On Duty

by The Sumareian

Magical Field test

It was just a boring day, not boring in the since that nothing was going on, but boring in the since that it was just bland. The sunrise was bland, with none of the spectacular colors Celestia usually added. Even the library hadn't been visited by anypony at all in the last four hours.

"Bastion, why are wednesdays so boring?" Whiterun whined as he flopped on the bed.His partner was laying comfortably in his pile of pillows that he had arranged to be a fort.

"I don't know," He turned the page in the equestrian unabridged dictionary that he had levitating above him. It was the only book he figured wouldn't leave him wanting more in a couple of hours.

"There has got to be something other then," He waved his hooves at the air. "This."

"You could oh I don't know read a book, we are in a library after all." Bastion turned the page finally starting on the C's.

Both stallions sat in silence for a while until Bastion loudly closed the dictionary.

"Okay, lets see what Twilight is up to." he hopped out of his pillow fort. "I mean after all, shes got to know some way to kill some time right?"

As the two causally walked to the basement door where she had decided to hole herself in. As Bastion knocked on the door he waited for a response. He knocked once more, to again be met by silence.

"Just open the door." Whiterun said impatiently as he started for the handle.

"Whiterun, have you no shame, what if she was.....was in a compromising situation, you would just barge in without her knowing." Bastion looked at his partner a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Bastion, I have only sisters the rule is knock once for a response, knock twice to be nice. Now if she is in the predicament you suspect she could be in isn't our jobs as her guards to help her." He started for the handle again as he slowly opened the door.

They were met with the sounds of machines printing out easily a forests worth of paper all covered in data. There standing in the middle as Twilight trotted around her looking completely uninterested in all the buzz and chaos happening around her was Rainbow Dash.

"Compromising situation my horn," Whiterun remarked snarkily to Bastion as he brushed past him.

"You don't even have a horn you..." Bastion massaged his temple as he let out a gentle sigh as he followed his partner down the stairs. Realizing that it just might be one of those days where everything goes wrong for him.

"Hey there Rainbow. What have you been up to?" Whiterun smiled diplomatically to her.

"Well me and Twilight were going to practice some tricks today, but she got some egghead book different magics and," She tilted head to Twilight who was deftly placing another roll of paper into the chart machine."Someone thought a few experiments would be a good alternative to having fun."

"Wait experiments?" Bastion asked the sky blue mare simply nodded.

"Rainbow, you make it sound like I'm going to create Frankenstallions monster or something." Twilight trotted up to the group a curiously joyful smile on her face. "Bastion, Whiterun would you care to help me test a theory I have."

"And what pray tell is this theory of yours?" Bastion looked at the lavender alicorn as she prepared to lecture them all.

" Not more of this egghead stuff." Rainbow groaned as Twilight slide a chalkboard behind her and erased the series of notes and equations on it.

"Right, so well all know that we ponies are magical in some way," She drew a group of three ponies one a pegisi the other a unicorn and finally an earth pony."The only thing is we ponies display varying levels or forms of the same magic."

Both Whiterun and Rainbow were doing their best to seem mildly interested.While Bastion watched Twilight draw a set of lines under the three ponies.

"Now we all know that the raw magical energies in the world are in the leylines, each and everypony, and most other intelligent species can draw magic from them, each with varying affects like Zecora and her illusions or griffons and their fire magics," Twilight hastily drew a zebra in a smoke cloud and a griffon holding fire in his talons. "This is all fine and dandy but unlike griffons and our zebra cousins we have a large variation as to well us, we ponies can be broken into three subspecies." Bastion raised his hoof and waited for Twilight to nod to him.

"So does this theory of yours relate as to whether or not we ponies are actually using the same magic?"

"Yes, seeing how varied our magics are, Pegisi with their flight and ability to manipulate weather. Earth ponies with their significantly more passive magic that allows plants and animals to flourish where they have been even sometime after they have gone. Finally there are unicorns we can quite literally hijack a leyline and draw from it with our horns." she tapped her hoof a her forehead. "Ours is really the only active form of magic with varying levels of passiveness for pegisi and earth ponies."

"Uh Twilight, pegisi can fly because we have wings." Rainbow flared out her wings.

"Actually, no." Twilight cleared the board and drew a bird and a pegasus. "You see Rainbow, pegisi wings are too small to allow them to fly, with what we know of aerodynamics, that and birds can only fly because they also have mostly hollow bones. Ponies don't have hollow bones, because we like oxen are beasts of burden." Twilight started to jot down similarities that birds an pegisi did have. "The one thing that is keeping a pegisi in the air is a magical burst that they produce that is similar to an anti-gravity spell, earth ponies have similar bursts, though theirs is less dramatic and it dissipates slower."

"So your theory relates to whether you could make say a pegisi manipulate leylines like a unicorn?" Bastion looked at Twilight who was smiling joyfully.

"Yes and that is where you come in Bastion, I need you to help me create a leyline connection for Rainbow, and Whiterun here."

"Wait did we just get volunteered as test subjects?" Whiterun looked to Rainbow Dash who nodded. "Oh hay n...."

Whiterun slumped to the ground as Bastions stun spell kicked in. "Well we are both sworn to protect you with our lives and well... I guess we're more expendable then one of the elements of harmony." Bastion poked Whiterun in the back of his neck prompting the white stallion to spring to his hooves.

"Firstly ouch," He stared daggers at his partner. "Secondly, is this safe?"

Twilight smiled, "I did my research the worst that will happen to the both of you is a mild headache."

"Well are we gonna get this done now, or when I'm old like Granny Smith?"

"Well before that we should probably take this outside."

*********************************************************************

The group of ponies finally, finished their rather short hike to the a field, not a stones throw distance away from Ghastly Gorge. Twilight and Bastion were still discussing magical theory and whether or not there was a unknown magical wavelength that had yet to be discovered. While Whiterun and Rainbow Dash on more then one occasion wondered how their friends were for lack of a better word and out of mutual unspoken consensus between them. 'super nerdy.'

"Well its like my magic kindergarten teacher always says." Bastion stumbled slightly over a rock.

"The moment you stop wondering is the moment you stop learning." Twilight smiled back, to the Bastion. "Ms. Trotsworthy?"

"Wait a sec, you were TinkilingTwi?" Bastion looked to Twilight as a vibrant blush grew to her face.

"That was one time okay." She blurted out as she looked down at the ground in shame.

"Oh come on buck up," Bastion nudged her reassuringly." Remember that colt who kept on making fun of you about it, well lets just say he's a sewage disposal expert now. " He smiled as Twilight nodded and chuckled slightly "But the little filly who humiliated herself on her first day of kindergarten grew up to be a princess. Now if that ain't the universe righting some wrong then I don't know what is." She looked up to Bastion and smiled.

"Or he became a royal guard, and is now guarding the pony he used to pick on." Twilight playfully shoved Bastion in the side, and winked at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile in the Canterlot Castle armory.

Topaz paused in her step, she had felt a tingle in her horn, a tingle she hadn't felt since the five years of her and Bastions marriage, but she knew the tingle all the same.

"Quartermaster Topaz, are you okay?" one of the new recruits who was supposed to be getting fitted for her armor asked as she cautiously approached the petrified Quartermaster.

"Competition." Topaz mumbled under her breath.

"What ma'm?" The mare recruit stepped closer trying to hear.

"BASTION!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bastion felt a cold tingle run down his back, as he got ready to cast what Twilight had dubbed The supercharge spell.

"Alright Whiterun your up first," Twilight waved him over. " On three Bastion you hit him with the spell, while I record the results."

"Is this going to hurt, because my doctor says that I severely allergic to pain and bodily injury, especial the types that come from unicorns."

"One." Twilight raised her hoof.

"Okay we have started counting that's fine. But that doesn't change the fact that-"

"Two"

"Oh sweet Celestia, please I only just now got a special somepony and now this why?" He fainted dramatically. Causing both Twilight and Bastion to roll their eyes.

"Three."

Bastion was admittedly an average magic using unicorn, learning spells that he knew he would need in his life, not learning those that he would rarely use in his life, but taking one of the literal veins of magic in equestria and connecting it to a pony it seemed almost to simple as the raw magical power he focused on his partner began to stabilize.

"Ughhh...... Why does everything taste like red?" Whiterun, either through his earthpony durability or of sheer and total Whiterunedness got to his hooves like he had only slipped on a banana peel.

"Okay, now that the difficult part is out of the way," Twilight levitated a clipboard an pencil from the bag she made Bastion carry. "Try bucking that boulder over there." She pointed to a large boulder that had Tom caringly written in chalk on it.

"Okay, but I don't see why I had to get zapped in order to buck a rock." Whiterun cantered up to Tom, and began running his hoof on its surface. He then brought his ear to it and started knocking on it.

"Your not taking it on a date, just hit the thing." Bastion rolled his eyes at his partners strange behavior.

Whiterun nodded to the stone before turning around and bracing himself. He lifted his hind-legs and kicked them back with all his might, it didn't feel like he hit anything more then a big pile of sand.

Bastion felt his jaw drop at what he just saw, he looked to Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight who were both equally as shocked at what they just saw. Twilight numbly started writing something down on the clipboard, as she tried to compose herself.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow zipped over to Whiterun, who was just now turning around, to see a light grey pile of dust that was once Tom,

"I did that?" He looked numbly at the dust pile then back at his legs which were coated in a fine layer of light grey dust.

"Yeah you did, that rock didn't stand a chance."

Whiterun not missing a beat started polishing his hoof of his chest. "Well, you know how it is strong devastatingly handsome." He smiled.

"Yeah, yeah next thing you'll tell us you have a soft spot for mares with blue coats." Bastion who unbeknownst to either Rainbow Dash or Whiterun was poking around the dust pile with Twilight.

"Everypony look at this," Twilight held up her hoof there gripping valiantly to the loose grey dust was a decently sized sprout growing slowly with the faintest glimmer of magic sparking around it. "So Bellsmiths theory about earth pony magic is true." Her horn lit up and she quickly jotted down some notes.

"Wait I did that?" Whiterun cautiously poked the plant, causing it to grow into a small sapling almost instantly.

"Whoa." Rainbow watched as a silver field surrounded the sapling and planted it into the dust pile.

"This is just amazing, I cant believe that a active leyline in an earthpony could do that." Twilight looked at Whiterun. "Whiterun I want to go to that patch of dirt," She pointed to a bare disappointing patch of dirt where the withered grass crinkled in the breeze.

"Right here?" Whiterun trotted to the middle of the patch and harmlessly kicked a rock.

"Right there, Bastion can you give me the Arcanoscope."

Bastion reached into his saddlebag and delicately pulled out the small telescope like tool and gave it to her.

"Now lets see here," Twilight extended the scope and with her magic carefully started rotating some sections of it."There we go, amazing."

"What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered over her friends shoulder. "I mean, what does that egghead thingy say is going on?"

"It looks like the spell didn't work, instead of connect a new leyline to Whiterun, it looks like Bastion just became a mid point for it."

"Wait, so he's using my magic? then why don't I feel tired or sick?" Bastion looked at his partner who was now sitting in a healthy growth of green grass, smiling as a butterfly fluttered up to his nose.

"I think I know why," Twilight collapsed the scope and put back into Bastions saddle bag. "Earthpony magic is subtle and very passive, the magical burst he used to break that boulder, should be the about the same as a young unicorn picking up for the first time. To him it was a massive surge of magic, but to you and me especially considering the fact that we're older that was almost a trivial little burst of magic." Twilight smiled smugly as she jotted down her discovery on her notes.

"Hey Bastion Check this out, I'm a living super stallion." The three ponies looked up to see a sight that would have put both Discord and Pinkie Pie to shame in the department of sheer ranbomness.

Whiterun was juggling three boulders about twice the size of the one he disintegrated in one hoof while doing pushups with out breaking a sweat, he then found a convenient placed anvil and slammed his hoof on it breaking it clean in half.

"This is awesome." Whiterun hoped over to several other barren patches of dirt and started a jig, which caused a plethora of flowers to sprout and blossom before their eyes.

"So Twilight remember, when I made fun of you for being an egghead." Rainbow Dash nudged her friend in the side.

"And how both you and Applejack tied for last place at the running of the leaves."

"Yeah, yeah. That's in the past but could you say oh make me fly better with this spell of yours?"

"On it, Twilight if you would please step back." Bastion prepared the supercharge spell once more, only this time it wasnt as easy as before, since what magic was in Rainbow started to repel the leyline connection. Eventually he over powered the stubborn magic and connected Rainbow Dash.

"Ugh... Red tastes awful." Rainbow stuck out her tongue trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

"There you go, all super charged and ready to go." Bastion wiped the few beads of sweat from his fore head. "You got any water."

"I'll do you one better," Rainbow stretched out her wings getting ready to take off.

"No wait." Twilight called out as the sky blue mare shot into the sky screaming. leaving a set of rainbow Dash shaped holes in the clouds. "Pegisi take off with a burst of magic."

"You think she'll be okay?" Bastion trotted up with a canteen a few inches above his head. Twilight nodded as she saw a rainbow colored shockwave higher up. "Don't tell me I got to cast that on somepony else today, Rainbow was exhausting."

"No you wont have to cast it again, I have a question though. Bastion are you one of the more powerful unicorns in the guard?"

"Oh no by no stretch am I really good with magic, I actually was one of the weakest unicorns in my unit when we started and finished basic training I got in because of my hoof to hoof combat skills" Bastion scratched the back of his head. "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering what would or could happen if a princess used that spell... Oh and cover your ears." Twilight smiled as the shockwaves of three successive rainbooms shook the ground, causing Bastion to topple over dropping his canteen.

Twilight just laughed as she watched the grey stallion scramble back to his hooves.

"Ha ha laugh it up." Bastion sadly lifted up the empty canteen and pouted. "That isn't fair at all."

"Here," Twilight flew up to a nearby cloud and took a piece of it. "Cant have one of my favorite guards/ number 2 assistants go and pass out now can I." She stuffed the cloud wisp into the canteen and shook it.

"Thanks," Bastion smiled to Twilight who gave him a playful shove as he started gulping the cool water.

"So that spell really took that much out of you then?" Twilight looked to the sky as a rainbow streaked across at breakneck speeds.

"Not really, its just afterwards is the real dozy, and if that arcanoscope is right I should be getting tired from them doing well," Bastion pointed to the rainbow that was now looping and doing tricks in the heavens high above, and them to Whiterun who was causing massive blooms in the once dry and barren dirt. "That."

"Don't worry, it will wear off, in about an hour or so." Twilight said as she trotted over to a shady tree and sat down. Bastion quickly realizing how much casting the spell twice did on him, tiredly and lazily trotted next to Twilight and sat as well.

"Well, you know what they say, too much sleep after the job never hurt nopony." He yawned before resting his back against the tree and closing his eyes. "Wake me up when Whiterun starts dropping things please."

Author's Note:

Yep contained in here is my theory of how magic works for ponies and the rest of the world. (But not other universes teehee.) Sorry about the delay in all the writing (Tried making it up with a big chapter.) Also next Chapter we get to head up to Canterlot for a little fun.