckled out loud. He looked at the contrast between how dead everything looked around the few bright green plants the green outline-Pony managed to fix for him. Then he began musing aloud. "You know, sometimes I wonder if I just wasn't cut out for this world. But I'm a stubborn man. You might have heard already, but I come from a long line of farm folk."

Midori Hana didn't know how to say what she was about to say, but felt she should just say it, and if he rejected it, then just leave it at that. "Well, you know, if you are willing to take the plunge, you'll probably be able to do some real farming, I guess, over in Equestria. At the very least you could help with others as they run their farms."

"Haha, yeah, you're probably right. I guess I just wanted to prove to myself whether I could or couldn't do it here; at least that’s what I told myself after you all started showing up almost a year ago. Then again, looking at things around here, it's probably that or just sit around here until the Reaper calls my number."

Midori Hana noticed her outline beginning to fade, which marked the end of this experiment. "Well I guess it's time for me to leave. But promise me that you'll think about it. I don't think anyone should have to stick around a place where they aren't going anywhere."

"Yeah, yeah I'll think about it…" he said as Midori's outline form faded entirely.

Being stuck in a place where they aren't going anywhere… Oh well I guess if I do go there, I'd find something to do other than tend dead plants and lie in bed all day… the would-be farmer said to himself, looking at some of the remaining photos of his relatives and ancestors.

---

The Conduits eyes were still glowing, feeling an amazing power surging through them. But now, it was their own Power starting to manifest, their eyes changing from a blank white to their own Element's respective colors

"Yes… yes we understand now… This is our fate… our destiny… our new Chapter to begin…" the four Conduits of Terra said in unison, feeling the Power the Robed Figure spoke of so many times; the medallions around their four necks proof of that. Their minds, their bodies, their very souls were starting to understand the nature of their power, and their coming mission.

==-- ---- --==

The Elements of Harmony were now manifest on the 'person' of their respective Bearers, and Twilight was beginning to gain some mild understanding of what was going on. "Ladies and Dragon, what is about to happen will probably shock all of us. But I think we are about to get our first real taste of Terran Magic."

"What, what do you mean, is Princess Luna trying to force them to use Terran Magic or something?" Rainbow Dash asked worriedly.

"No, I can feel both anguish and resolve in the four of them. Whatever Luna is doing isn't forcing them to use that power. It's more like… she's reminding them of something very sad, but it's triggering… well, whatever it is we are seeing," Fluttershy said, a stern look on her face she usually reserved for misbehaving pets or patients.

Pinkie Pie was still quaking rather violently behind the other six onlookers. "W-w-w-whatever the d-d-d-doozy is, it still hasn't come yet. O-o-o-otherwise I s-s-still wouldn't be s-s-s-shaking."

Pinkie Pie would be validated in her assessment, when they heard a deafening explosion from where Luna and the four Conduits of Terra were standing.

"Sweet Mother of Celestia, what was that?!" Rarity shouted, completely shocked by the thunderous noise, ducking to the ground and covering her ears with her forelegs.

"Well, whatever it was, wasn't lethal… but… just… wow… you have to see this…" Applejack said, completely in awe at what she and now everyone else saw.

They all saw four columns of light stretching into the infinitely high, but false sky of the Training Field. Near the base of the four columns, they could clearly see the four Conduits of Terra, with Luna standing proudly in the center of them.

-----

"The power of these blue waves…"

"The power of these red flames…"

"The power of these golden winds…"

"The power of this green earth…"

"These are our powers to wield… at the same time, these are not our alone to control…" The four Conduits of Terra all said, beginning to truly live up to their namesake.

Luna looked on at her four of her students, like a proud teacher watching someone march across the stage during graduation. "Those statements are all true Conduits of Terra. We all must learn together -- just what is this Power you all have been granted access to?"

Blue Vague eyes returned to normal first, hearing Luna's statement bringing him back to 'reality' as the light pillars dissipated. "What do you mean Princess?"

Soon the other three Conduits began to return to 'normal', all the while the six Bearers of Harmony returned to their general vicinity, alone with Spike.

"Woah, you guys, whatever Power you have, it felt insane," Spike said, whole body quaking as if he had Pinkie's Pinkie-Sense.

Why is that, Power or whatever they call it, making me shake like this. I don't get it, I really don't. But something is making me want it, and bad… Spike thought to himself immediately afterward, eyes momentarily flashing even more reptilian features before returning to normal. He could tell his body wanted something that it knew it couldn't have, at least not yet.

"Yeah, Luna was showing us some stuff, and then suddenly, everything just kinda… clicked, I guess. It's hard for us to explain really," Red Blaze said, looking at the now brightly colored Element of Fire around her neck.

"Well I guess it says we are enough Pony to channel the Terran magic now, not entirely sure myself," Golden Storm thought out loud.

Midori Hana was already contemplating other things. "Either way, at least these things are active now, so I guess we just have to figure out what we can do with them."

Indeed, Conduit of Earth, that is task set before you… began a voice familiar to all but Spike. The Robed Figure appeared at about ground level, even with everyone's natural line of sight. She then continued. To be perfectly honest, there is no way I can direct you in how to use The Power of Terran Magic, in terms of specific spells or techniques to use. The best advice I have for you all is this - Will must control Power. You have to develop an idea for how to use that Power, and then have the Will to execute that idea. Otherwise, the Power will not do what you intend for it to do…

The Robed Figure then disappeared as soon as she appeared.

"Ok, so who was that. The Voice or whatever that's been giving you those cryptic messages?" Spike asked, not thinking to ask the figure himself while she was there.

Twilight Sparkle was already started to contemplate the meaning of the Figure's words when she answered Spike. "Yeah, she showed up to us like that a couple of months ago before we came back to Equestria. I guess the fact she decided to appear means our four Earth friends have indeed made some breakthrough in using Terran Magic."

"Well I guess figuring out how to access it counts as a breakthrough. I mean before we felt bits and pieces of it; well, aside from those incidents with me and Storm," Blue Vague reasoned, all the while thinking of how he could use his Water Magic.

Princess Luna was still contemplating everything, and eventually came to a course of action for the near term. "In lieu of these events, I feel that we all need some time to go over things. So we will have a standard training session, though two hours instead of the usual three. After that, we should all take some time to think about how to proceed starting tomorrow. I'm sure the Conduits would agree -- merely unlocking access to their new Power is not enough to execute the unsealing properly."

The Conduits and then everyone nodded in agreement, and the training sessions resumed as normal, but now with the air of the mostly unknown power residing in the four Conduits hanging over everyone's heads.

=======* ACT II *===================================
[ January 6, ???(+1) – (Near) Ponyville, Equestria ]

The next day in the Training Field began as usual, except there weren't any pre-defined exercises or areas set up. Instead, in the center of the field was a spot for ten Ponies, one Princess, and a fledgling Dragon to all sit comfortably.

Luna began to speak. "Good morning my little Ponies. Due to the events of yesterday, the training schedule from this point forward will be less, how can I say, regimented. Since Terran Magic is heretofore unknown to anyone here, sadly including myself, I feel the best way we can proceed is to just completely 'wing it', as it saying goes."

At least… I didn’t know what the exact nature of the magical force we had used in those days long ago was. So forgive me for being selfish, Conduits… Luna added silently.

Everyone else looked at each other with varying degrees of confusion.

"To attempt to clarify, what I am saying is that we will have to develop our practice methods as we go. But I believe that I have a good idea for how to start things. Conduits of Terra, I want you all to think of what would be the best way to demonstrate what you believe your Magic should be able to do, and we will see if you can actually do that," Luna said, stroking her chin some. She figured that would be the best way to proceed in this blind-leading-the-blind situation.

“Well the whole deal is ‘power being controlled by a will’, so I guess that makes sense,” Vague replied, as his fellow Conduits began thinking on what exactly they could do as a demonstration or practice.

---

Red Blaze was the first to come up with an idea. "Say Princess Luna, I have an idea. Could you make this for me?"

She then trotted up to Luna and whispered into her ear the idea. Luna agreed and announced her intentions to the rest of the group.

" everyone, Red Blaze has come up with an idea for her demonstration…" Luna began to announce, before transforming the Training Field. A somewhat shallow but fairly wide pit, three lengths deep but twenty lengths wide appeared in front of the area where everyone was sitting, which Red Blaze went to stand in the center of. Luna gave her a pair of safety goggles, which she then put on, and many machines appeared at various points going out into the field.

Luna then completed her announcement. "The demonstration Red Blaze planned is for her to shoot down clay ‘pigeons’ using her Fire Magic, developing the idea from human firearms practice. So, whenever you are ready, dear."

Red Blaze took a deep breath and began to concentrate. Everyone there, including Luna to a small extent, were surprised by the sudden appearance of sharp-looking archaic characters along her face and back.

Alright Blaze, like the Figure said, just concentrate on making something…

Then six fireballs appeared, floating over her back in a ring. They stood still, burning from the mana being fed instead of some physical fuel.

"Woah, that was… weird. I just thought for them to appear and poof, there they are…" Red Blaze turned around to say, fireballs remaining still in the air.

Everyone else applauded, impressed by the display.

Blaze took another heavy breath, attempting to steady her nerves and her mana channeling. "Alright Princess, I guess I'm ready as I'm gonna be. So whenever you’re ready!"

Everyone drew quiet, as they heard a buzzer go off and a clay disc launched into the air from one of the nearby machines. Red Blaze took a brief moment to judge the trajectory, and when she felt the time was right, launched a fireball to meet it. It was a direct hit, the clay disc exploding on impact into a fine cloud of pale gray dust.

"Hey, this is a great idea: target shooting with fireballs!" Storm shouted to Blaze, unsure if she could hear him.

After shooting down a couple more discs and replenishing her fireballs, Blaze responded. "Yeah, I thought of it last night. I figured that this would be something simple, yet effective."

The demonstration went on, Blaze shooting down the clay pigeons with frightening accuracy. After fifty were launched, Luna decided that would be enough for the time being. "That was a very impressive display of marksmanship. You ended up downing 42 of the 50 targets, while using 62 shots, if my counting was accurate, Conduit of Fire."

"Yeah, I don't want to go too far with this on the first day, I don't want to think fireball and end up with a flamethrower. That will have to be saved for another time when I'm more used to this Fire Magic," Blaze said with the utmost confidence, putting her safety goggles back on a table near Luna.

-==-

Golden Storm picked up the goggles next, and began his demonstration. "Alright, I got this idea thinking back to my Air Force days. When I first took flight, I kinda thought of myself like a living airplane. Now, let's see how I do as a living fighter jet." He zoomed up to a platform Luna created after she transformed the Training Field for his demonstration.

Alright, I guess this is time for me to show off… he thought to himself, as he began making the mana links along his body – the angular runes lining his back, sides and hooves, and some of his feathers turning a pale, almost electric yellow instead of their usual golden-yellow color.

He flared out his wings into a horizontally ‘flat’ and still position, gathered up all his speed and courage, and ran full-tilt over the edge of the platform.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash, how can he fly like that? I don't feel any trace of Weather Magic coming off him," Fluttershy said, face full of concern at this crazed stunt of his.

Fluttershy’s, and anyone else's, concern were quickly alleviated when they felt the impulse of Terran magic, and Golden Storm zoomed off like a jet kicking in its afterburners. To those that could perceive it beyond how fast he was going, his face was full of childlike mirth as he zoomed in the false sky, using no magic beyond his Wind Magic he had been granted as its Conduit.

"Judging by that yellow contrail behind him, I see why Fluttershy or me couldn't feel any Weather Magic off him when he took off. He looks like one of the human airplanes flying like that, hardly having to move his wings at all," Rainbow Dash said, smirking all the while. Rarity couldn't tell if she was mad, jealous, or just amused by the human-turned-Pony's display.

Golden Storm sped along, the long yellow trail of Terran Wind Magic showing his path. He then saw the targets Luna devised for him, jet fighter-shaped clouds.

Alright, let's see if I can make two things work at once…

His fore-hooves began to take on the same bleached yellow color as some of the feathers in his wings, as he stretched his forelegs out in front of him.

"Here we go!" he shouted as pulses of slightly yellow colored air shot from the edges of his hooves. The impact against the cloud-planes causing them to immediately 'explode' into puffs of water vapor.

"That's impressive… although I think he's just using the Wind Magic to fly in order to prove a point," Rainbow Dash said, somewhat bemused by Storm’s fighter jet mimicry.

"Well it ain't like you wouldn’t the same thing R.D. Maybe ask him how he flies like that, whenever they unseal their Magic for everyone," Applejack replied, nonplussed at Dash's apparent attitude.

Rainbow Dashed sighed as she watched the golden-yellow Pegasus doing barrel rolls in the air, while popping the balloon-like cloud-planes with his air-bullets. "Yeah, to be honest I am a bit jealous. I guess because he's taking to the air in a way that I can't, at least not yet anyway."

She made a resolution then to learn that technique of flying as soon as she possibly could.

Golden Storm began to descend to the ground after the display, not wanting to exhaust his Terran mana supply in case Luna wanted him to pull some more tricks later. He finally un-stiffened his wings as he cancelled the spells, returning his whole body back to its natural golden-yellow color.

"Oh man, I'm gonna have to work on that. Holding my wings stiff like that actually hurts, like a lot…" Storm moaned, as he was trying his best to get his wings to relax in a natural position after being held almost completely still for such a long flight.

"I was wondering why exactly you were trying to fly like that. But you did it, and now you made me want to do it too," Rainbow Dash said, getting over the pangs of reasonably quickly.

Golden Storm laughed for a little bit at the sentiment. "Hah, well I dunno. Like I said, trying hold the wings stiff like that’s painful. Still, I or someone else will find a use for it eventually…"

---

After cleaning up the area for leftover cloud-stuff, a ring about 40 lengths wide and 10 lengths deep was carved out of the grounds some distance from the spot where everyone was sitting. Midori Hana donned the safety glasses, as well as a vest and boots for this demonstration. "Alright, well I hope this goes as well as Luna and I planned it. See you all in a bit." She cheerily walked away, and down some temporary stairs into the pit.

Blue Vague watched with intent as the stairs rose out of the pit and sat to the side. After such, a rather large stone block appeared on the side of the ring opposite of Hana.

"Are you ready to proceed? Remember, if at any point you want the demonstration to stop, just say so," Luna asked, horn glowing ready to activate whatever said block was.

"I'm ready, and don't worry. If it's too much I'll back out," she turned around and replied. She still sounded full of cheer, but now it was tempered with anticipation.

With a quick flash of Luna's horn, the stone device rumbled to life. It quickly morphed into a golem, about 4 lengths tall, the size of a rather tall and stocky human male.

"Ok so she's gonna fight that thing?" Applejack wondered out loud.

"That sounds about right, but I wonder how she's gonna fight it. If this is her Earth Magic demo, then I guess there is a condition or something," Pinkie Pie figured.

I just hope she doesn't get overzealous and get herself hurt or anything… Blue Vague just wondered to himself.

The golem jammed its hand into the ground, and threw a fair sized boulder at Midori, which she easily dodged. Midori, wanting to demonstrate her new power, instead of bucking the golem to pieces, began to channel her Earth magic. While her face showed a few bleached green runes, but most were around her hooves. She used that force to help her pick up one of the shattered pieces of boulder in a manner that no Pony should have been able to without magical assistance, and slung it back at the golem in much the manner the golem slung the first.

Alright Luna, don't go too hard on me now with this… Hana thought to herself, the cheer turning into determination.

The battle went on for a couple of minutes, both having scored shots on each other, but the Golem clearly worse for wear, missing a good chunk of its torso. Hana, protected by the safety gear, only had a few scuff marks on the hoof-boots and vest to show for the golem's hits.

"At first, I was wondering how this was going to work. But I think I see what is going on," Blue Vague said while watching his girlfriend battle the training golem.

"So how is this workin' Vague?" Applejack asked, interested in this very unsubtle display of magic by an Earth Pony.

Blue Vague closed his eyes to read the mana patterns to make sure his assumptions were right. "Well, I guess the best term for it is tactile telekinesis. Hana appears to be able to handle the small rocks just by touching them with a hoof, at least as long as her Earth Magic is strong enough."

"Hey, I guess that's how we hold some things with our hooves as well, although I don't think we can manage anything that heavy," Pinkie Pie quipped up, recognizing the term somehow.

The battle raged on for a few minutes more; Hana intermittently screaming, as best everyone else could figure, some kind of war-cry or other. While Hana was a lot more scuffed up now, including a few nicks along the uncovered parts of herself, the golem was heavily damaged, hardly able to hold itself together.

Alright Golem, time to finish this thing off… Hana thought to herself, ready for the coup-de-grace.

She circled around the golem at a quick pace, who was still trying to throw its boulders or its arms at her to stop her, but to no avail. She then took a big leap into the air, getting a good six lengths into the air, before crashing and striking the ground with a green glow. After a brief pause, they saw the golem utterly wrecked by an explosion of granite spikes. What was left of the golem lay 'life'less, either near the base of the formation or impaled on the spikes.

"Wow, that was an impressive ending flourish," Rarity said, marveling at the quality of the gray granite, streaked with Midori's green Earth Magic.

"Definitely something Ah want to avoid gettin' hit by," Applejack added, surprised by Midori's combat instincts.

A short while later, after taking off the safety equipment and having her nicks attended to, Hana talked a bit with Applejack about her performance. "So what did you think out there AJ?"

"I think you have a good handle on what you want to do with your Earth Magic. You also have pretty good combat instincts," Applejack said, noting how she seemed to flow with the golem's attacks.

Hana quickly dispelled any notion that she had some special fighting insight. "Oh no, that was just me playing it like a video game. I couldn’t tell you what I would have done if it was a real fight."

-==-

Blue Vague took a few more moments to think about his demonstration, and finally settled on an idea. A short while later, he appeared in a shallower, blue tile lined version of the pit, the same size across, but only 2 lengths deep. Luna sat in a raised seat overlooking the round pool. Vague sat in the center of the pool; filling the pool with enough water to hinder his movement, yet not cause him to start floating. He then lined his body with runes similar to two before him, bleached blue against his already blue coat and hooves. He walked through the water as if it weren't there, and took his position sitting in front of a floating green-painted goal, which was moored by Luna's magic to the pool floor. Across from him sat a red-painted goal, unguarded by anyone, and moored to not move by the same magic. Luna then threw a turquoise crystal into the pool, which then quickly formed a svelte looking humanoid figure made from Vague's water; but with its own, admittedly limited, intelligence.

Blue Vague then turned around to address the onlookers. "This demonstration is a simple concept. This won't be direct combat against the Water Golem you see before you, but more of a game. The object is to be the first to score eleven goals. The rules are that each side has 20 seconds to try and put the ball in the opponent's goal. The participants can use any means they can manage to put the ball in the goal, but they cannot cross the floating barrier halving the pool."

The water-golem made a thumbs-up gesture, agreeing to the terms of the game.

With that, Luna conjured up a pair of scoreboards, one for the participants, and another, larger one for the onlookers about 20 lengths away. Then she threw a ball into the pool, and blew a horn to start the match.

"So how is Vague supposed to play this game? I can see he can move in that water well enough, but I doubt he could throw a ball hard enough to get in past that water-golem," Twilight thought out loud, as she looked at the projected images above the scoreboard for them all.

"Well, I guess that has something to do with his Water Magic. I'm guessing him and that golem are coming up with some tricks using the water in that pool," Hana responded, drinking some water out of a glass, recovering from her exertion against the stone golem.

The green Earth Pony’s prediction bore out, as both Vague and the golem used the water in the pool to move the ball while keeping themselves somewhere near the goal. Vague started by throwing the ball off to the side, and using a burst of water the throw the ball across the line of sight of the golem. When he finally made his attempt on the goal, it was blocked by the golem, but barely. The golem quickly returned fire, but a quick wall of water on Vague's part resulted in a wasted possession for the golem.

"Yeah we better settle in, this might be awhile…" Golden Storm remarked, figuring that match could drag on for a while.

Ten minutes had passed, and the game was tied at 5-5. Vague had scored most of his goals on rebounds, while the golem got a pair on a couple of shots that Vague took a bad angle on blocking.

Hrm, Luna made this thing pretty smart, it's giving me a good match and seems to be trying to pick up on my tricks… Vague thought to himself, feeling the groove of the match.

"You know this is pretty fun to watch. Might be a fun game to play if we all had the same Water abilities, too…" Golden Storm said while munching on a celery stalk.

Pinkie Pie was impressed with Vague's creativity in this regard. "This is a perfect game for a pool party, although we'd need a pretty big pool if we wanted to play this with teams."

A few minutes later, the scoring at picked up, with both participants using a lot of tricks and twists to score the ball. The game was now at 9-8 in favor of the golem.

Oh so it's going to be like that isn't it… Vague thought to himself, hoping he could pull off the coming trick.

He floated some water up in the air, floating it around in front of the goal while using fountains to keep the golem's attention occupied. When he finally drew the golem out from the goal, he tossed the ball at the floating 'puddle' of water, which acted as a pinball bumper, shooting the ball into the goal from behind [9-9 tie]. The match continued, with both sides getting in another goal [10-10 tie], and setting up a sudden death scenario.

"So who do you think has the advantage here?" Rainbow Dash asked, definitely into the game.

"Well, Ah'd guess the golem, since you really can't read it's expression; heck I don't think it can even make one," Applejack responded.

The golem held the ball for a long time during its possession, trying to psyche out Vague. It worked, as the ball went in past him before he could generate a fountain. However, Luna, acting as referee, disallowed the goal, stating the golem's shot clock expired before the ball was in the air. The golem protested as much as a mute, expressionless golem could, but the replay proved Luna right. Vague just sighed in relief that he didn't lose to an artificial intelligence, at least not on that exchange.

Alright, it's time to end this… I hope I can pull enough mana to do this right, I only got one shot to surprise it… Vague thought to himself; knowing if this drug on any further, he'd be too exhausted to properly defend.

Blue Vague's runes began to glow, as he floated three different blobs of water up in the air, each at a different level. He passed the ball along a few burst at pool level at first, the golem trying to retreat back to its, goal to cut off any angle

Fifteen seconds left…

He then bounced the ball up in the air, just out of the reach of the golem for a few seconds more.

Ten seconds left…

He then used the last blob to whip the ball around to build up speed for a few more seconds.

Five seconds left, here goes nothing…

Vague then launched the ball down at the goal, but not directly across the plane. The golem, thinking Vague had made an error in calculation, lunged at the ball to smother it and run out the rest of his clock. To it and everyone else's surprise, the ball, instead of landing, skipped off the face of a nearly solid patch of water and back into the goal, winning Blue Vague the match [11-10 BV]. The golem looked as dejected as an expression-less golem could, before it dissolved back into the control core, which Luna retrieved and put away.

Vague shook the water out of his fur as he climbed out of the pool, definitely appreciating the opportunity to show off, and get some exercise in a clean pool, which he hadn't been able to do since he was a kid.

He and Luna trotted back to the common area, where everyone thanked him for the entertaining exhibition.

"So where did you get the idea for that game? It looked familiar," Golden Storm asked, now drinking some tangerine juice.

Blue Vague put the safety goggles on the table as he answered the question. "Well, I got the idea when I was thinking of different pool events at the Olympic Games. Finally, my mind came across 'water polo' and I thought 'Well, worth a shot."

"You're definitely gonna have to teach me how to play when get some more time off…" Applejack said; loving the idea of another sport she could participate in.

Princess Luna called everyone to attention. "My little Ponies, those were wonderful displays of ingenuity, as well as a fairly robust demonstration of your powers. I feel confident that we will all be able to figure Terran Magic out, if we can continue on in the manner that we have. Conduits of Terra, do not lose that creative spark, but do not let your minds wander too far either. Bearers of Harmony, pay close attention to the creativity they all show, because we will all have to show that mental flexibility before long."

The rest of the day continued on, each practice group coming up with different ideas for the Conduits, and the conduits executing those ideas to varying levels of success or failure.

Princess Luna watched each group trying out different ideas as the Training Field session wore on, contemplating how adaptable Terran Magic appeared to be, just like its originators.

Such an amazing and diverse power Terran Magic is. It appears to only be bound by the imagination and the will of its user, so much like Equestrian Magic. These two schools cannot be that different, so what happened to have that Robed Figure seal it away on Earth so long ago?

=======* ACT III *==================================

Over the last couple of weeks, the Conduits had been making fair progress as developing their own spells in their given element of Terran Magic. Between further assisting themselves in their daily lives and helping out the Bearers, there was no lack of opportunity available to experiment. The Bearers especially were intrigued at what exactly would happen after Terran Mana itself was unsealed for all magic-sensitive entities. Would they have to re-develop spells? Could they just copy their existing magical techniques for use with Terran Mana instead of the ‘Equestrian’ Mana they were used to? A myriad of questions tumbled through the collective minds of the Bearers and Spike; of course the great majority of them whirling through the brain of one Twilight Sparkle, who was content to observe and catalogue what the Conduits came up with… for now anyway.

The Conduits were concerned about the last couple of weeks for more personal reasons, however. Despite their abilities, they were still unable to properly earn their Cutie Marks. Even though their abilities were a school of magic that no one had seen for millennia, it was apparently not enough to qualify. Eventually, they all developed a theory on what the problem might be - they were not exploiting their abilities to a sufficient degree. So the four of them came to a collective resolution, to engage a collective demonstration of all the magic they’ve learned and developed to that point. The last question: just what would that demonstration even begin to look like?

[ January 17, ???(+1) – (Near) Ponyville, Equestria ]

While the Conduits were concerned with kind of performance could earn their Cutie Marks, and the Bearers (plus Spike) contemplated how they’d learn and/or practice Terran Magic, the Royal Sisters were equally wrapped up in problem solving. To be fair, the problem the Royal Sisters were tackling was of a far greater and global concern.

"This is not good… some of the reports we are getting from our thaumatologists on Earth are showing something very wrong with the mana flow there," Luna said, while in a private conference room with her sister.

"Hrm, there shouldn't be a problem there, since Earth's Magic was supposedly sealed…" Celestia thought out loud, hoping the response wasn't the one she suspected.

Luna sighed, sensing Celestia's apprehension about the coming news. "That's entirely what the issue is, the fact that there is a distinct flow of magic of any kind coming from the Earth. Whatever seal that there is on Earth's Magic is dangerously weak now."

Celestia looked up at the wall, a large ornate clock showing the current date on Earth and the arrangement around its Sun and current lunar phase based on Washington, DC. "How long do you think the Earth has before a total failure of the seal?"

"I would wager six-to-eight weeks, most likely shortly after the March Equinox," Luna responded, double checking the projections in her own head.

"Do you believe your four students are capable of properly removing the seal and regulating the flow, as they are now?" Celestia asked, eyes almost looking past her sister, into some unknown future.

Luna responded the best way she knew how. "That is honestly a hard question to answer. I feel they are not far away from starting the path to truly harmonizing Terran and Equestrian magic, but they have to believe it for themselves. There is a reason why none of them have found their Cutie Marks to this date, despite wielding a form of Magic neither world has seen active for eons. So I would have to wager that they would have extreme difficulty unsealing the Terran Mana, until they negotiate this mental block."

Celestia developed a wide smirk on her face for a brief moment, before returning to a normal expression. "I believe your four students are coming to a similar conclusion. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to attempt some grand display of their new abilities; they have to prove they are worthy of this Power as much to themselves as they do to anyone or anything else."

Luna lowered some papers she was checking through down from her face, enough so that her eyes were looking straight into Celestia's. Luna figured that Celestia had divined some kind of insight, being the better divinator of the two. She then looked at the clock - it was close to 8:30 AM, and it would soon be time for to begin the training session for the day. "I don't know what you see, dear sister. I just hope it's something that truly points the way forward."

With that said, Luna filed the records away, and vanished.

I certainly hope it points us forward as well, Sister. Celestia thought to herself, as she went to the throne room to formally open up business for the day.

-----

We can't fear this power any longer; it's our to wield, and wield it we will. If this is one of the things we have to do to master it, then let's do it!

-----

After starting a half hour late, as per the request of the Conduits of Terra, they explained their plans to Princess Luna.

"Hrm, so you want to show both of us something you believe will be of interest to us?" Luna began, as she mulled over the request.

Midori Hana used the most pleading look she could manage. "Yes please, Princess Luna. We feel this is something that both you and Princess Celestia should watch, along with the Bearers of Harmony and Spike."

"She is co-ruler of Equestria, so nothing happens unless she agrees to it; although I think she will be able to attend, she usually takes a while for lunch," Luna replied, as she began to contact her sister telepathically.

Sister, the Conduits of Terra have a request of you.

Aren't you in your Training Space at the moment?

Yes, anyway, apparently your divination was correct. They want to put on a performance for all nine of us - ourselves, the Bearers of Harmony, and their Dragon compatriot.

I do believe I can make time for them; after all, they are the crux of this current phase of operations, as it were.

I am glad to hear that. So when should you arrive?

"How about right now?" Princess Celestia said, manifesting in the Training Space almost immediately after Luna asked.

Everyone else was shocked that she arrived so soon after asking.

"I never get used to that, and I was her student for all those years," Twilight said, quickly getting over the sudden appearance of her teacher and mentor.

Blue Vague then approached the Princess of the Day, nervous as all get-out, but resolute to ask her himself. "Um, Princess Celestia. The others and I were thinking, well… okay, we were thinking that we would put on a big performance and demonstration of everything that we've learned to this point. We've been practicing here and outside for the last 3 months straight, give or take; yet, we haven't found our Cutie Marks. Despite this, we feel strongly that they are directly related to our Terran Magic. So we figured this: one big blowout performance, to prove to you all, and ourselves, that we’ve come far enough along to truly be worthy of the title ‘Conduit of Terra’."

Princess Celestia thought for few moments. "I do not see any fault with that logic. Also, I have been meaning to ask for a demonstration of your abilities for myself. So yes, I will attend this performance."

All four of the Conduits jumped for joy at the news, and rushed over to Luna to set the stage for the performance.

----- -----

A few minutes later, after some deliberation with Luna, the stage was indeed set. All nine viewers sat in an amphitheater like setting; the entire space beyond that was flat and featureless and the grounds a pale gray, as if the entire area beyond the seats were made of bleached dirt. The sky was rendered dark with spotlights, Luna acting as both observer and stage-hand for the four Conduits.

High noon came, and all four Conduits appeared from behind colored curtains, made to look similar to the capes they received from Rarity, who appreciated the touch of showmanship. Blue Vague spoke up; voice enhanced by the stagecraft orbs Luna had floating around.

"This performance will occur in five parts, each of us will give an individual performance, before we conduct a joint exercise to close the show. We hope that you all enjoy what is about to occur before your eyes."

The stagelight-orbs changed their white light to blue, as Blue Vague agreed to go first. The other three Conduits cleared out from the area, as a giant pool, 75 lengths deep and 200 lengths across, was carved out by Luna's control over the sub-space. Vague stood on a fairly wide platform in the center of the pool, as his horn glowed blue and his body became covered in bleached blue runes. Within a few moments, giant geysers shot up from behind him, as the pool rapidly filled with water. Blue Vague raised a single hoof, and a titanic geyser shot up, followed by another, and another. Then he angled a pair of fountains together to form a larger fountain pointing straight up, forming an inverted-Y shape. He followed that up by having two geysers fire off at an arc, forming a complete loop of water in mid-air. He then caused the platform to retreat to the back, and form a ramp along the edge of the pool. He walked on top of the surface of the water, using a mix of his Terran and Explicit Magic to reduce his own weight while dramatically increasing the water tension.

Feels like I'm trying to walk on a stiff waterbed…

He walked along the surface of the water, proceeded to break out into a trot around the pool. He continued to pick up speed along the water's surface, triggering fountains as he galloped around the edges. He made sure to punctuate certain steps, causing waves to crash around and inside the pool, as the edges became banked to allow the water to flow back in. He stopped and stood for a while to gather himself, before running across the pool at a full sprint. When he reached the edge, a wave shot up, high enough for him to skid upward some on, and turn around head back into the other direction. Soon enough, he was at the other side, where the same thing happened. Eventually, he was hydroplaning along the surface of the water, going higher and higher at the edges like a skateboarder in a half pipe. He began doing aerial tricks off the 'solid' water he was 'skating' on, trying his best to mimic some of the old footage he could remember watching while on Earth. He continued going higher and higher, doing more and more complex tricks – even going so far as to sling himself between large globs of water from one side of the pool to the other. To close out his section, he turbo-charged his solid-water wakeboard, launching himself up and backwards towards the center of the pool, where he dove in, wakeboard crashing against the surface and turning back into plain water. The Bearers gasped for a brief moment, before they saw Vague doing a front-hoof-stand on a bubble as he rose back above the surface. The bubble floated towards the front of the pool, where he dismounted and landed clean on his hooves after a short front flip. All of the observers and the other three Conduits clapped as the stage area returned to its normal bleached gray 'dirt'.

The stage-lights turned to red, indicating that Red Blaze was the next to perform.

-==-

Red Blaze stood on a platform similar to Vague, except hers was elevated over a bed of coals. Her horn began glowing a hot red color as bleached red runes appeared all over her body. A massive, transparent red magic circle covered the coals, as the entire bed ignited into beautiful red-orange flames. Charging more mana into the circle, the flames rose to a good 3 lengths above the head of Blaze, who was entirely unaffected by the heat, protected by the runes all over her body. She started by forming some of the flame giant balls, which she held in each hoof while standing up on her hind legs, and others orbited near her. The threw the balls up into the air, which exploded into hundreds of flares, all of which were still under Blazes control. The flares danced in sequence, some forming Equestrian characters, as if she was controlling a marching band made of relatively tiny flames. The mixture of Unicorn and Fire Magic was making it relatively easy for her to keep the fireballs in configuration, and even throw more into the mix. They marched and formed English and Russian words as well, as well as vague outlines of all the Bearers of Harmony.

Man, this is hard, but it's gonna be so worth it…

She dismissed the flares back into the larger pool of flames, as she began the second half of her performance. Blaze began to wave a hoof around, as flames began to swirl wherever she pointed. As she drug a hoof in an arc, suddenly prominences and flares began to jump and dive all across the pool of flame, resembling the roiling surface of a star now (though nowhere near as hot). She then began to direct the flames into ever increasingly complex patterns across the the air from one end of the flame-pool to another. Some traveled in sine waves. Others formed geometric shapes before diving back into the pool. A few even formed short words, as if she was writing in a long cursive stroke with each stream of fire. Eventually, she spelled her name in English across the stage in flames, "Red Blaze", in large, impressive cursive script. She took a few deep breaths, as she readied for her big finale. She levitated the pool of flame, raising the entire magic circle up, leaving only red and black smoldering coals along the floor of the stage. She then condensed the flame into a lone, impressive fireball, one that was a good 5 lengths in diameter. She then kept compressing the fireball, eventually squeezing it down into a white-hot ball only a quarter of a length in diameter. She raised the ball high in the sky, and cancelled the compression spell. The ball completely exploded with an impressive bang and a red wave of light; showering the entire area with impressive, but harmless red sparks, most of which faded before ever reaching the ground. The onlookers applauded again, as she took a curtsy and walked out of view, allowing Luna to reset the stage again for the next performer.

The stage-light orbs turned green, as Midori Hana walked into view, the next performer up.

-==-

Midori Hana walked up with a saddle-bag full of various seeds, and set it next to the ground beside her. She traced several circles before continuing, coming to stop with her saddle bag in the main ring. Her body began to glow briefly, as the bleached green runes appeared on her body, followed by five Magic circles where she traced out their borders in the ground earlier. Soon each circle began to produce a gigantic pillar of the most fertile growing soil, compacted enough to not crumble in a heap due to pull of its own weight. Hana began throwing seeds of all kinds all over the pillars, with seemingly no rhyme or reason to them. There was a method to her madness however, as she began pouring out an amazing amount of mixed Earth and Earth Pony magic, causing all the plants in question to grow extremely rapidly. Soon each tower of soil was covered in green shoots, the towers themselves connected by large, sturdy vines.

Alright, now comes the tricky part, let's hope I get this sequencing right…

Hana then began walking down the vines, showing incredible balance, until she stood in front of the five pillar formation. She then began to wave her hooves in the air, as if she was writing in the air. A few moments later, the flowers began to bloom on the pillars, in the same exact as what Midori was drawing in the air. Midori was, in effect, writing with flowers she was causing to bloom herself, and in Japanese no less, with mostly correct stroke order on top of it! She ended up writing out her Equestrian name in the original Japanese characters: 緑花. Running back up to the top of the highest pillar, a good 30 lengths high, she then began pouring out more mixed magic. In turn, it caused everything else she had planted to that point to grow and/or bloom. Shrubs now topped each tower, which were draped in flowers of all kinds and colors, as well as all kinds of vines growing down the sides of the pillars. The coup-de-grace of Midori's performance though, was an impressive use of manipulation of both kinds of Magic. She began to cause a single bloom to grow in size, becoming at least 3 times as large as Hana was herself. Then she stroked each relatively stiff petal, causing it to appear a different color, creating a bloom of rainbow-sequenced color to cap off the tallest pillar. She then hopped onto a large pillar in front of her, which she then slowly sunk back to ground level, taking a final curtsy herself before walking off the stage. Everyone was still oohing and aahing at Midori's impressive display; Luna making sure to take several photographs with a magic orb before disintegrating the display, clearing the stage for the fourth and near-final act.

The then turned yellow, as Golden Storm walked into view after Midori walked out of it.

-==-

Golden Storm walked onto a single cloud, which he began to raise with a dust-devil like twister into the air. He flared out his wings, showing everyone the bleached yellow runes all over his body. However, this time his feathers were not bleached, showing he was going to be flying with a mix of his Weather and Wind Magic. He then directed each stage light to show his opponents for this mock battle. They were solid-looking fighter jets, each slightly bigger than Storm, looking as if they were ripped out of some speculative fiction book dealing with military aircraft. He took to the air, as the six enemy jets also ignited their 'engines'. He took off, with the six jets in hot pursuit.

Alright, time to give everyone a show worthy of my name…

Golden Storm was already showing impressive speed, as were the jets in pursuit of him. Storm then began pulling off some things from his bag of tricks. He started off by conjuring up twisters in the middle of the air, the intermittent funnel clouds causing the jets to break formation and pursue their quarry as individuals. Storm began by avoiding the 'fire' of one of the jets, and returning fire with clearly visible versions of his air bullets. He peppered the plane's fuselage, causing the plane to spiral down for a while before exploding in a golden cloud. Another of the jets quickly took its place, the other four trying to avoid crashing into the various funnel clouds. This jet fared no better, with Storm using a sustained stream of high speed wind from his front-hooves to punch several holes straight through the jet, causing it to explode nearly instantly.

The third jet managed to negotiate through the wind-traps to engage Storm directly; the drones were going to show no letup, exactly as Storm wanted it. The plane tried to fire homing 'missiles' as the golden Pegasus, but turbulence cause the missiles to crash into each other and explode harmlessly in the air. Storm then pulled into a tight curl in order to get behind the third plane, and waved his two forelegs in the air, drawing two long gold streaks. Both formed into missile-shaped objects made of compressed mana, and were fired at the plane. That jet was not so lucky with the atmospheric conditions, promptly exploding in a shower of golden vapor as soon as the missiles hit.

The fourth and fifth jets broke loose of the whirlwinds long enough to engage Storm now. He flew around, the tension of the mock battle increasing as he could not get into any position to fire upon either of his pursuers. He decided that if he wasn't going to be able to shoot them down, there was another way they could be dealt with. He dashed back towards the maelstrom he created, diving in and out of the various whirlwinds. The jets followed suit, but couldn't negotiate the winds as well as the Pegasus could, and ended up getting caught in the turbulence and crashing into each other, exploding in the familiar golden vapor. Storm laughed while hovering in mid-air, finding the previous scene funny and having mostly lost track of the sixth jet. The sixth jet did not lose track of him though, as Storm found out when a pair of 'missiles' hit him square in the back. The golden Pegasus began to fall rapidly out of the sky, his hooves up above his head, no position to really fly from. The audience gasped, not knowing how Golden Storm was going to pull out of this mess.

Alright, let's see how they like this part…

He stiffened his wings and charged them with Terran Mana. As some of the feathers turned bleached yellow, he zoomed off back up in the air, completely upside down. He eventually righted himself, after a high-speed, upside down fly-by of the audience. He then flew towards the last jet, which obliged the impromptu game of Chicken. He stuck his front hooves out, and the plane engaged its thrusters, both heading at full-speed towards a mid-air collision. Both objects did indeed meet, but the drone was too brave for its own good, as the Pony sliced the drone cleanly in half, forming an invisible cutting edge with turbulence in front of him. Both halves of the drone jet exploded into golden vapor, ending the mock battle with Golden Storm as the victor, of course. Everyone applauded the show so far, as Storm floated back down to the stage. Luna quickly cleaned up everything.

The lights then turned all four colors, showing that the fifth and final act was upon them.

---

All four of the Conduits of Terra were now in view of the audience, each of them with their Element of Terra on their necks. Golden Storm hovered above the other three conduits, Midori Hana stood a ways to the left of the formation from the audience view, while Red Blaze was off to the right some, leaving Blue Vague in the center, but still on the ground.

"Alright everyone, it's time for the big finale, we hope you've enjoyed watching this show as much as we've enjoyed putting it on."

The audience drew silent, as four Conduits of Terra began to concentrate. Soon all four of their bodies were glowing hot with their element, their bodies covered in the bleached runes, eyes soon aglow with their element's color. At the same time, everyone in attendance could feel the sheer magnitude of the Power they were starting to channel. The sheer amount of mana each Pony was drawing out was now clearly visible to everyone, appearing as an aura surrounding each of them in their respective colors.

This Power… my body can sense it… a Power the oldest of my kind knows… but how can I know that? Spike thought to himself, as if his body was trying to remind him of something.

Is this what a fusion of Equestrian and Terran Magic feels like… and they are still so early into their study… I can't believe they could have advanced this far so fast… then again… something tells me this is only the beginning of everything… Twilight Sparkle thought to herself, somewhat dumbfounded that anything besides the Princesses could be pouring out that power, her Element of Magic trying to 'cheer' on the its sibling Elements of Terra.

It is astounding to watch. They wanted to share this performance with us, and, it feels like they want to share this power with us. They want to unseal that Power so everyone can use it, instead of just keeping it bottled up for themselves… Rarity wondered as she felt her Element of Generosity resonate with the wishes of that Power.

They want to spread joy. They want to relieve the pain of those Earthlings so bad. They want it so bad they'd risk putting that same power in the hands of people who don't care how much misery they spread. If they are willing to go to such lengths, then I have to be too… Pinkie Pie thought as she felt her Element of Laughter approve of the sentiment of the four Conduits of Terra.

That's a power that'll reveal anyone's true intent. No matter how much ya mask ya words, yer actions will give away what yer thinking. The vibe Ah'm gettin’ from those four… they'd lay it all on the line to save their homeworld. It wouldn't be right of their partners to not help them in every way possible, now wouldn't it? Applejack thought to herself, thinking of all the people on Earth who either needed a hoof up or a fresh start, her Element of Honesty wanting everyone who did to stay true to themselves and the world.

I can feel the kindness they all have. They could easily be selfish and just leave the Earth to its own devices, but they did everything they could in these weeks to learn their power. Well I'm going to do the same. If I have to learn the same power once they unseal it, I'm definitely going to do everything I can do to learn it, because everyone is going to have to do everything they can to help the Earth once we return… Fluttershy reasoned, nerve steeled by the feelings exuded by the four Conduits of Terra, the Element of Kindness wanting everyone to live in a world where cruelty was not what won the day.

Such intense loyalty. To themselves, to each other, and to a home-world that probably doesn't even realize what's going on here. They had every right to just forget everything about the Earth, and live out the rest of their lives in peace. But they couldn't do that - they worked every single day to get to this point. If I got to work twice as long to be able to help them when this all done, then I'll do it. That kind of loyalty deserves to be returned in kind… Rainbow Dash thought as she resolved to help the Conduits in any way she could manage, the Element of Loyalty ready to forge a world where loyalty to a righteous cause was rewarded.

You all are amazing Ponies, and amazing People. I don't know if that Robed Figure just found you all, or if she chose you all. But however you came to bear your Sparks, they are truly beginning to shine… Princess Luna thought, as she sensed the dual Sparks beginning to harmonize.

I believe you all have begun to walk the path toward forging the New Age. But you cannot, nor will you walk that path alone. We all will be there, and our allies will do their best to bring as many they can along the same path. No matter the manner in which we walk it, Equestria, her allies, and the Earth have a future together. However, that future is still unknown, and we must tread carefully, for the path you all have begun can still end with a very bad detour… Princess Celestia thought, completely unable to divine where the path those four have begun to forge would lead, but sure that wherever it did, they would make it work out as best they could.

We now understand what our role is in this great Cosmic Drama… we will sound the gong on the great struggle to forge the New Age… All four of the Conduits of Terra thought in unison.

When the Conduits came to, they were surrounded by manifestations of their Power, tapping deep into their imaginations of how the show should end.

"Woah, ok when we came up with this I never thought it'd come out so… so… so well…" Golden Storm said, riding on top of a golden winged-and-serpentine dragon made out of wind.

"I know no one back at the C.I.A. would ever believe a Pony could do something like this…" Red Blaze said, a ruby red phoenix wreathed in flames standing behind her.

"Haha, now who’s a good neko-chan… that's right, you are," Midori Hana cooed, perched atop an emerald colored giant cat, vaguely resembling a tiger.

"I'm… I'm honestly stunned that this worked. I didn't think they'd show up this strongly either." Blue Vague said as he sat on the shell of a giant reptile, long neck and tail like a serpent, flippers coming out of each side like a turtle, shell and scales blue like sapphire.

You all have shown an amazing amount of Will for beings not used to this Power. Although our appearance is brief in time, if you will remains this strong, and you continue to improve on your control of this Power, we shall lend you our assistance as you continue down the path of forging the New Age for your world. The four beasts said telepathically to the four Conduits, and in unison.

"Wait before you go, just what are you?" Blue Vague asked, hoping they'd stay long enough to get a real answer.

We are merely avatars of your Power. You imagined our forms when you put together this display of your current skills. Should you continue to improve, our Power will grow with yours. Should those that accompany you develop the same level of Will and Power, they will be able to manifest beings like us, as well. Now we must return to the Astral Plane - your power is not sufficient to keep us in any Physical Plane as it stands now. Do not worry though, once we are created, we will forever exist so long as your Will exists. Until the next time we meet…

"Wait, before you go, can you do one thing for us?" Midori Hana asked of the tiger-like creature she was riding on top of a moment ago. She whispered into its ear. The tiger-like creature agreed, and told the other three creatures of her creator's request.

They all turned into pillars of light, which rose into the sky to return to the Astral Plane, but not before leaving a final message to be read by everyone present, in both Equestrian and English.

"From the Four Conduits of Terra - We thank you for everything you have done for us to this point. We eagerly look forward to being the vanguard of the New Age."

The four Conduits physical look returned to what it what usually was, as their runes faded and the fur returned to its usual color. They ran back towards the seats, as the six Bearers ran down to meet them. Spike and the two Princesses soon met them all. The Ten Elements all together began to resonate, all ten of them feeling that the long road towards forging the New Age to begin was beginning in earnest. Something else was beginning, as they heard the familiar sound of one's Cutie Mark appearing, all four at the same exact time. Blue Vague looked on his flank, his symbol a large bubble crossed by three teardrops, and backed by a three-toned crashing wave. Golden Storm saw a pair of funnel-clouds cris-crossing into a 'X' behind a hurricane symbol. Red Blaze saw three stylized flames, a large one set behind two smaller ones. Midori Hana saw three blooms on top of triple-peaked mountains of her symbol.

"They all look just like your Terran Elements, but they all share a part of your name as well," Princess Celestia said, wondering when was the last time she personally saw more than one Pony get their Cutie Mark at the same time.

"Yeah, they are all self-explanatory; but then again, I guess that's what Cutie Marks end up being once you get to know a Pony," Blue Vague responded, chuckling all the while.

Princess Luna beamed with pride at the second graduation of her students. "That was a wonderful display of technical skill and artistry. If I told anyone you had only been at this for a month and a half, they think I had gone crazy."

Golden Storm just stood there, a touch embarrassed at the praise. "Well, we just kinda embraced everything that we are, and it all worked out. Although if you asked us to do that again, I don't know if we could, honestly."

"Oh look at Golden Storm being modest for once. Then again, I don't know if I could do something like that in front of the Princesses, even if it was only a one time deal," Rainbow Dash said, gently ribbing Storm.

Princess Luna walked back to the center of the area and dispelled the Training Field; returning everyone, including Princess Celestia, back to the basement of the Greystone Conductor.

"I do believe you all deserve the rest of the day off. There is other business that we will eventually have to attend to, but I think you all can take the rest of this day celebrate this period of realization. The Cutie Mark is a symbol of yourself and your talent, but it is not a limiting thing. Always think of other areas in which you can learn, and different ways to leverage your talents. With that my little Ponies, I bid you all good day," Luna said as she looked forward to the extended nap for that day.

Celestia shook her head a bit as she turned to address the now group of eleven. "I must join my Sister back in Canterlot. But we do need to discuss the happenings on Earth fairly soon. I do not think we have much time before the seal on Terran Mana disappears entirely. While I feel that you all are now more than capable in a physical sense, you all have to trust that you have the proper skill to complete this mission. Now my little Ponies, enjoy the rest of your day." With a smile on her face, she disappeared into the ether as well.

"So, um, what should we do for the rest of the day?" Pinkie Pie asked before hearing four Ponies collapse on the floor asleep.

"Ah don't think we should be surprised they'd be dead tired after that display," Applejack said, as she walked back up the steps to retrieve some blankets.

"Yeah I guess we just let them nap here, lock up, and check back later," Rainbow Dash said, thinking about the weather schedules that need to be made out for the next month. Winter-Wrap Up was supposed to be the day before the Vernal Equinox, and she had to have everything set for then.

Everyone made sure the outside basement door was secure before leaving the four Ponies napping on the area rug and under some blankets. Twilight placed a pair of magic powered space heaters in the basement with the four napping Terrans, far away from the blankets and rugs as to not risk a fire.

"That was a great job you four. I'm definitely gonna have to get you to teach us everything you all figured out, whenever you unseal the Terran Magic," she said out loud to the four knocked-out Ponies, inwardly giddy at the prospect of learning an entirely new form of Magic.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Is this an Evil Celestia or a Luna's a Prick fanfic?

[Waterpicker]

4992993 Nope.