“Not that way, Twilight. This way. I want to show you something.”
Twilight stopped mid-step and turned left to follow Luna, still shaking off the daze the portal to the war room seemed to leave her with recently. “Okay, but, what? After the war room, I’ve seen basically all of the castle.”
Luna smiled. “You didn’t know we’ve been quietly adding on over the past few months, did you?”
“Really?”
“Indeed! The recent attack did enough damage, however, that we have decided to expand more seriously. Up until now, these recent additions have been small and easily missed. Also, easier to pass in the budget.”
“Ah, so that’s what those construction ponies by Celestia’s chambers were doing!”
Luna hopped a little around a corner. “Indeed! Tia wants to do something with that wall. I’m glad the construction ponies are already there. It means things are, for once, on schedule.”
Twilight allowed herself a little chuckle as they rounded a corner. Further off to her left was indeed a new doorway with sunlight pouring through its glass center. They ducked in, and she saw it was a hallway that, instead of walls, had floor-to-ceiling windows. The “outside” of the hall had a very splendid view of the gardens, though there was still a crater that had yet to be filled in. The “inside” of the hall, to her right, had a small courtyard with some fancy plants and flowers. Ahead of her, the hall made a turn to the right to close the courtyard in.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Luna said, approaching the turn of the hall, her pace slowing before coming to a stop at a corner. “This was actually one of the earlier additions, before the battle. Not only is it a shortcut to the administration offices, it gives a much nicer view.”
“It is nice,” Twilight said, wincing a little. Something’s off here. It does look nice, so why does Luna sound so nervous?
Long seconds passed while Luna’s grin slowly faded, never turning away from the garden view. After it had been gone some time, the Princess finally turned back to Twilight.
“I’m afraid I have some troublesome news, Twilight. I didn’t want to tell you this right after you raised the moon. You just looked so happy. And, well, to be fair you were also catatonic. But I didn’t let you borrow my moon simply for enjoyment. It was an evaluation.”
Twilight’s body froze, and her heart stopped for exactly two seconds, then raced northward of a hundred thirty beats per minute. In all of her life, she had never failed a test. Not once did she ever get a paper returned to her with an “F” on it, nor anything less than an “A-”, and that black mark on her record was an accident that left her traumatized for a month. Even on things that weren’t on paper, she’d never, ever, come back with anything less than flying colors.
Technically, the Princess didn’t say the t-word, nor the f-word, but “evaluation” and “troublesome news” were clear enough.
Luna sunk her head down a little. “Tia warned me about using the word ‘test.’ I guess I didn’t change it enough.”
One hundred forty beats per minute.
Two silver-clad hooves gripped her shoulders, and the hairs on the back of her neck shot up straight. Luna was using her magic sight.
“Twilight, listen to me. Our alicorn senses provide us with tremendous insight into the magic of our world. I can tell that you now have the magic of all three tribes within you, and that all of them are growing. When you first arrived here at the castle, it was so faint I was worried I was imagining it. Now, it’s clear your wellspring is birthing unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony magic. Your body’s leylines are growing, too. They are brightest for the ones carrying unicorn magic to your horn, but I can see that there are new leylines now. They are carrying your new earth pony and pegasus magic to your skin, hooves, and spine. I can see the very core of your wellspring shining far brighter than that of other ponies, even far beyond that of your friend Rainbow Dash, and of your brother. Yet there are many things these senses cannot do.”
Luna shut off the sight and the hairs on the back of her neck collapsed right in sync with the rest of her, slumping down to the ground. The Princess laid down next to her to look her in the eye.
“The sight cannot tell me how much control you have over your magic. It cannot tell me how well you can understand my poems. And, it cannot tell me how fast you can draw from your wellspring at once. These things I had to see for myself, so I gave you the greatest challenge I could without endangering you: I had you raise the moon.”
The smaller mare swallowed. “Is… is that what you were—” She swallowed again. “Testing me on?”
Luna nodded. “Indeed. I must admit, in the first two fields, control and interpretation, you exceeded all my expectations.”
“But…” she squeaked.
“However,” she replied, softening her voice. “I have drastically overestimated the rate at which you are able to pull magic from your wellspring. I honestly did not expect you to take so long to fill that magic circle. I was guessing thirty seconds, at most. Instead, it was over three and a half minutes. This is my fault, not yours. I used your brother, a soldier, as a baseline.”
“Oh.” Her voice was soft, but her heart was pounding. “I’ve hardly ever let myself use my wellspring like that. When I was a filly, I had an… I had an accident, and temporarily turned my parents into plants. So I always held back. I practiced limiting myself. Tried to get things done with the smallest amount of magic possible. I…” She trailed off for a moment, sniffling and rubbing her stiff, aching neck. “How bad? How behind am I?”
“The truth?” Luna asked.
Twilight tried to nod, but failed from her neck being just that seized up. “The truth,” she whispered.
Luna sighed, her wings drooping a little. “Thou art a fire hose. Respectable in any reasonable sense. Thy brother, on the other hoof, is a hydroelectric dam outflow during a flood.”
Twilight laid her head down on her forelegs, her strength waning.
“Again, this is not your fault, Twilight. I should have realized that a scientist and, in Celly’s words, ‘a ravenous bookworm,’ would be used to taking her time with smaller quantities of magic. Control over power. I forgot that even though you two are as close as any siblings I’ve ever met, your worlds are totally different.”
Twilight tried to stand again, but just slid back down. “So… you can’t teach me?” she asked, fighting back her tears.
Luna sat up and lifted Twilight head with her silver-clad hooves. “Twilight, on my crown, I promise you: I will teach you. You are going to learn more in these three months than you had ever thought possible. The only thing this changes is what I’m going to teach you.”
Luna’s words helped, but only just. Twilight locked her gaze on the Princess’s kind eyes. Only when she saw no hint of anger or disappointment did she managed to calm her shaking.
“The difference here, Twilight, is that you are simply not ready to use my alicorn spells in a combat situation. Since we have a limited amount of time to get you ready, I am going to be teaching you more contemporary unicorn battle magic, and working in alicorn powers when I can. I will also be focusing quite a bit on a rather accelerated program of combat basics. One can know all the spells in the world, but in a battle it’s useless when you don’t understand the timing, the rhythm of battle.”
Twilight put her ears back on her head and looked down at her hooves. “So I’m not going to get to learn your spells.”
The Princess shook her head. “Not yet, I am afraid. However, I am not opposed to teaching you them when the time comes. Be patient.” Luna paused a moment, her body going temporarily rigid. “Ye Gods does it sound awkward for me to be saying that to somepony.”
“You know,” her voice cracked, desperately trying to stay steady in an attempt to save face. “I once lifted an Ursa Minor. Sent it back home.”
That only earned a smirk. “I heard. I also heard that it took every ounce of your might to pull it off.”
“Well, yeah.” She scratched the back of her neck with a hoof. “I mean, it was an Ursa.”
“Ursas are dangerous and nigh-indestructible, yes, but they’re also… What was that delightful phrase Applejack once used? Ah yes, ‘dumber than a sack of hammers.’ But, for the sake of argument, let’s say you were using that much magic in a spell while in combat.” Luna leaned down, putting her muzzle right in front of Twilight’s. “How tempting a target do you think you would be while standing there defenseless, casting away? What if an enemy soldier rushed you, and tried to run a spear through your skull? What if he merely bopped your horn? What would happen?”
She bit her lip. “Well, I’d either be killed, or the spell would fail and, probably, explode.”
Luna kept looking at her.
“Explode, right on the tip of my horn,” she finished.
“Correct!”
Luna raised her neck and Twilight exhaled, grateful for the personal space back.
“In truth, an inexperienced unicorn can only expect a small portion of their might to be available for spells in a battle. This can be increased with experience, but one needs to be able to cast while moving and fighting. Most soldiers are smarter than ursas. They will go after you and look for openings, especially if you’re fully absorbed in casting a spell.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“To wit, I have been discussing the matter with your brother, and we have come up with a training plan that should work for our purposes.”
Uh-oh. Twilight had teased him about his drills in the past. Not maliciously, really, but she had still done it. When he was getting in shape to join the military academy, she had made it a point to bring a cold drink and slurp it while reading near him. A part of it was simply wanting to be with her brother before he left, but the fact remained, she still teased him about it a bit. There could be no doubt in her mind. This was going to be excruciating.
“The good news is that even when only looking at you as a unicorn apprentice, you are still quite strong. The bad news is, spells alone will not be enough, though spells you will learn.”
Yeah, I’m in for it now.
“In fact, I’ve invited—”
Luna’s words were cut off by the sound of a door opening down the hall, followed by a mare with her nose in the air, leading a whole herd of foals. Twilight quickly sat up before they could get close enough to catch her lying down.
“Come quickly, children. Keep up.”
The foals didn’t listen to her teacher at all. The moment they spotted Princess Luna, the ones in the front stopped walking and dropped into a deep bow. The rest of the group quickly followed suit once they could see her, too.
“I said, keep u—” The mare leading them finally opened her eyes and saw what the foals were doing, then snapped back to look in front of her with a sickly, terrified look on her face. Sure enough, a split second later, she was on the ground, too.
“A thousand pardons, your majesty. I didn’t see you there.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. Your eyes were closed. I’ve never understood that, really.” She turned to Twilight. “When did it become in vogue to walk around and bump into things because one is too self-important to watch where they are going? It’s a wonder we don’t lose dozens from tripping off the edge of the city.”
“Well, don’t look at me!” Twilight laughed. “I walk around bumping into things because my head’s buried in a book.”
“Ha ha! Fair enough. Everypony, you may rise. I apologize for making you bow for so long. Tell me, does this mean my sister has seen fit to restart the school tours of the castle?”
“Er, yes, Your Majesty,” the mare who appeared to be the foals’ teacher replied. “We’re from PS 47 in Manehatten.”
“Manehatten?” Twilight tilted her head. “Your accent is definitely a Canterlot one.”
“I grew up here, yes, but moved a few years ago when my husband was transferred. As Her Majesty said, we’re doing field trips for the classes to see the castle.”
“Well then!” Luna stood up and walked up to the foals, and to the side of the teacher. “Hello, everypony! My name is Princess Luna. Welcome to my home. Before you ask, yes, I am an alicorn. Yes, I was banished to the moon at one point. No, it was not pleasant, and yes, I am thousands of years old.”
Twilight chuckled a little. Clearly, the Princess had done this a million times before.
“And the pony next to me is Twilight Sparkle. She is my sister’s personal student and the next candidate to be Grand Mage. Would anypony like to ask her a question?”
She, however, had not.
A half-dozen hooves went up into the air.
Oh, Tartarus.
“Yes, you in the back!” Luna said, pointing to a unicorn colt.
Princess, why are you doing this to me?
“What’s a Grand Mage?” the foal asked.
Twilight swallowed. It was a simple, but excellent question. She’d yet to really condense the public version of her new title down to a short answer, and telling them that she was an alicorn ascendant was right out.
“Well, that’s a good question,” she stammered. “In a manner of speaking, I’m a sort of agent or proxy for the Princesses. But I suppose that’s a little obtuse, heh heh.” Hurry up and think of something they can understand!
Luna giggled. “It’s like this, children.”
Oh thank you Luna!
“When a pony has proven themselves worthy in heart, mind, and soul, we make them what we call a ‘Grand Mage.’ A Grand Mage has most of the legal power of the crown, except for two important things: they do not get a vote in the Council, and they may not declare war. Although incidentally, if she were to declare war on cauliflower, I’d be behind her one hundred percent.”
Twilight stared at her flatly while the foals all laughed.
“What?” The Princess raised a hoof to her chest. “I hate cauliflower. It is a vegetable most foul, with a bland taste and a texture that only wishes it could be broccoli!”
“I’m not declaring war on a vegetable, Luna. For one, I like cauliflower!”
“Foo. I’ve been waiting for a tie-breaking vote on that with Tia for millennia.”
Twilight sighed and walked up to speak to the chuckling foals more directly. “More or less, kids, a Grand Mage is somepony the Princesses can turn to when very nasty problems pop up. Starswirl was a trusted advisor on matters of the highest forms of magic. Crimson served Celestia in the Lunar Rebellions as a fierce warrior—”
“Pfft. Fierce.” Luna rolled her eyes. “I was there, and I’ve had cats more fierce than he.”
The foals giggled more. I thought Princess Celestia was supposed to be the maternal one!
“And Stellar Horizon was a skilled negotiator and diplomat. I’m not sure what the Princesses have in mind for me yet, but I’m eager to help in any way I can. Next question?” A bunch of them put up their hooves, and Luna pointed to one near the wall. “Yes, you?”
The little foal lowered her hoof. “We saw a big stack of papers in the throne room. Are you going to have to help them with their paperwork?”
“Well…” Twilight trailed off. She hadn’t actually considered that. Would she have to do that?
Luna cut in. “Only if she’s been bad. Then we’ll make her do paperwork!”
Even the teacher giggled at that one. Somepony shoot me.
“Okay, everypony, I think we’ve bothered their highnesses enough. Let’s move along, we have more to see!”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as the foals all started to follow their teacher out the other end of the hall. One foal, however, was still sitting, looking up at the ceiling with his wings twitching slightly. Huh. Odd. If I recall right, the other foals were all unicorns and earth ponies.
“Come along, Sky Painter!” The colt got up and started to walk. “Don’t stare like that around the Princesses! It’s rude!”
“Halt!” Luna yelled, making Twilight jump back a little. The tone wasn’t pleasant like the one a mere moment before. This was sharp, commanding. Almost angry, and certainly enough to get not only the colt but the entire tour group to stop dead in their tracks.
The diarch’s eyes opened and she glared at the teacher. “You walk with your nose in the air. Yet, when you see your young pegasus charge looking up, you fail to even check what he is looking at. Pitiful.”
Wait. I didn’t check what he was looking at, either.
Twilight, the teacher, and all the foals all turned their heads skywards, and gasped.
Painted on the ceiling was a winding mural, covering the surface all the way to both ends of the hall. There were small ponies everywhere, painted with exquisite detail for images so tiny. On the left was Cloudsdale in sunny daylight, with a blue sky, puffy white clouds, and rainbow falls showering down. On the right was Canterlot, steeped in night yet awash with the moon’s light casting shadows from the towers.
How did I miss this!?
Luna motioned with a hoof towards the mural. “It is a most curious thing, but true all the same. Simply put, few earth ponies and unicorns ever bother to look up. They miss so much that pegasi—and alicorns—see, notice, and appreciate.” She moved her hoof around in a little swirl-like pattern as she spoke, then stepped up to the colt.
Twilight gulped.
“You should not scold him for finding something that you could not will yourself to notice. Something that, I hope, you will include in your tour in the future.”
The teacher bowed so deep she was practically laying flat on the floor. “Of course, your highness. Please, forgive me.”
“It is done,” the Princess assured in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, just before the little foal tapped her on the knee. “Yes? Didst thou have a question?”
“Um,” the colt squeaked. “Miss Luna, did you paint that?”
The teacher jumped in. “I’m so, so sorry, your highness. He doesn’t know how rude he’s being. I’ll—”
The Princess’s hoof shot up faster than Twilight’s eye could see, stopping itself right in front of the teacher’s instantly hushed lips. “Stifle.” It was a single word in a simple command, but it was spoken with such force and authority it felt as though the world itself would obey. The teacher silenced, the Princess lowered her head all the way down to the colt’s eye level. “Be not afraid, young one. I shall not hurt thee. You are safe, and I am not mad at you. But, before I answer your question, I must ask you one of my own. Why do you think I was the one to paint this mural?”
The little colt scooted away a bit, his head down and his back arched in fear. “Um, well, it’s just when you waved your hoof around, there’s a little swirl just like it in the painting. Also, there’s a big pony with your color on that one cloud in Cloudsdale, sleeping in the day. So I kinda thought it was supposed to be you, but as a pegasus.”
A few more seconds passed while Luna just stared at him, then finally, she smiled and lifted her head, and the tension just evaporated.
“Well, Sky Painter, I must say, you are very observant. And yes, I did indeed paint this mural! I am also quite impressed that you could see such detail! I was able to add many touches during the slow nights of my Court, and it warms my heart to know that somepony appreciates it as you do. If you are ever in Canterlot again, find one of my Night Guard. If I am available, I would love to give you a tour myself. I promise, my stories of these hallowed halls are far more interesting than what your teacher is telling you.”
“Yes, ma’am!” The colt rebounded almost right away at the praise, smiling and practically bouncing up to his hooves.
“Wonderful! I look forward to it! Now, go along with your teacher. I’ve kept you long enough.” Luna scooted him along a bit with a hoof, and he galloped off towards the group that shortly left the hall and went out of earshot.
“Let me guess,” Twilight started with a grin. “You’ve had foals too?”
Luna snorted. “Heavens no. I couldn’t stand it. I mean, first there’s foalbirth in and of itself, but then, diapers? The crying? No, no no no no. I could never. Tia was always the nurturing one. I’ve just picked up a few things along the way, that’s all.”
Twilight blinked. “Huh. Were you ever married?”
“No again, Twilight Sparkle. It is not in my nature, I’m afraid. I am not a loyal lover. I do not take on a mate for a long period of time. I find somepony I like, I couple, and I move on.”
The ascendant shuddered. “When you say couple, you mean—”
“Intercourse, yes. And yes, I still do it. And no, I won’t tell you who. Even Tia doesn’t know. Well, at least I don’t think she does. I do make quite an effort to be discrete. Open relations with a Princess tends to bring it’s own set of troubles, and if I like a pony enough to be intimate with them, I like them enough to not wish such things on them.”
“I can imagine.” Twilight brought her hooves to her head as a very explicit image popped into her mind. “Unfortunately.”
Luna latched onto that immediately. “Oh my! Having naughty thoughts about thy princess, are we?”
“Gah! No! Well, yes, but not intentionally!”
The Princess just laughed. “Oh, Tia is right! You are easily flustered! Be at ease, Twilight! If it was a crime to have lewd thoughts about a princess, I’d imagine at least a third of Equestria would be behind bars! Perhaps nine-tenths if you count Cadence.”
An equally unfortunate image of Cadence ran through Twilight’s mind as she groaned, giving up. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I know I am, but I shall spare you further thoughts. Come, I have a lesson to teach, and you,” she poked a hoof in Twilight’s chest, “have much to learn.”
YAY
WOOOO!
You write Luna perfectly that it hurts
Simply Put, amazing! Great Job!!!
Interesting approach to Twilight's magic output. It's pretty easy to believe that she would have a little bit of trauma related to the plant parents incident.
Naughty Luna is naughty. But Cadance is apparently naughtier, or at least thought of as such.
Thanks for another great chapter Cv =3
Sooo, countdown to a hilarious accident when Twilight tries to practice drawing on her magic faster?
Should be "its" here, didn't notice anything else other than that.
Boy, is Twilight in for a treat if Luna can teach her Words of Power like that. I always liked stories that include those in their magic systems, pony or not. Speaking of which, I wonder if that teacher is still silenced and trying to give a tour like that.
Awesome!
Yes!
Twilight is a control freak? That's hardly news...
I imagine Luna will hopefully set Twilight straight on that respect. It seems like there is very little doubt that Twilight will complete the ascension, bar outside interference. I expect she'll learn to let loose the damn occasionally. Potentially with 'rage-shift' qualities.
Would this school instantly know who Crimson is? I'd use his full name.
I didn't really think small firearms are common in this world. To me this is a bit of a common expression. Maybe something else would work better.
Thanks for the update! Needed a break after a long shift at work.
3466834
Hehe... "Stifle" actually wasn't a "word of power" — it's just Luna-speak for "shut up".
3467057
"Shoot" could've been referring to a crossbow. Besides, Rites begins 16 years after the end of Season Two; the ponies could have developed muskets by that time for all we know.
3467111
Please excuse my misunderstanding, oh great editor *bows*. Usually though, you wouldn't include flowery language like "as though the world itself would obey" if it isn't , just for future reference.
You had me worried there for a moment with the talk about Twilight's progression in the various pony magics, since I just wrote something that would have looked like a clear reference/parody to it the other night Luckily, you took it in the opposite direction
3467118 Crossbow bit did come to me. But my argument isn't necessarily whether or not Equestria has firearms, but how common they are in usage. Also are they commonly seen enough for that phrase to be commonplace?
I can't say much for what is cannon in this story. Do guards routinely patrol populated areas with crossbows/muskets? Equestria is a still somewhat peaceful place, and these are leathal weapons. A sword can still be a lethal/non-lethal weapon, depending on how its used.
That picture just changed my view. It makes me feel trapped. And I hate that feeling. Makes me think: Are there limits to explore space or places like these still are there.It makes me wish I really was a pony of Equestria. My few years of life make me think i have only seen, a tiny cube of a colossal block that is the size 1 million times the sun. I question myself: What is real?
HA!
ObSpellcheck: "Discrete" means "in several distinct parts". You probably meant "discreet".
Still following and enjoying the fic!
3467218
I wanted to emphasize Luna's ability to command. Celestia can nudge her ponies gently like no one else, playing eleventh-dimensional chess for centuries on end. But it's Luna that can deliver a command to rally armies in the here and now. I wanted to help get this across, hence the language.
3467295
Crossbow. Bow and arrow. Telekinetic bolt. Cored cannon. Airship cannon. Normal ship cannon. Pegasus lightning. Trebuchets. Telekinetic beam. Spells.
Just 'cause there are no guns doesn't mean there is a shortage of things ponies can shoot other ponies with.
3467632
It's complicated. "to be discrete" can be interpreted as "keeping sth. seperated into several distinct parts". Good catch, though.
Yes! Training next time, I can't wait!
3467723 if you count any outside influences by other races, the sky's the limit to what ponies could be shooting each other with
3467719 I wasn't going to try this story, as I have a million other stories to check out in my Read Later, and I felt that this was too long to casually once-over.
But when I read this comment and realized that you've finally given form to a nagging feeling/idea I've had for quite some time with describing Celestia and Luna and their different "styles" I knew immediately that this story would be worth examining.
Well done...I think?
Damn! I wanted more, but then you reminded me that I, too, have horse-words to write!
I do hope that you will put Twilight against Luna in full release mode once. Can't wait to see that happen!
Even Luna shall fear Twilight's power when it is used in battle.
Aha, doing sneaky updates now, do you?
Thank you for the image of ponies falling to their death due to closed eyes, though. Maybe the princesses' problems with the nobility would go away if their were a few more "construction efforts" around Canterlot--that kind of construction that leaves streets leading right to the edge of the mountain.
Poor Twilight I know what it's like to be on the top of the world because. you thought you did so well on something only to get it back and find out you failed and hit rock bottom; you captured the feeling well!
I'll admit I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping the training would begin this chapter. Ah well.
So, Luna was a pegasus before her ascension? But you said here that both she and Tia were unicorns. Or perhaps there is a hidden meaning for she being depicted as one?
Great chapter, Cv! Thanks for the update.
Hm, interesting on Twilight and her holding back on how much power she allows herself to draw at once - Indeed, during the moon raising Luna had to nudge her a few times to get her really pumping out the power, and even then it seems she held back subconsciously.
With that in mind though, shouldn't they be more focusing on 'fixing' Twilight's mentality and getting her to loosen up the subconscious grip she holds on her power, rather than limiting her to unicorn magic, which kinda offers her away to stick to her old habits without really pushing her boundaries?
I mean, it was established that Twilight, at the start of her ascension, was already 4 times more powerful than Shining, so if she is behind him in power output (and by the sounds of it, by a hideous amount), she must be really holding her power streams in one deatrhgrip of a chokehold. Rather than 'wasting time' with unicorn magic that Twilight can accomplish effortlessly regardless (which thusly wouldn't really push her towards utilizing more of her power in a rapid fashion), shouldn't they be giving Twilight exercises with the express purpose of getting her to channel more and quickly?
Like give her that Moon raising circle and tell her she needs to get it filled in one minute ... or she gets an F. That should spook her in to blasting it full in ten seconds flat, as Rainbow would say :P Or less drastic training exercises, but still with the goal of getting her to channel more power than she does now, and keep channeling until she is comfortable with doing so. Simple unicorn spells won't really motivate her to do that, will they? Though knowing them certainly doesn't hurt and some combat training is a good idea regardless, but it feels like they should work on shaking Twilight out of her control-freak ways first and foremost, as that's her main limiting factor.
3468764
I personally think that even as a unicorn, she was always fascinated by the sky to the point of wishing to be a pegasus once in a while. It's obviously reflected in her creations.
Of course, it's been a while since I reread all of this fic so I can be wrong.
3468948
Output levels are something that can't be raised very quickly, even with extensive training, and certainly not within their three month timeframe. (If they wait longer, Tia and Luna both agree that "events" will simply come to her instead.) It is, however, something that will improve with time naturally as that is related to one of the summits (horn growth). Since it's unlikely she'd be able to catch up with the output anytime soon, they have to go to plan B and get her to be able to use what she has in the most effective manner possible. Despite the setback, she still has a decent output for normal unicorns, which when combined with her intellect, would make her a formidable foe.
3468764
That wasn't meant to be her before ascension. Just a pegasus that looks like her (i.e., Luna being vain a little).
3469071
Hm, you are almost making it sound like Twilight's output 'issues' are a physical limitation (since you referenced horn growth) ... the way I understood things it was more of a 'mental block' she had placed on herself due to her power going out of control early, essentially a mental conditioning she needs to break herself out of, or did I misunderstand that and she is actually physically incapable of channeling more power at this time?
(Assuming that's the case, why is she considered 4 times stronger than Shining by Celestia (and a thousand times the average unicorn), when Luna made it sound like Twi is anything but with her comparison to Shining making her sound a good deal weaker than him)
3469088
There are two variables at play here.
Capacity, which is determined by the size of a pony's wellspring.
Output.
The thing that's important to hit the "ascendant threshold" on is capacity. Twilight has that in spades. Her capacity is through the roof, and it's so great that she's beginning to transform into an alicorn just so her own wellspring doesn't burn her alive.
Her brother has a capacity (or wellspring size) that's about a quarter that of Twilight. Although that is not near enough to begin an ascension, it's still enough to be incredibly formidable in it's own right. In other words, don't feel too bad for the guy because he has a lower capacity than his sister. With her going to alicorn status, he's officially the unicorn with the largest wellspring in the world. On top of that, if he wants to, he can use an awful lot of it in just a few seconds in order to unleash real hell on an enemy.
Over the course of their lives, most ponies see their wellsprings increase in size, especially in adolescence. Unicorns see more growth than other types of ponies, but their magic is also less efficient, so they need more of it.
Now, output is something completely different. Output is how much magic a unicorn can push through their horn at once.
For Twilight, her output is actually lower now than it was when she was a filly. Much like a muscle, it'll degrade if you don't push it. Twilight had no reason to "push it". She had every reason to do the exact opposite and limit herself, and did so despite Tia's tests to push her a little. The reason she's as strong as she is right now is because of the pressure her wellspring exerts on it. That powerful wellspring means she has a "floor" on her maximum output that's a bit higher than most unicorns' ceiling.
But it's still no where near her brother's output. Nor is it as high as that of the Generals or a number of other top-teir fighters known to Equestria. (Aside from two Generals that do not have horns and as such can't be compared like this.) She got lucky against Towers, who didn't expect so much earth pony magic to be brought to bear against his barrier via Twilight's 'bounding mass' spell.
Above-average-to-excellent though her output would be compared to regular unicorns, Luna's spells require output much higher than that.
In order to increase her output, she's going to have to practice at pulling magic out of her horn. This process is guaranteed to work, but just like working out at a gym, it takes a long time to build strength safely. Longer than the three months they have set for themselves. Hence, they have to make due. Even if she were to improve greatly in the three months, to the point where she can learn some of those spells, she still has to learn some basics of combat. She won't be able to just stand there and toss out Luna's spells like the Princess had hoped. She'll have to learn how to fight at it's most basic levels. How to move. When to strike. When to withdrawal. Etc. Meanwhile, she'll be learning unicorn battle magic from Luna, who will push Twilight to use her magic in a fast and furious manner. She'll push her right to the limit of what her horn can bring and beyond, making her "use that muscle" and expand her output capacity. It might not be enough to get to the point where she can use Luna's spells, but it might be enough to save her life. :rarity wink:
Hope this clears some things up. :)
3469088
Adding some stuff on info about wellsprings.
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A wellspring is the source from which all of a pony’s magic flows. It both creates and stores a pony’s magic. When that pony uses magic and depletes some of their capacity, the wellspring creates new magic to restore it. Unicorns generally have a zero-to-full time anywhere between twelve hours to seven days. Most will pull it off within two days.
Earth ponies almost never deplete their wellspring. It’s unheard of. Their regeneration rate is generally higher than their output rate.
Pegasi can deplete it, and then they drop out of the sky like a plane whose engine runs out of fuel. However, for non-military pegasi, this is incredibly rare. Their bodies will almost always become completely and utterly exhausted before their wellspring will. Only the pegasi lightning attack can drain it fast enough for it to happen eventually, and even then they can often go for quite some time.
Pegasi output rates are more variable than that of earth ponies though, and only the top 1% have a shot at the Wonderbolts.
Most unicorns can deplete their wellspring in a matter of seconds to minutes, however. Twilight’s large size and moderate (comparative) output means she’d take quite some time! Shining, if he really, really, wanted to, could do it in well under a minute. This is just pulling raw power, however. He has to go slower than that if he wants to use it for something other than a raw magical blast. Casting will have a slower draw rate. But, he's used to doing it under combat conditions and will be able to use much more magic at once while in combat than Twilight could.
If a unicorn pulls from their wellspring very quickly, and then abruptly hits bottom or “Empty” on their wellspring, the energy in their horn gets disrupted and let loose, exploding. If it’s in a spell matrix, it’ll explode even more violently. If their horn is disrupted by physical means while casting with a lot of magic, it will also explode. If their horn is just doing simple telekinesis on a light object, where the draw rate is low, it’ll just sputter, spark, and fail. No explosion.
Any of the situations where there is an explosion on their horn like that is called “blowing out their horn”, and it’s a painful situation that requires immediate medical attention. Failure to get help may result in crippling of the horn, drastically lowering safe output for the rest of the ponies’ life, as well as other nasty symptoms. Hence, unicorn parents tend to keep a watchful eye on their foals for this, and they teach them about the danger of it.
Hope this also helps.
3468948
My understanding is that there's an actual, tangible 'thing' limiting the flow of a pony's magic, akin to a muscle, which can be exercised and trained to increase the possible flow, separate from the quantity of magic they have available to them. In that case, it's not a simple matter of teaching Twilight the proper mentality so much as getting her the necessary training to exercise this 'arcane muscle', which she never properly exercised before with how she always held back. Just like training a real muscle, it's something that will take time.
[Edit] I should've refreshed chat before typing this, lol. There's already been an entire conversation on the topic. My bad.
Quality writing and fun and well described world mechanics. This story has been my favorite on fimfiction for quite some time now, so I'd like to thank you for doubtlessly working hard on it. Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see how Twilight's training will progress!
P.S. Your depiction of Luna in this chapter is especially spectecular.
moar
Luna has banging buddies and thinks highly of Rainbow Dash?
... Welp, I'd ship that.
Starry, starry night
Paint dear Luna, paint the day
Paint the pegasii at play
With eyes that show the pain of no mortal
Dwelling on those killed
Those deceased in the battle's thrills
In times like these where blood is spilled
In colours on the canvas of your land
Now I understand
Of the trials to deity
And how it wore upon your sanity
And how the stars must set you free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
Starry, starry night
Sweet Celestia's righteous blaze
In battle cautious hoof she stays
Instead we're led by rays of bloody moon.
Colours stain your hooves
Paint the ceiling to stay sane
Swirling brushstrokes hide your pain
Be soothed when the world's more than you can stand
Can you understand
What it's like in eternity?
And Luna suffered with insanity
And once, decried, by harmony
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You were banished to your beloved moon
But I could've told you Luna
No world was ever meant for
One as beautiful as you
Starry, starry night
Empty castle Everfree
Buried artwork never seen
Buried from a world that must forget
You're a stranger they've not met
A Nightmare once but there she goes
A steely thorned bittersweet rose
Silence broken by her saccharine prose
Now I think I know
What you tried to say pony,
And how you suffered with insanity
And how the stars have set you free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps a few foals will...
3471546
Additional note I'd like to say...
This has inspired me to pick up my guitar for the first time, truly, since I stopped being able to play. I mean, the medication has helped stop the tremors and all but, you know, I just lost the heart to try again. This was one of my favourite songs to play.
I just wanted to thank you for that.
3473040
It always amazes me that my silly horse words have reached out to people so deeply that they tell me of things such as this. Yet, it may well be the greatest compliment I can get over my writing. Thank you, truly.
Oh that was so much fun to read, I wish there was more. Luna had me laughing half the time she spoke.
Your story is a spacious as the seas and bodies of stars, in which makes it full of promise that it is yet to fill yet has already filled most of the rift between time & space.
Your take on Luna remains my favorite out of all the fan fics I've read. Keep up the great work.
3471546
Forget "Rites of Ascension", why can't I favorite this?
These! * gestures to words* I...I...*hugs words* I love them
So glad I was finally able to read this
I love the way you portray Luna, she is easily my favourite character at this point in the story, hooves down.
I hope Sky Painter makes another appearance, he's so adorable.
Great job, have a moustache for your trouble.